Friends of Aphasia

Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who is living with aphasia, co-founded Friends of Aphasia in 2018 to increase the resources available to others living with this communication disorder. Friends of Aphasia is a nonprofit dedicated to enriching the lives of individuals living with aphasia. We provide comprehensive, high-quality, and affordable aphasia services and community education to promote aphasia awareness. 

Aphasia is the loss of the ability to speak, understand, read, or write due to a stroke or other injury to the brain. More than 2,000,000 Americans suffer from aphasia, but nearly 84% of Americans have never heard of aphasia or are unsure of what it is.

Friends of Aphasia is one of only a handful of organizations across the United States that provides accessible, community-based aphasia services.

Our Services:
We know that with appropriate treatment, great strides can be made to improve the quality of life for those living with aphasia. Through improved communication skills, people can regain self-confidence and the ability to participate more actively in their community and beyond.

We currently run our Aphasia Group in-person program Mondays and Wednesdays for three hours each and one and half hours of virtual aphasia groups on Wednesdays. These groups are the foundation of the services we provide. 

In addition to regular aphasia groups we partner with other nonprofits and community organizations to bring a variety of opportunities to our members for enrichment, socialization, and to engage with the wider Tucson community. 

Some of our partnerships include: 

-Southern Arizona Adaptive Sports (SAAS) 

-Luke5 Adventures

-Stroke Resource Center of Southern Arizona 

-University of Arizona 

-TMCHealth for Seniors

-Encompass Health

-National Aphasia Association

-Local Tucson musicians

Our Goals:

We are poised for growth and are working to expand both the number and types of aphasia groups offered and to extend the reach of our services by deepening our collaborations with community partner organizations.

Testimonials

"Out in the world I feel disabled. When I'm at Friends of Aphasia, I do not." -Amy, aphasia group member and board member

"I've found my people!" - Marc, an aphasia group member during his first visit to Friends of Aphasia

"Friends of Aphasia educated our family on aphasia while providing crucial tools to promote growth for everyone." - Kit, daughter of a program participant