In this episode, Nicole Alicea sits down with Isabel Norton, founder of the Robert Norton Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to helping non-verbal autistic children communicate.
After her son Robert was diagnosed with autism, Isabel was told he needed an AAC communication device—costing between $4,000 and $7,000, with long waitlists and limited access.
Instead of waiting, she took matters into her own hands.
With the help of her partner, Isabel developed a simplified communication device. What started as a mission to help her own son quickly evolved into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit aimed at helping other families facing the same challenges.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
• The real challenges families face when raising non-verbal autistic children
• Why existing communication tools often fail the children who need them most
• How Isabel built a nonprofit from the ground up
• The step-by-step reality of launching a 501(c)(3)
• How purpose-driven ideas can evolve into scalable impact
This is a powerful conversation about motherhood, resilience, and building solutions when the system falls short.
To learn more or support the mission, visit:
www.givekidsavoice.org
Produced by David “Fingers” Bell and Nicole Valentin Alicea.
