For 30 years, the Aphasia Center at Jefferson Moss-Magee Rehabilitation and Jefferson Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute has been a place of hope, connection, discovery, and empowerment for people living with aphasia and their loved ones.
Founded in 1996 as the third aphasia center in North America, the Aphasia Center was built on a forward-looking idea: recovery from aphasia does not end after the first weeks or months of therapy. With the right treatment, support, and opportunities for meaningful participation, people with aphasia can continue to grow, communicate, connect, and contribute. The Aphasia Center was established with a dedicated group of individuals with aphasia, their family members and friends, volunteers, and professionals with the goal of helping people with aphasia lead productive, fulfilling lives.
Among the professionals who have been part of the Aphasia Center from the very beginning are Myrna Schwartz, PhD (founding Research Director of the Aphasia Center and Co-founder of Jefferson Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute), Ruth Fink, MA, CCC-SLP (founding Clinical Director of the Aphasia Center), Roberta Brooks, MA, CCC-SLP (Emerita Speech-Language Pathologist), and Paula R. Sobel, MA, CCC-SLP (Emerita Speech-Language Pathologist).
Today, the Aphasia Center, directed by Sharon M. Antonucci, PhD, CCC-SLP, C-AAIS, is recognized for its excellence by clinicians, researchers, and people affected by aphasia. The past three decades of achievements are a testament to the Aphasia Center’s innovative rehabilitation research, specialized clinical care, community-based programming, and focus on listening to the voices and meeting the long-term needs of people living with aphasia.
A Model Built Around Communication, Participation, & Community
Aphasia is an acquired communication disorder that can affect speaking, reading, writing, and understanding language. It occurs most often after a stroke or other brain injury. People with aphasia know what they want to say, but they may have difficulty expressing themselves or understanding others. These challenges can lead to frustration, isolation, and major changes in their daily lives.
At our very first gathering of people with aphasia in November of 1996, before we started any programs at the Aphasia Center, a woman with aphasia shared her experience and perspectives, and her words left a lasting impact. “There should be more social activities. All my friends left me but one. Most people don't know how to deal with us. We need a place where you can play cards, learn to use computers. We need more for people with aphasia.”
From the beginning, the Aphasia Center was designed to address both communication and the broader impacts of aphasia. This approach later became known as the Life Participation Approach to Aphasia, which emphasizes meaningful community engagement, collaborative goal-setting, reducing barriers to participation, and revealing the communication competence of people with aphasia.
One of the Aphasia Center’s founding principles is that recovery is a lifelong process of re-education, adaptation, and support. Our staff have personally witnessed how people with aphasia can continue to make progress years after onset. The fact that social, recreational, and educational activities help reduce isolation is central to the Aphasia Center’s programming. Importantly, we know that people with aphasia and their families can play an important role in increasing public awareness, and we’ve worked with many of our Aphasia Center members to help them share their stories.
Combining Research & Clinical Innovation
The Aphasia Center is a joint program between Jefferson Moss-Magee Rehabilitation and Jefferson Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, and this partnership creates an environment where research and clinical care inform one another.
Over the years, multiple innovative treatments and programs have been associated with the Aphasia Center, including MossTalk Words, Mapping Therapy, the Strategy Training and Education Program for People Living with Primary Progressive Aphasia, and the NIH-funded Persons with Aphasia Training Dogs (PATD) Program.
The Aphasia Center’s clinical programs include the Advanced Clinical Therapy Program, a specialized outpatient therapy program for people with chronic or progressive aphasia, as well as the Aphasia Activity Center, which offers the Constance Sheerr Kittner Conversation Cafes, the Talking Book Clubs, Reta’s Games Group, education programs, community outreach, and animal-assisted intervention through the PATD Program. Through these programs, people with aphasia can receive focused therapy, practice communication in supportive settings, participate in research, and build relationships with others who understand their experiences.
Importantly, individuals with aphasia can easily transition from individual outpatient therapy to participating in our group programs. This unique model gives people with aphasia continuity of services and support after their acute one-on-one treatment ends. The opportunity to continue practicing their skills and connecting with others who have similar experiences is transformative.
The Aphasia Center also continues to expand its work in primary progressive aphasia (PPA). Since 2022, programming for people with PPA has included a dedicated weekly Constance Sheerr Kittner Conversation Cafe, a private breakout room for care partners, and strategy training and education for people with PPA and their primary communication partners. The Aphasia Center has also contributed to broader awareness efforts, including involvement in the inaugural and second annual International PPA Awareness Days in 2025 and 2026 .
A Center Recognized by the Community
The Aphasia Center’s impact extends well beyond the walls of Jefferson Moss-Magee Rehabilitation. Its work has been recognized through honors including the Inglis Award for Continuing Excellence and the City of Philadelphia Mayor’s Commission on People with Disabilities Access Achievement Award.
The Aphasia Center has also helped bring public attention to aphasia through features of members and staff in television, radio, and print media, including NPR/WHYY, Fox29, CBS3, 6ABC, and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
That visibility matters. One of the founding beliefs of the Aphasia Center is that people with aphasia and their families can help increase public awareness. By sharing their experiences, participating in education and outreach, and engaging with students, clinicians, researchers, and community members, Aphasia Center members have helped change how aphasia is understood. A greater understanding of this condition can lead to enhancements in how it is treated and also reduce the stigma associated with this condition.
The Human Impact
The heart of the Aphasia Center is its community.
It has been a privilege to have heard and been a part of so many Members’ stories. In talking about how life changed suddenly after his stroke, one of our Members, Charles, described how aphasia was the hardest part of recovery because it affected his ability to share his thoughts and needs with the people around him. At the Aphasia Center, he found patience, encouragement, and understanding. “I can relax because everyone here knows what I’m going through. They help you find your way,” he said.
Over time, Charles became not only a dedicated Aphasia Center Member, but also a volunteer, using his background in computer support to help others practice their skills. His story reflects the Aphasia Center’s larger mission: to help people with aphasia regain confidence, build independence, support one another, and find meaningful ways to give back.
As one Aphasia Center Member put it, “There is nothing like this around—I am so glad to be here.”
Looking Ahead
As the Aphasia Center celebrates its 30th anniversary, we are also looking toward the future. Ongoing initiatives include animal-assisted intervention through the Persons with Aphasia Training Dogs Program, collaborations with the Jefferson Moss-Magee Rehabilitation sites at Elkins Park and Riverfront, partnerships with Thomas Jefferson University’s speech-language pathology master’s program, education and outreach with Sidney Kimmel Medical College, and continued research through Jefferson Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute.
For three decades, the Aphasia Center has shown what is possible when research, clinical care, community, and lived experience come together. Its work has helped people with aphasia and their loved ones find connection, purpose, and communication support at every stage of recovery.
Thirty years after its founding, the Aphasia Center remains what it has always been: a warm and welcoming place where people with aphasia and their families can find information, peer support, treatment, research opportunities, and a community that believes in each individual’s capacity to continue growing and making progress along their recovery journey.