Austin Speech Labs, co-founded in 2008 by speech pathologists Shelley Adair (Baylor ’92) and Shilpa Shamapant took home the National Stroke Association’s 2016 RAISE Award for Most Impactful Stroke Group. Austin Speech Labs is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing intensive speech and cognitive therapy that helps to address the wide gap between services covered by medical insurance and what stroke survivors truly need to return to their social and professional lives. To ensure that all clients receive optimal recovery, Austin Speech Labs provides individualized intensive services to stroke survivors for $10 per hour, and even provides services for free to 30% of their clients. Since their start, Austin Speech Labs has made a truly great impact on those affected by stroke in the Central Texas Area. They have provided over 14,000 hours of stroke therapy to over 500 stroke survivors, and educated over 1,000 community members on strokes and neuroplasticity. More than just a place to receive speech therapy, Austin Speech Labs also trains undergraduate and graduate students across the nation, including some of our own Baylor Bears.
Shelley Adair reflects, “We are so excited to receive this award and would like to use this platform to continue to RAISE awareness, do research, and train students so that we can minimize recovery time for stroke survivors.”
For more information on Austin Speech Labs and the life-changing work they do, contact them at (512) 992-0575 or staff@austinspeechlabs.org.