(MURRAY, Ky.)-A young Murray boy will soon have a new way to communicate with the world, thanks to the combined efforts of students, faculty and clinicians at Murray State University.
Hardie Crider, who has been receiving weekly therapy at Murray State’s Speech and Hearing Clinic, will receive a high-tech augmentative and alternative communication device after undergraduate members of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) donated $500 to cover his family’s out-of-pocket costs.
The device, which uses an iPad-based communication system, gives users who struggle with speech a way to express themselves through technology. For Hardie’s family, it was simply out of reach financially — until the students stepped in.
“Communication is more than words. It is a fundamental human right,” said Melati Free, president of NSSLHA.
The road to the device was months in the making. Graduate clinicians at the Speech and Hearing Clinic worked with Hardie week after week, first introducing low-tech tools like switches before gradually building up to an iPad-based system. As his progress grew, his student clinicians documented their findings and submitted a formal report to pursue insurance approval for a personal device.
CDI instructor Mary Grace Starks said the hands-on work her graduate students put in was central to the outcome. “As Hardie became increasingly more successful in his communication attempts with the iPad AAC system, they worked in collaboration with their clinical supervisor to write and submit a report for insurance approval,” she said.
With insurance falling short of covering the full cost, NSSLHA members voted to bridge the gap with their donation.
For the students involved, the experience brought their coursework to life in a way a classroom rarely can. Free said initiatives like this one shape not just better clinicians, but better people. “Experiences like this cultivate empathy, compassion and a deeper understanding of the real challenges individuals and families face.”
The device has been shipped and is expected to arrive soon.
For more information about the Center for Communication Disorders at Murray State University, visit murraystate.edu/cdi.
Photo (left to right): Lanie Ralph (NSSLHA officer), Melati Free (NSSLHA officer), Mary Grace Starks (CDI faculty), Hardie Crider, Cook Crider, Lindsey Kirkman (graduate clinician), Cami Johnson (graduate clinician), Olivia Compton (graduate student), Ashton Gross (NSSLHA officer) and Maggie Cooper (NSSLHA officer).
