Who we are:
We are a group of Neurodiverse young adults who wish to advocate for ourselves and other spellers like us. Together, we are working towards educating the community and eliminating negative perceptions that suggest we can’t learn or love the way neurotypicals can. We want to be accepted in the community without judgment or discrimination. We have created an educational setting that is always accepting and allows our students to be successful.
What is Excel 26?
Spellers Building Bridges and Excel 26 provide the support needed for young adults with autism and other neurological disorders to achieve success in the next stage of life with a complete transition program focusing on:
College and career readiness
Social and independent living skills
Letter board/AAC fluency (Alternative and Augmentative Communication)
We believe that neurodiversity is a strength that will significantly benefit society when these individuals have access to effective communication, skill development, continued education, and supported community integration. We provide intensive assistance and training (2:1) for individual goals that will improve the quality of life and allow the individuals to grow and support themselves with autonomy. Our program operates Monday through Thursday from 9:30-3:30 on a year-round schedule to maintain consistency for our students and prevent regression during summer.
Mission: The Solution for Our Community
Prepare young adults for the next stage in life by Presuming Competence and supporting their bodies using S2C as primary means of communication. We provide a safe and accepting environment for neurodiverse adults to excel with access to college, careers, and community through education, training, and social inclusion. We embrace neurodiversity without judgment or discrimination and work to empower neuro-diverse individuals to take control of their own lives through self-determination.
Meet the Staff
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Jonica Chittum
Founder of Excel 26, President of Speller Building Bridges
MBA, S2C Practitioner
Jonica is the full-time Program Administrator and Educator of Excel 26. Her son, Mac, is an unreliable speaker and has been spelling to communicate for over eight years. Jonica retired from her 25-year career in Hospital Administration to train as a Certified S2C Practitioner through I-ASC and teach others how to communicate with their children. She was the Communication Specialist and Parent Coach at Invictus Academy from 2020 before opening Excel 26 in August of 2022. Jonica is responsible for developing a College Bound curriculum, individual tutoring for college coursework, preparation for college entrance exams, coordinating with Accessibility Services and securing appropriate accommodations, AAC training, and skill acquisition for students and their families.
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Susan Maynard
Teacher/S2C Practitioner
MA in Education
Susan is a retired Pinellas County teacher and Certified S2C Practitioner. Her passion for AAC began with her son, Jack, a Nonspeaker who has been using spelling to communicate for over 14 years. After obtaining her S2C certification in 2020, Susan joined Excel 26 in January 2023, driven by her desire to help other families experience the profound impact of AAC. Through her role at Excel 26, she combines her professional expertise and personal insight to support and empower families on their spelling journey.
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Erin McAllister
Teacher/S2C Practitioner
Erin served as a classroom teacher and communication specialist at Hirsch Academy in Decatur, Georgia, for over five years. She is also a founding board member of Connections School of Atlanta, an accredited, competence-presuming high school for neurodiverse students ages 14 – 22. She conducts unique individual and group student sessions that focus on building Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) skills. She also works with parents and families so that they may better support the communication needs of their neurodiverse children at home. She joined the staff of Excel 26 Autism Empowerment Center in August 2022.
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Joey Otero
Teacher/S2C Practitioner
Joey Otero has been an Educator since 2015 and began working with the neurodiverse population in 2018. He was a teacher and administrator at Invictus Academy for five years, where he trained as an S2C practitioner in 2019. He continues to work with many of the students he saw graduate from Invictus in their adult endeavors, including support in a college environment. He began working at Excel 26 in August of 2022 and loves seeing the students that he began working with when they were children continue to thrive well into adulthood.
