Hello! My name is Shreya Natarajan, the Co-founder and President of Funding Senses. As a preschooler, I didn’t speak much and had difficulty expressing my thoughts and making friends.  Speech therapy helped immensely, but as I started grade school, I seemed to have more difficulty than my classmates following directions and understanding what was happening around me.  I was also completely drained by the end of the school day.  Thanks to one of the counselors at my school and my speech therapist, I underwent important testing and was diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), and later Visual Processing Disorder (VPD). Some of my problem areas included not being able to hear certain words in the correct manner, having difficulty with solving multi-step directions, and poor pronunciation and articulation. This definitely impacted my performance in school and in making friends. I often lost focus and misunderstood my teacher’s instructions and even the talk on the playground. Luckily, my parents were able to afford the necessary therapies to help me manage and overcome these disorders. My team of therapists were absolutely critical in helping me understand the problems I faced, in learning ways to manage my disorders, and in guiding me to overcome these obstacles. I am now an honors student, and I know there are no limits on what I can do or be!

I am so grateful that I was given these resources; however, I realize that this is not the reality for so many underprivileged children who can afford these therapies, which are often not covered by health insurance. This is why I  created Funding Senses: to empower and support children who may be struggling with APD, VPD, and speech delays.  Not only have I started this nonprofit organization to help fund therapy, I have brought together the same team of counselors and therapists that helped me!  They say it takes a village; these incredible people are my village. Please join us in creating a level playing field for all children and helping them make sense of their world.