The Spellers Hike

Follow the Spellers as they lead us forward

The Inspiration:

Phenom Autism educator Alison Myers and phenom Autism Warrior Mom Molly Sebastian were pioneering entrepreneurs when they launched Invictus Bakery in 2017. Invictus’ mission is to provide pre-employment training and employment opportunities for the Autistic individuals, a sector that experiences an 85% un- or underemployment rate. Dustin Sweeney joined Invictus shortly after its inception and started working at their Brooklyn location when it opened in 2019. Dustin honed his baking and culinary work skills at Invictus and now applies them in the kitchens at Threefold Cafe and Artis Senior Living in Chestnut Ridge, NY:

Dustin Sweeney @ Artis Senior Living Kitchen

This spring, Invictus launched “The Speller Bakery” on Staten Island, New York. Dustin Sweeney is a Spelling Baker at this pioneering model which enables our Non-Speakers to communicate in a work environment for the first time. Invictus Staten Island is not only the first “Speller Bakery’ but also the first Speller Commercial Enterprise in the country. The Invictus Speller Bakery - watch at Vimeo:

The Invictus Observatory

Molly and Alison inspired me to bring Spelling to the Endeavor 21+ Foundation hike with their simple call to action: “Follow the Spellers”:

Spelling Overview:

Some of you may not be familiar with “Spelling”, which I use as a generic term for this communication methodology. Here is a more detailed Spelling overview via Grok:

Spelling-based communication methods for nonspeaking autistic individuals aim to provide alternative ways to express thoughts when verbal speech is limited or unreliable due to motor-sensory challenges, such as apraxia. Below is a comparison of the primary methodologies: Spelling to Communicate (S2C), Rapid Prompting Method (RPM), and Facilitated Communication (FC), based on their techniques, goals, controversies, and evidence base. These methods are often used by individuals who may have significant motor difficulties but intact cognitive and language abilities, challenging the assumption of intellectual disability.

Spelling comparison at Grok.

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The Spelling Hike:

Over the past 6 years, I have led roughly 250 3-mile hikes with our Endeavor 21+ Hikers. Despite my general hope that our Hikers enjoy our hikes, I was never quite sure as they are unable to express through speaking what they thought of it. Recently, over the course of four weeks, we were able to introduce and layer Spelling into the hike, and now I know!! With appreciation to the following:

• Galilee Damiao - Communication Partner, and Founding President and Director of SEEN Foundation

• Mathew Wambua - Board Member of SEEN Foundation, and Father and Communication Partner to Danson Wambua

• Marysa Wambua - Stepmother and Communication Partner to Danson Wambua

• Danson Wambua - Speller and Hiker

• Anan Saha - Speller and Hiker

• D.C. Saha - Father and Communication Partner to Anan Saha

Spelling and Hiking

Anan typed with Galilee:

• “Great Hike Mike.

• Danson great to have you on the hike.

• The more hiking the better.

• Message to my fellow hikers, thank you for being great friends.”

Danson typed with Galilee:

• “Let’s hike this weekend.

• Hi Anan, great to be on this hike with you today. I look forward to hiking with you this weekend.

• Tell Mike that the hike is so important for me it helps me be more in my body.

• Our time together is so much fun. Thank you for being there for me.”

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Summary:

This was incredibly emotional for me to read and then re-read what they had written. This is just the beginning of a Great Awakening as the extraordinary minds of our Spellers are unlocked and shared with the world. We are just getting started. Thank you Alison and Molly for the inspiration!

Alison Myers, Molly Sebastian, and Dustin Sweeney of Invictus Bakery - “Follow The Spellers”