Friends of Aphasia

Imagine losing, in an instant, your ability to communicate.

This is a reality for individuals living with aphasia, a communication disorder that robs people of their ability to speak, understand, read, and/or write. Typically, it results from a stroke, traumatic brain injury, brain tumor, brain infection, or degenerative brain diseases like Alzheimer's and related dementias.

Friends of Aphasia seeks to enhance the lives of individuals with aphasia. Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her speech-language therapist founded Friends of Aphasia to offer services that are otherwise out of reach for most adults with aphasia and to create a community which offers not only therapy and social engagement, but individual empowerment and a new lease on life. As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, our mission is to provide quality, person-centered aphasia therapy services while fostering community awareness, advocacy, and outreach to improve the quality of life for those living with aphasia, their families and caregivers.

Friends of Aphasia was founded in 2017, to address the dire need for affordable, community-based aphasia services (speech-language therapy and ongoing opportunities for supportive, social engagement). Following a stroke or other brain injury, insurance for adults typically covers two weeks (often just two one-hour sessions) of speech-language therapy in a safe and encouraging space; this is woefully inadequate for people to effectively recoup their ability to communicate and re-engage with their families, friends and broader communities. Friends of Aphasia offers the only group aphasia therapy of its kind in all of Arizona and is among only a handful of similar organizations across the entire country.

Friends of Aphasia offers a variety of therapeutic programs designed to improve communication skills and social engagement for adults affected by aphasia. Through group therapy sessions, individualized computer coaching, and community integration programs, we empower our members to regain their voices and actively participate in daily life. Our impact is reflected in the words of our members, like Dan, who shared, "If it wasn’t for this group, I would still be stumbling over every other word. I can speak well now. I don’t know where I would be without Friends of Aphasia."