My disability is that I cannot speak in a way that lets me effectively communicate. I have been unable to have meaningful interactions with others because I was not able to talk. Now I can talk using the letter board. It has changed my life forever. 

My life has been lonely and frustrating because I could not tell people how I felt about anything so I was left out. I could not form meaningful friendships because I can’t talk very well. My education has been unfulfilling because I have never been challenged at school. 

Now my life is happier because I can talk using the letter board. Now I have the opportunity to engage with people in a new way. I have a chance to have a real friendship where I can contribute to the conversation. Perhaps I can now pursue giving to society instead of society looking at me as a burden. Most importantly, I would like to be able to access age appropriate curriculum. I am eager to learn about everything that my same aged peers are learning. I know that I am capable of learning anything. 

I hope that my voice will be heard. I have been silent for too long. Now I need to speak for those who are still stuck in silence. 

*This essay was spelled out independently by Huan Vuong on a letter board using Rapid 

Prompting Method (RPM) with his speech-language pathologist, Elizabeth Vosseller, MA-CCC-SLP.

Links to the videos of Huan spelling out the essay with Elizabeth Vosseller: