Thank You Letter

Dear Joe,

I am writing to let you know about the remarkable impact that my knowing you has had on my family, and in particular my grand-nephew Richard.

In November 2024, my sister and I attended your fund raiser in Garden City on the night you were raising money for I-ASC. I invited my sister Jayne to join me because her grandson, Ritchie, then 8 years old, is autistic and non-speaking. Unfortunately, Ritchie also lost his hearing at age 2, although he now has cochlear implants. The other families we met and spoke with that night, and the stories that we heard, left us elated. Maybe there was hope for Ritchie to communicate with us — and possibly a future we had not imagined for him.

Through Elizabeth Vasseller, I was able to connect with one of just two I-ASC trained practitioners in England, where Ritchie lives with his family. Ritchie had his first session with Trish in London in early 2025. The lesson was about the creation of the universe and the Big Bang Theory. When Trish asked him to spell out how the Big Bang has been described, Ritchie slowly but deliberately spelled his first word: A-W-E-S-O-M-E.

The progress over the past 15 months has at times been slow, but has also been extraordinary, as the beautiful mind of this child has been revealed through Spelling 2 Communicate.

Most exciting has been learning that Ritchie has a deep knowledge of history, science, and the natural world, as well as a remarkable aptitude for mathematics, well beyond that of a child his age. What makes this particularly remarkable is that, because of his dual disabilities, Ritchie has only been able to attend a school for severely disabled children. They are taught functional life skills only — not even the ABCs.

Ritchie is completely self-taught. He must have a photographic memory. It even seems likely that he is a savant. All of these remarkable things are now known to us because of an invitation you sent me.

You were the catalyst that opened a world of possibility for my grand-nephew. Coincidentally, your email to me arrived on May 24th, Ritchie’s 10th birthday. We had much to celebrate that day.

With gratitude,

Kathy and family