Hello
I'm Kelly Fagan, a speech language pathologist and founder of Express Speech and Augmentative Communication Services.
​
I am passionate about breaking down barriers and helping people communicate. Throughout my 30 years as an SLP I have always gravitated toward helping the most needy, those with complex communication needs, non-speaking or minimally speaking. That led me to specialize in augmentative & alternative communication ( AAC), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and feeding/swallowing therapy. I have worked with people of all ages, from infants just home from the hospital, children in school, to adults in home care.
​
I "practice what I teach." My services are grounded in the evidence based practice, that I taught my students for 5+years in the graduate program at the College of Saint Rose. I know the needs are greater than one person can meet and there is a shortage of SLPs, especially those with knowledge of AAC, that is why I continue to work to ignite a passion for speech pathology in the students at University at Albany.
I am a team builder and collaborator, and have always loved the quote "alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." by Helen Keller.
So let's get started... I'd love to collaborate with you!
​
Our Mission, values, and "The Starfish Story"
Why have a starfish as a logo when our services are based in upstate New York? The logo embodies Express Speech's mission and values. According to Beukelman & Miranda ( 2020), "approximately 5 million people in the United States cannot meet their daily communication needs via natural speech." That number can seem daunting, and SLPs can become overwhelmed by the demands of their caseloads. This is where Express Speech can help. Supporting SLPs and teams in schools to build capacity in teams. We succeed when we all work together, building capacity , and foster communicative competencies in teams and individuals with complex needs. Check out our blog for the Starfish story...
The Starfish Story
This story resonates with my mission as a Speech Language Pathologist, reflects the reasons I went into teaching at the University level, and why I founded Express Speech & Augmentative Communication Services. There are so many who need our help, we can a have a greater ripple effect as we all work together to make a difference.
​
​The StarFish Story adapted from “The Star Thrower” by Loren Eiseley (1907-1977)
​
One day, a man was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. As he got closer, he noticed that it was a young child, and she was not dancing at all.
The child was reaching down, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.
He came closer and called out “Good morning! what are you doing?” The child paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”
“Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” asked the somewhat startled man.
The child replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”
​
The man commented, “But, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile?
You can’t possibly make a difference!”​
​
At this, child bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, the child said,
“It made a difference to that one.”​​