Reach Every Voice

12/16/2025

"When this movement began, this quiet, powerful shift toward presuming competence, we were all on the same side.

We were the ones who said:

*No more proving intelligence before accessing it.
*No more earning communication.
*No more waiting for mastery before offering literacy.

We were united around one core belief: If a student cannot speak reliably, it tells us nothing about their thinking.

That was the foundation. That was the revolution.

It was never about perfect performance. It was about access. And opportunity. High expectations and the power of belief.

Yet recently, I’ve been watching a quiet shift...one I never expected from within our own community.

Some approaches in our field have begun moving toward increasing standardization: tight protocols, specific progressions, scripted expectations for both practitioners and students.

The intention, I believe, is to create legitimacy and consistency.

But the outcomes are becoming harder to ignore.

I’m hearing from families and practitioners who are being told:

*they must follow a single progression in a specific order,
*certain communication tools are off-limits until mastery is demonstrated on others,
*and trying something different is discouraged, even when it better supports the student’s motor profile or regulation.

Isn’t that the exact mindset that pushed families out of schools and into our spaces in the first place?

The same gatekeeping - just wearing different branding.

Families are coming to us—not because they’re new to text-based communication, but because they were told:

No.

No, you may not switch tools. No, your motor needs don’t fit the protocol. No, you can’t advance until you perform in a specific way. No, you can’t explore something different - not yet. Not until.

One parent recently told me, “We left the school system because they wouldn’t let my son access communication. Now we’re being told the same thing, but by the people who promised the opposite.”

That sentence has not stopped echoing in my head."

There's more to read. Want Lisa's full post? Find the link in the comments.

12/10/2025

At the TASH Conference last week, Ethan Tucker and Lisa Mihalich Quinn presented a message our field urgently needs to hear.

Ethan—a nonspeaking autistic young adult and longtime REV student—led our session, Interdependence by Design, with a powerful goal: to teach others that the long-standing push for independence above all else is deeply flawed. His lived experience and insight made clear why autonomy and interdependence must be centered for nonspeaking and partially speaking people with extensive support needs.

Ethan’s words set the tone for the entire session:
When people have access to robust communication and true autonomy, they don’t just participate—they lead.

Lisa was honored to present alongside Ethan, supporting and amplifying his message while sharing how interdependence shapes REV’s work. Dr. Casey Woodfield joined them as a collaborator, adding research and context that reinforced what Ethan already knows firsthand: systems change begins when we listen to disabled voices.

Ethan’s leadership at TASH is a reminder of what becomes possible when we presume competence, create communication access, and build environments where nonspeaking people can take the mic—literally and figuratively.

We are immensely proud of Ethan for sharing his voice, his clarity, and his vision for a more inclusive future. And we are grateful for every opportunity to learn from him.

Here’s to building systems where autonomy is honored, interdependence is valued, and nonspeaking people lead the way. 💙

12/04/2025

They see a diagnosis. We see a person.

In Ethan's powerful words, we're reminded of the vast difference between fixing, training, and dismissing versus truly seeing, supporting, and empowering.

At REV, we've spent 10 years rejecting the deficit model. We don't try to make nonspeaking autistic individuals fit into neurotypical boxes. Instead, we create environments where autonomy thrives alongside necessary support.

This dual commitment—honoring independence while providing robust assistance—is at the heart of everything we do. Because presuming competence isn't just a philosophy; it's the foundation for meaningful connection.

This understanding of the power of autonomy is at the heart of our work, and it's so important to Ethan that he pitched an entire presentation to TASH's National Conference about it. We're heading to Denver tomorrow!

"MDs see me as someone to cure. BCBAs see me as someone to train to fit a neurotypical world. SLPs see me as someone incapable of real communication. But my REV teachers see me as someone capable of having so much autonomy thought I definitely need a lot of support."

Ethan Tucker



[ID: A blue and white graphic featuring a quote from Ethan Tucker contrasting how different professionals view him versus REV teachers. The right side shows Ethan, a young man with short dark hair wearing a black shirt, leaning up against a window.]

📧 info@ReachEveryVoice.org 🌐 www.ReachEveryVoice.org

12/02/2025

Today is Giving Tuesday, and we’re asking our community to help us bring something important to life.

Last week, at The Arc Maryland’s SpArc Tank Ig-Nite event, Reach Every Voice received $8,500 to launch Transforming Access — our project to build a replicable model of adapted, grade-level materials for nonspeaking and neurodivergent learners.

This support gives us an incredible start. But the full cost is closer to $18,000, and we still need to raise the remaining funds to complete the work, pilot it with students, refine the lessons, and share them widely with teachers and school systems.

If you believe all students deserve real access to rigorous academics…
If you want to help shift inclusion from “being in the room” to actually learning…
If you care about building tools that finally meet the needs of learners who communicate differently…

We’d be so grateful for your support today.

Here’s the direct link to support Transforming Access this Giving Tuesday:
https://secure.givelively.org/donate/rev-accessability-inc/transforming-access-a-replicable-model-for-adapted-grade-level-materials

Thank you for helping us bridge the gap and bring this work to life.

REV's project aims to solve a long-standing barrier in education: special education students being denied access to true grade-level content.Using Adaptiverse, our tea...

12/02/2025

Today is Giving Tuesday, and we’re asking our community to help us bring something important to life.

Last week, at The Arc Maryland’s SpArc Tank Ig-Nite event, Reach Every Voice received $8,500 to launch Transforming Access — our project to build a replicable model of adapted, grade-level materials for nonspeaking and neurodivergent learners.

