“I have found Speak With IT absolutely invaluable, our volunteer is responsible for how far he has come in the last few months.”
What people say about Speak With IT
“The volunteers are very well supported and trained. It’s a great way to help out and an extremely beneficial experience for any aspiring SLTs. SWIT is a very respected and well known charity and their work makes significant impact.”
Dhvani
“My volunteer has been a great help to me. I am beginning to find my communication is markedly better. Sometimes feels like it’s back to normal. I have not felt like this before.”
Bob
“I have improved in so many ways thanks to SWIT. Found renewed interest in life. So grateful.”
Michael
“I’m nearing retirement age and I wanted a new challenge. I saw the opportunity on the do-it.org website for a volunteer speech support worker and felt it was an excellent fit for my skill-set and experience. It appeared to be just what I was looking for.”
Sarah
“Do it slowly. In your mind you might think ‘I can’t do this’, but it will happen. When I couldn’t speak and could only hear, I had to remind myself to stay calm. Try and relax, every day is another opportunity to improve. Don’t think too far ahead.”
Deborah
“I think that SWIT provides an excellent service to people (who request it/advised on) as it’s an extension of the service provide by the NHS that has limitations on budget.”
Judith
“Being able to talk to someone who understands aphasia and what it’s like to live with the condition is something I look forward to – even if it’s just for an hour or two each month. I can understand that it’s difficult to have a conversation with me, but I don’t ever feel that I’m inconveniencing my Speak With I.T. volunteer.”
Bertha
“The support from SWIT during the pandemic has been the most effective therapy we have had since my wife had her stroke.”
Alan
What people say about Speak With IT
“The volunteers are very well supported and trained. It’s a great way to help out and an extremely beneficial experience for any aspiring SLTs. SWIT is a very respected and well known charity and their work makes significant impact.”
Dhvani
“I think that SWIT provides an excellent service to people (who request it/advised on) as it’s an extension of the service provide by the NHS that has limitations on budget.”
Judith
“I have improved in so many ways thanks to SWIT. Found renewed interest in life. So grateful.”
Michael
“I have found Speak With IT absolutely invaluable, our volunteer is responsible for how far he has come in the last few months.”
Faye
“My volunteer has been a great help to me. I am beginning to find my communication is markedly better. Sometimes feels like it’s back to normal. I have not felt like this before.”
Bob
“The support from SWIT during the pandemic has been the most effective therapy we have had since my wife had her stroke.”
Alan
“I’m nearing retirement age and I wanted a new challenge. I saw the opportunity on the do-it.org website for a volunteer speech support worker and felt it was an excellent fit for my skill-set and experience. It appeared to be just what I was looking for.”
Sarah
“Being able to talk to someone who understands aphasia and what it’s like to live with the condition is something I look forward to – even if it’s just for an hour or two each month. I can understand that it’s difficult to have a conversation with me, but I don’t ever feel that I’m inconveniencing my Speak With I.T. volunteer.”
Bertha
“Do it slowly. In your mind you might think ‘I can’t do this’, but it will happen. When I couldn’t speak and could only hear, I had to remind myself to stay calm. Try and relax, every day is another opportunity to improve. Don’t think too far ahead.”
Deborah
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a cost for your support?
As a charity, we offer our services to our clients without charge. We get the majority of our funding from various grants and trusts and we also raise money through general fundraising activities, such as the SWIT lottery and various events. We do accept donations and these can be made via our website.
We do however request a £25 donation from the client should the charity organise for a speech and language therapist to provide an assessment. We do recommend that an assessment is carried out an annual basis.
For how long does your support last?
We’re happy to continue our support on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis for as long as the client would like us to provide it. Some of our clients have been with us for a number of years; even though most no longer need the computer therapy, they enjoy the strong bond they have with their volunteer and just look forward to a natter with someone outside their family who understands their situation.
Do you only offer computer therapy to people with Aphasia?
Our findings, supported by the 2018 Big Cactus study by Sheffield University, show that computer therapy is an effective, low cost tool that has the power to improve a person’s speech, word-finding capabilities and comprehension – amongst other things – compared to other therapies. Though we promote the benefits of this type of support, our volunteers are just as happy to be conversation partners to their clients.
How long do I engage the therapy you offer?
If you’re currently being supported by a Speech Language Therapist (SLT) or related healthcare professional, ask them to refer you to Speak With I.T. You can self-refer to our service; in these instances, one of our associate SLTs will visit you and complete a referral.