Learning from Aphasia Resource Center’s Documentary Series “Living With Aphasia”

In the six part documentary series titled “Living With Aphasia,” experts, patients, and care partners from Sargent College’s Aphasia Resource Center (ARC) describe the daily medical, mental, and interpersonal dimensions of aphasia.

Each segment of the documentary mirrors the progression of aphasia in a patient’s life, with Chapter 1 and 2 introducing the catalyst of the stroke, while later chapters detail treatments, recovery, and what it means to live with the condition beyond simply the medical. Through the perspectives of both patients and care partners, the series centers the experiences of people living with aphasia, educating and spreading awareness of the condition.

Clinical Director of the ARC, Elizabeth Hoover, says in the documentary:

“Its the most common condition that nobody’s ever heard of.”

Aphasia today affects more than 2.5 million people living in the United States.

“Living With Aphasia,” produced in partnership with Midnight Brunch, won the 2025 The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Media Champion Awards, which “recognize media outlets, ASHA members, and others for outstanding coverage and outreach about communication disorders and the work of audiologists and speech-language pathologists (SLPs).”

Specifically, the series was recognized for “highlighting the work that goes into treating the disorder,” recognizing the crucial network of professionals and care partners (Chapter 5, “The Care Partner Perspective”) in treating aphasia. 

Beyond the documentary series, the Aphasia Resource Center works to create community and belonging in its programs and community efforts with the longest running aphasia support group in the United States.

“What’s been so rewarding is that most people with aphasia think they’re the only ones who have it when they’re first diagnosed,” says Hoover.

The ARC and the documentary works to make information about aphasia more accessible to the wider public.

Watch the series here.

Story by Jieun Paik