Leo in Bloom Magazine

Dear Friends,

We have been quiet for many months! Such is life when schedules get busy and when energy is spent meeting diverse goals and commitments. We have had time to think more deeply about what Leo in Bloom should be, and our Editor-in-Chief Danny has realized he wants this space to focus more specifically on the lives, experiences, and stories of nonspeakers.

When Danny and Tara gained fluency together, i.e. once Danny could access communication in his daily life, our lives changed in monumental and in subtle ways – many of them unexpected. Communication is vital, but it is not an “end.” It is a portal to a new way of living, dreaming, and dealing with life’s challenges, including past traumas that have never before been shared, new anxieties about the vast realm of new opportunities, and figuring out how to navigate shifts in family dynamics. We want to share our experiences and the experiences of other nonspeakers (and their support teams) to build and expand understanding and empathy for those going through similar transitions.

We are also shifting to a less time-intensive model of posting regularly rather than a main issue once a month, and posting videos with very little editing (now that Danny feels more comfortable with the idea). Unfortunately, this includes limited captioning, since we are a tiny team who are still working other jobs (but we will endeavor to caption when we can – if you know anyone who can volunteer to help us with this, or can think of a way to otherwise support our time spent on this, please let us know).

So, please join us once more, and share your feedback with us, please! We are also accepting submissions related to nonspeakers’ journeys. We hope you are all doing well, and we’re so grateful to have you with us!