This support gives us an incredible start. But the full cost is closer to $18,000, and we still need to raise the remaining funds to complete the work, pilot it with students, refine the lessons, and share them widely with teachers and school systems.

If you believe all students deserve real access to rigorous academics…
If you want to help shift inclusion from “being in the room” to actually learning…
If you care about building tools that finally meet the needs of learners who communicate differently…

We’d be so grateful for your support today.

💙 Donation link is in the comments.
Thank you for helping us bridge the gap for our students and educators.

11/27/2025

Ten years in, and our gratitude runs deep — for our students, our families, and everyone fighting for true communication access. Wishing you a warm and joyful Thanksgiving. 💙🧡

11/26/2025

Giving Tuesday is one week away, and this year our focus is clear: Transforming Access, our project to build a replicable model of adapted grade-level materials for nonspeaking and neurodivergent students.

Thanks to The Arc Maryland, we’ve already received $8,500 to launch this work — a powerful start that lets us begin piloting adapted first-grade science lessons through Adaptiverse App.

But the full project cost is closer to $18,000, and we need our community’s help to bridge the gap.

💙 If you believe all students deserve true access to rigorous, grade-level learning…
💙 If you know nonspeaking and neurodivergent students are capable and deserve the right supports…
💙 If you want to help teachers actually make inclusion meaningful…

We invite you to partner with us this Giving Tuesday.

Every gift — big or small — directly supports creating high-quality adapted lessons that will be shared widely with teachers and school systems, helping students like Ethan access the instruction they deserve.

➡️ Donation link is in the comments.

Thank you for helping us build a future where access isn’t an afterthought — it’s the starting point. 💙

11/25/2025

Too often, nonspeaking students are expected to prove they can communicate before they’re given full access to learning. This new conversation with MCIE Think Inclusive explores what changes when we stop waiting for readiness and start providing access from the start.

Lisa Mihalich Quinn discusses why presuming competence matters, how understanding apraxia and co-regulation reshapes support for autistic learners, and the role of grade-level content and robust communication tools in unlocking participation. You’ll also hear real stories of students who were underestimated for years until expectations and access finally aligned.

We also named a truth families know well. Many are still paying privately for supports that should exist in schools. Training educators and communication partners should not be an optional extra. It is the path to systemic change.

If you care about inclusion, we hope this conversation pushes you to think outside the box. Instead of sitting in the mindset of "this is just how we do things," watch the real magic happen when we start exploring ideas of "what could happen if we take risks and try something new?"

https://youtu.be/KC2Xo0SCbkg?si=gUYxSvkxxr690dCM

Lisa Mihalich Quinn is the founder of Reach Every Voice and co-founder of Adaptiverse. She is a former public school teacher who builds solutions for non-spe...

11/25/2025

It's been a minute since Nick has asked to write new tips to share, but he's back with a fresh set - 4 Ways to Stop People Pleasing.

The working title for this post, which Nick asked to include in the caption, was "Tips for like stopping doing things that you feel go against yourself but make others happy."

When we asked Nick what other context he wanted to have shared in the caption, he wanted us to tell you all that "so many nice people try to make others happy. This is considerably more complicated as someone who relies on support."

Here they are, Nick's 4 tips for ways to stop people pleasing.

1. Trust your true worth.
Really try to believe you are tremendously important and your opinions deserve great air time.

2. Try to free yourself from it.
The thing stopping me from sharing my true opinions is often fear. Getting courage takes real effort but it frees you.

3. Take a chance.
Remember you don’t grow from being silent. You grow from great risks.

4. Free yourself from weight of others' feelings.
You have to find the release of trying to manage other people' s reactions to what you say. You for once should let go of the urge to make sure no one is upset.

You matter.
Your opinions matter.

11/22/2025

Look for Lisa on the Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education Think Inclusive podcast soon!

11/21/2025

What a night. ✨

First, a huge and heartfelt thank you to The Arc Maryland for hosting SpArc Tank Ig-Nite and for believing in bold, community-driven innovation.

Last evening, our team shared a vision that feels deeply personal to our community: grade-level learning that is truly accessible to nonspeaking and partially speaking learners and students with communication access needs.

And the room said YES.
Yes to high expectations.
Yes to innovation.
Yes to believing in students who have too often been underestimated.

We are honored to share that Reach Every Voice received our full grant request and was selected by attendees for the People’s Choice Award, adding an additional $1,000 toward bringing this project to life.

This $8,500 in support is extraordinary — and it gets us almost halfway there.
The full cost of this project is closer to $18,000.

If you’d like to help us bring the rest of this vision to completion, we would be deeply grateful.
➡️ Donation link is in the comments.

To everyone who voted, cheered us on, partnered with us, or has been part of this mission from day one — thank you.

This win belongs to our students, our families, our educators, and every person who knows that inclusion isn’t a slogan — it’s a commitment.

Onward. 💙

11/17/2025

Today we pause to honor the life and legacy of Alice Wong, a powerful voice in disability justice and the founder of the Disability Visibility Project.

We wrote this lesson —exploring her work, her storytelling, and her commitment to amplifying disabled voices—this summer and had not yet published it. Today we're sharing completely free to our community. It’s our way of continuing her mission: ensuring every voice is heard.

https://www.reacheveryvoice.org/product-page/alice-wong-disability-rights-activist-storyteller

Use code: DisabilityVisibility at checkout