Rosemary Crossley

Rosemary Crossley AM (6 May 1945 – 10 May 2023) 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.