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My name is Shelley Bernis and I am a Speech-Language Pathologist. I have always had a special place in my heart for individuals with Down syndrome because my mom was a special education teacher and I had the privilege to see firsthand at an early age just how awesome people rockin’ that extra chromosome are. It is why I went to school to become an SLP! I have been working as an SLP for over 10 years and have loved every second of it. I was super excited when I got to work with Ruby a few years back because she is just the coolest, not to mention her family is pretty awesome too!
I am married to Warren and we have two boys, Wesley (6) and Jace (3). Our son Jace suffers from extreme food and environmental allergies, so I had to step back from working to focus on his care when he was one. After Jace’s allergies started to plateau, I slowly began working again, but I also started to develop some health issues and was diagnosed with a form of dysautonomia called POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), which left me unable to stand/walk for long periods or to drive. I am a true believer in focusing on ones abilities, not disabilities, so I didn’t let this diagnosis deter me from what I love to do. That’s when I came up with the idea of delivering speech services via an online therapy platform also known as telepractice.
Empower TeleSpeech Therapy was born in September 2018 with the idea of empowering young adults with Down Syndrome not only to FIND their voice but also to USE their voice to exercise their right to freedom of expression, a right granted to us ALL. My promise is to give my clients the tools and confidence they need to communicate effectively in pursuit of their dreams! Ruby’s Rainbow is helping individuals with Down Syndrome go for their dreams of higher education and independence and I couldn’t be any more proud to be a part of that!