Lakewood Ranch resident Stephanie McCulley says a lesson in spelled communication gave her a new way to connect with her nonspeaking autistic son, William. She later founded WillPowered, a nonprofit that helps families pay for the approach.

A profile by Lakewood City Lifestyle reported that WillPowered had awarded about $36,000 in scholarships. McCulley described William spelling the word "chandler" during a lesson about Benjamin Franklin. The account is based on McCulley's description of the experience.

Scholarships and fundraising

WillPowered held its first charity fashion show June 5, 2026, at Lakewood Ranch Country Club. The organization reported that the event raised about $50,000 for scholarships.

The nonprofit also raises money through Giving Tuesday campaigns. Its 2025 campaign raised $14,000 for scholarships, while a 2024 campaign raised $6,000 for Smart With Heart Therapeutic Riding Center, according to WillPowered's fundraising materials.

What speech-language experts say

WillPowered describes its program as Spelling to Communicate, or S2C, which uses a letterboard with practitioner prompts. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association does not recommend S2C, also known as Rapid Prompting Method, citing a lack of scientific evidence, prompt dependency and uncertainty about who authors the messages. ASHA distinguishes independently used letterboards, a recognized form of augmentative and alternative communication, from prompted methods such as S2C.