Parkinson Voice Project Grant Program

Speak Out!®

The University of Mary’s Speech-Language Pathology Department received a grant through the Parkinson Voice Project Grant Program, which provides our students and faculty the opportunity for SPEAK OUT!® training, therapy materials, and ongoing support with funding to help individuals with Parkinson's disease improve their communication skills.

About the Therapy Program

The SPEAK OUT! Therapy Program, developed by Parkinson Voice Project®, is an evidence-based program that helps individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s and related neurological disorders regain and retain their speech and swallowing skills. This comprehensive program combines individual speech therapy with education and ongoing group support.

Up to 90% of people with Parkinson’s are at high risk of losing their ability to speak, and swallowing complications account for 70% of the mortality rate in this patient population. Our vision at Parkinson Voice Project is to make our highly effective speech therapy program accessible to people with Parkinson’s worldwide.

Samantha Elandary, Parkinson Voice Project’s Founder and CEO

This grant program honors Daniel R. Boone, PhD, CCC-SLP — a world-renowned speech-language pathologist and voice expert — who recognized in the late 1950s that individuals with Parkinson's could improve their communication by “speaking with intent." Parkinson Voice Project’s program combines individual and group therapy to convert speech from an automatic function to an intentional act.

About the Parkinson Voice Project

Parkinson Voice Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization solely dedicated to helping people with Parkinson’s regain and retain their speech and swallowing. The organization provides SPEAK OUT! workbooks, online SPEAK OUT! home practice sessions, and a weekly Parkinson’s sing-along to complement the speech therapy they will receive at the University of Mary Speech-Language Clinic. The organization is headquartered in Richardson, Texas, and has trained over 10,000 clinicians in more than 40 countries. For information, visit www.ParkinsonVoiceProject.org.

Schedule an Appointment

The clinic is located in the School of Health Sciences on the university’s main campus in Bismarck. To schedule an appointment, call 701-355-8288 or email the clinic.

Email the Clinic