How our Speechless series has sought to help the voiceless be heard

Throughout 2024, ITV News Anglia has been documenting the experiences of those without a voice as they fought to make themselves heard. Producer Neil Barbour explains what we set out to achieve - and what we learned.

Imagine, for a second, that you couldn't speak.

In fact, try it. Try not to speak for a minute.

It feels odd doesn't it? Now imagine that you couldn't speak at all. Or that your speech was being taken away.

It's a scary thought.

The value of speech in society's cultural exchange is immeasurable. It's the number one currency, accepted across the world.

Speech has the power to inspire, anger, prompt laughter, provoke thought and so much more.

It's something most of us take for granted. Our voice is what we say, and what we say is a given.

But for millions around the world living with non-standard speech, their voice is not guaranteed. Their speech - and by extension their voice - is something they have to fight for.

• At the end of the year, our three families came together to reflect on 2024

At the start of 2024, ITV News Anglia embarked on a project to follow the lives of three families who were facing a fight for their voice.

I met them all at different stages of that fight.

Mike Willis has motor neurone disease. When I first met him, he'd lost his ability to speak freely, and was "banking" his voice to allow him to use a device to speak.

Julie Bedford had just had a stroke. She was diagnosed with aphasia, which meant she couldn't talk, and had to use children's books to learn how to speak again.

Oliver Neighbour and Jessica Kennedy's son Teddy is autistic and uses a device to talk. The family had no support, and had to help Teddy to communicate without any knowledge of speech and language therapy.

Throughout the year, we've seen them return to work; we've heard them crying for help; and they've turned to developing technology, seeking any solution to their ailing voices.

Facing a fight to be heard, they told their stories to amplify their voices. In doing so, they inspired others to do the same.

Viewers got in touch with their stories. We heard from men, women, boys and girls, all facing a similar fight to speak.

People with brain damage, the deaf community, a poet with cerebral palsy, and a young author with selective mutism all got in touch to tell their stories - highlighting how important it is to help people find their voice - even if they are speechless.

Each story is unique, but there is a connection between them.

They know the power of their voice - however hard it is to hear.

Across the year, I've been shocked by the shortage of support, but I've also been inspired by the courage each family has shown in telling their story.

In our most recent meeting, Teddy's mother Jessica summed it up best.

"Just because they can't speak," she said, "it doesn't mean that they don't have anything to say."

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