Betsy Furler, MS, CCC-SLP
CEO and Founder, Communication Circles
Betsy is the CEO of Communication Circles, a unique agency that provides consulting services to app developers and tech companies as well as direct services to people with disabilities utilizing tech solutions. Betsy is considered a thought leader in the use of technology and people with disabilities. She is a speech pathologist with 25 years of experience. She is an expert in the area of augmentative communication and a pioneer in the use of mobile applications with people with a wide range of abilities. She has spoken at many national and international conferences on the use of technology and disabilities including SXSWInteractive, M-Enabling Summit, the International Society for Instructional Technology, and the Texas Computer Educators Association.
Betsy received a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from Austin College in Sherman, Texas, and a M.S. in Communication Disorders from the University of Texas at Dallas. She holds a teaching certificate in the State of Texas and a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association. Betsy is a member of the Association for Competitive Technology and the UX Professionals Association.
Betsy lives in Houston, Texas with her husband Eric and two sons, Henry and Sam. She loves bullet journaling and continuing her quest for optimal productivity and efficiency. She is on the executive board of the Athletic Association at Westbury Christian School and a volunteer on the Speakers Committee of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
OUR THERAPY ASSISTANTS
Sara Witmer, SLPA
Sara graduated in 2014 from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She continued on to the University of Houston to pursue a career in speech pathology, where she earned her certificate as a licensed Speech Language Pathologist Assistant. She has practiced as an SLPA since March 2016, working primarily with patients who communicate through Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). Sara enjoys fulfilling her passion in this field and watching her patients grow in their communication skills.
Sahmeen Ali, SLPA
Sahmeen graduated from Texas Woman’s University in May 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in communication sciences. Shortly after, she achieved her license as a Speech Language Pathologist Assistant. Sahmeen has practiced as an SLPA since September 2016, and enjoys having both pediatric and adult patients because it helps develop and enhance her skills as an SLPA. Sahmeen hopes to continue her education in this field in a few years to achieve a Master’s degree.
Natalie is an assistant speech therapist and graduate student in the field of speech language pathology at the University of Houston. She was thrilled to join Communication Circles in May 2015, and thoroughly enjoys the work she does, particularly in the area of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). She believes in teaching functional skills that enable individuals to communicate successfully in their unique environments and finds nothing more fulfilling than providing clients with a way to ‘get the message across’. She will obtain her Master’s degree in May 2017 to become a speech language pathologist and is considering specializing in the field of AAC in order to play a part in broadening the knowledge base surrounding the use of assistive communication for both AAC users and their communication partners.
Communication Circles 