Virtually ConnectEd Founder
Birgit Suess MS, CCC-SLP
Birgit has practiced as a Speech Therapist since 2002, working with children in both home and school settings. Since 2008, she has run virtual programs that bring direct therapy to students and families, along with educational expertise and special education support to schools around the world.
Birgit's Journey Creating Virtually ConnectEd
In 2008, I was working in rural Oregon, providing speech therapy to 3 main K-12 schools and 2 one-room school houses in remote areas. During icy winter months, I worried about driving down steep canyon roads to reach the remote schools. The IT director suggested I try therapy via Skype. It was brand new to me, there was no screen sharing, no bells and whistles, just a phone call with video. I had no idea if it would work, but the icy roads made me willing to try anything.
The teacher was incredible. He showed up for every session and kept working with the student between our calls. The student was just as remarkable, patiently pushing through glitches and frozen video, and making real progress the whole way through. An idea was born.
In 2009 I moved to Arizona and began working on the Navajo Nation, commuting hours each way on adobe roads that washed out with every rain or snowfall. Consistent services were nearly impossible. I approached Pinion School about piloting virtual services, and they were interested. A few years earlier they had bought expensive video conferencing equipment, the kind only a school could afford, not an individual clinician. Luckily, new technology was emerging that let us bypass that cost entirely.
Technology was exploding at the time, and new video platforms were suddenly within reach. After research, I landed on Oovoo, and my tech savvy brother found a separate screen sharing program to pair with it. It was a game changer. I went from holding up sheets of paper for kids to see, to playing games together on websites like PBSkids.org and sharing documents in real time. The kids loved it, even the ones with ADHD sat patiently through every freeze and glitch.
The pilot was a complete success. The school had a speech language pathology assistant who brought students to sessions and also worked directly with them under my supervision. She told me she had gone in skeptical and came out thinking it was amazing.
Virtual therapy worked so well that I built an online speech therapy clinic around it, eventually expanding to 24 US states and over 200 speech therapists. I later moved on from that company to build Virtually ConnectEd. So many children around the world still lack access to the services they need, and that gap is what drove me to create a global virtual clinic offering full special education support. Today we provide speech therapy, occupational therapy, special education teachers, counseling, behavior and Autism specialists, and virtual psychoeducational evaluations for learning disabilities, ADHD, ASD and more.
Only The Best Teachers and Therapists
Birgit built an exceptional team of professionals, hand picking each one for their qualifications and genuine passion for teaching and supporting children. Virtually ConnectEd professionals bring experience to urban, rural and remote communities around the world, and work closely with schools and families to deliver special education services to children of every culture and background.
The Virtual Experience
Birgit has spent years building a library of engaging, effective online activities. Technology has come a long way since 2008, making virtual services more accessible and interactive than ever. Together with our passionate teachers, that combination has shaped a truly exceptional virtual learning environment.
Studies Show That Virtual Services Work
Virtual services have proven effective for evaluating, teaching and treating people of all ages. Research shows few differences in outcomes between virtual and in person services, and many students who receive virtual services report high satisfaction.
The American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) states that telepractice is an appropriate service delivery model for speech-language pathology. The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) states that telehealth is an appropriate delivery model in every major practice area within occupational therapy. Both organizations back virtual services because they open access to speech and OT care for far more people.
Virtual psychoeducational evaluations are increasingly used to assess learning disabilities, ADHD, ASD and other needs. Research shows that with proper preparation and qualified evaluators, virtual assessments can achieve results comparable to in person testing, all while making services more accessible to families.