Georgia Southern clinic continues to improve access to speech therapy resources ahead of Parkinson’s Awareness Month 2026
Parkinson’s Awareness Month is an annual observance held in April designed to increase awareness and support for individuals and families living with Parkinson’s disease.
According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, it’s estimated that 1.1 million people are living with Parkinson’s in the U.S., and that number is expected to rise to 1.2 million by 2030. It’s considered the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease.
After receiving a grant totalling more than $280,000 in 2023 from ParkinsonVoice Project (PVP), RiteCare® Center for Communication Disorders at Georgia Southern University on the Georgia Southern University Armstrong Campus has worked to improve access to vital community health resources through the PVP’s SPEAK OUT!® Therapy program.
Georgia Southern was one of 16 universities chosen to receive a grant from the organization’s national funding opportunity, “Campaign to Reach America,” which awards higher education clinics for their compassion and commitment to serving their communities. The free program provides accessible, high-quality care through in-person and remote speech therapy, as well as encouragement and hope to patients in the community.
Tory Candea, Ph.D., SLP.D., director of clinical education in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Georgia Southern, understands the importance of providing these invaluable services to community members living with Parkinson’s. As a certified SPEAK OUT! provider and the primary clinician of the SPEAK OUT!® Therapy & Research Center located at RiteCare, Candea is a first-hand witness to the benefits of the program.
“One of the most rewarding parts of this work is watching participants rediscover their voice,” Candea explained, “When therapy is accessible and consistent, the progress people make can be truly remarkable.”
Candea worked with Assistant Professor of Psychology Robert G. Franklin Jr. from Anderson University in South Carolina to conduct research evaluating leadership qualities in patients before and after participating in SPEAK OUT! Therapy. The work was then published in the Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology in 2025.
“When people living with Parkinson’s strengthen their voice, they often strengthen their confidence as well,” Candea said. That ripple effect is one of the most powerful outcomes we see through SPEAK OUT! Therapy.”
PVP’s commitment to provide grant funding to university-based clinics across the country exemplifies the organization’s dedication to providing speech therapy, encouragement and hope to individuals and families living with Parkinson’s.