Rosemary Crossley

Rosemary Crossley AM (6 May 1945 – 10 May 2023) was an Australian author and advocate for disability rights, whose legacy was highly controversial. 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 provided assessment and augmentative communication services in-person until her passing, when they moved online. 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 died after a short battle with cancer on 10 May 2023, at the age of 78.