OUR STORY
Eve Megargel created Voice Colors in collaboration with her son Billy, who has non-verbal autism. It began when Billy was diagnosed in 1991. At the time, the diagnosis was devastating. There was little understanding of autism. The word “neurodiversity” wasn’t even coined yet, and the most common frame of reference was the Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman movie Rain Man. Experts had a limited and often grim outlook for how Billy’s life would unfold. One educator told Eve that “what Billy needs to learn is to comply.”
Eve instinctively rejected this vision for Billy’s future. In her mind, Billy had to become a communicator in order to live a meaningful life. Billy may not speak, but his thoughts and opinions could translate in other ways. She was determined to help Billy express the many colors of his voice. The question was how? That’s where Voice Colors was born.
It was a daily, all-encompassing process. At 18 months old, Billy couldn’t point, imitate or speak. The 50 or so words he’d acquired had already dissipated. His ability to understand others’ speech was extremely limited. With no way to communicate, Billy’s stress and anxiety mounted. Eve felt like Billy was inside a glass box; she could see him but she couldn’t reach him.
What followed was a windy, unpredictable journey of trial and error. A rudimentary communication system gradually blossomed into a visual language that allowed Eve to interact with Billy, and Billy to interact with the world. Billy eventually learned how to use pictures, text, voice-output computers, gestures, symbols and other tools to smash the glass box and “speak” in his own voice. He is now a vibrant adult who expresses himself through yoga, music, and particularly his art, which is sold all over the country. Through Voice Colors, Billy’s life has become truly colorful.
For Eve, what she and Billy built together has become a larger mission. She now shares Voice Colors with other families, educators, and service providers. Eve has consulted on key autism initiatives with organizations including Boston’s Jewish Family and Children’s Services and Massachusetts General Hospital, where she co-created the Patient Accommodations Care Plan that addresses communication, sensory, and safety issues for autistic people in the medical setting. She’s spoken in forums like ASHA Convention, MIT Labs, and the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation. Eve received her master’s degree in Theology from Harvard University, and her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.
To learn more about Eve and Billy,
