Rosemary Crossley was an Australian author and advocate for disability rights. She was one of the first major advocates for facilitated communication (FC), a scientifically discredited technique which purports to help non-verbal people communicate. Crossley was the director of the Anne McDonald Centre near Melbourne, Victoria, which provides assessment and augmentative communication services in Victoria, Australia. The award-winning 1984 film Annie's Coming Out, known as Test of Love in the USA, was made about her work and life with a woman named Anne McDonald, whom she met at St Nicholas's Hospital in Melbourne in the 1970s and later brought to live with her. Crossley dedicated her life to helping those with little or no functional speech. She died after a short battle with cancer on 10 May 2023, at the age of 78.
The Anne McDonald Centre, a centre for FC use in Melbourne directed by Crossley.
Facilitated communication
Facilitated communication (FC), or supported typing, is a scientifically discredited technique, which claims to allow non-verbal people, such as those with autism, to communicate. The technique involves a facilitator guiding the disabled person's arm or hand in an attempt to help them type on a keyboard or other such device which they are unable to properly use if unfacilitated.
Keyboard of the type used in facilitated communication
The Anne McDonald Centre, a facilitated communication centre in Melbourne, Australia, directed by Rosemary Crossley