2008 EVENTS and REPORTS

What Others are doing!

Australia

Bendigo Silent Lunch
Silence is deafening!
It was frustrating and exhausting, but the Silent Lunch gave members of Bendigo's business community a taste of what life is like for nearly 500 people in the region who cannot use speech for communication. Diners used various electronic communication aids and speech devices programmed with limited responses, hand signals, and scribbled notes to order their meals and converse among themselves.
As well as raising awareness, the Silent Lunch was aimed at encouraging business and community leaders to become advocates for people who communicate differently.

Please see the invitation.
 
Box Hill Centro Shopping Centre display
The Scope, Communication Resource Centre, Victoria, Australia, participated in Box Hill Centro’s Health and Wellbeing Expo at the shopping centre on Thursday 2nd October 2008. We used the opportunity to promote AAC, which was inspired by ISAAC’s International AAC Awareness month. It was also a great an opportunity to talk to many members of the public about communication access. People with Complex Communication Needs flaunted their AAC for us. One AAC user said "I can't talk without this" with his lightwriter. It took some convincing for one visitor to believe him!  View the flyer.

Ontario, Canada

Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy

On Wednesday October 22^nd we commemorated AAC Awareness Month here at the OFCP. We chose to bring awareness to our staff by organizing a group presentation about ISAAC and what we learned at the conference. Our presentation was accompanied by a snack bar labeled with Bliss symbols.

Presenters included four AAC users who attended the conference, an OFCP Planning Facilitator, conference presenters Shirley McNaughton and Paul Marshall, BCI’s Secretary/Treasurer Peter Lindsay and other support persons who attended the conference. We presented about AAC, ISAAC and what we learned and enjoyed while at the conference. The presentation included information about transitional living, aging, CP and loneliness, literacy and the Town Hall Meeting.  In attendance we had approximately 20 OFCP staff members and clients including the Executive Director.

Everyone enjoyed learning, seeing pictures and videos and we believe we helped them understand better the importance of AAC in our lives and in our larger personal and professional communities.

Dubai - Download full report here and View Photos!

Helsinki, Finland

The Program will be held on 6 October 2008 from 12:30 -15:00 at the Finnish Parliament House. View the invitation and program for more details.

View Program in English   View Invitation in Finnish  

France View report en Français

Francophone Report

ISAAC Francophone, comprised of French speaking members from France, Belgium and Switzerland has actively promoted and participated in the International Celebration of AAC Awareness.  View the full report in English here!

India
Report on celebration of International AAC Awareness Month

This event was celebrated in various parts of India in the months of October and November 2008.

1, Event 1-MUMBAI
This event was celebrated in the Western India in Mumbai at Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped, Mumbai on 17^th October 2008.  This was organized by the staff of the department of Speech-Language Pathology and Interns of AYJNIHH, Mumbai.  

Primarily this day was declared ‘Open Day’ for creating AAC awareness among teachers of special schools, parents of special children and trainees of Speech- Language Pathology  and Special Education. 

On this event, different types of AAC systems and communication boards were displayed and explained to the visitors. Films depicting use of AAC systems by different clinical populations were projected.  Barsha’s Story which was selected as the best in the ISAAC ‘Many Stories, One Voice’ contest was read out by one of the interns. The story touched everyone’s heart.

During this event Spastic Society of India, Mumbai also participated.  This was attended by almost 120 students, teachers from different schools and parents.

2, Event 2- Kolkatta

Event in the Eastern India was celebrated by Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy, Kolkatta on 25 October 2008.in collaboration with Oxford Bookstore, a reputed book shop with branches in all major cities in India. The event was organized with the help of Apeejay Group, and held in the grounds of Apeejay House in Kolkata’s famous Park Street on Saturday, 25 October 2008, from 3.00 – 5:00 pm.

On this occasion, the Oxford Bookstore felicitated Miss Barsha Bhattacharya, who is a young woman with cerebral palsy and has severe physical and speech impairments. Barsha’s story was selected as the ‘winning submission’ in the ISAAC Many Stories, One Voice Contest. IICP’s other seven contributors who use AAC and whose stories were also submitted to the contest were present and their stories were also read out.

A large group of students with their staff and parents from Apeejay School, Park Street and Salt Lake were present during the colourful function. Guests of Oxford Bookstore were happy to be part of this unique celebration. As the programme was held in an open and central location, a large number of the public wandered in to listen and watch the event. Almost a hundred and fifty persons participated in this event. 

Barsha’s sensitive story “The Undefeated” came alive with the reading by actor, Shahana Chatterjee and movements by danseuse, Alokananda Roy. The Kathakars, Mira & Daleep Kakkar had the audience enthralled with their readings from Shradha & Chandan’s poignant stories. Actor, Chaiti Ghoshal read Putul’s story that touched everyone’s heart. Students from Apeejay School, Park Street entertained the audience by reading out stories written by their special friends, Shampa, Saikat, Subhojit & Sayari.

As Diwali (one of the main festival celebrated in India) was just three days away and paintings by IICP students depicting the spirit of light and hope were displayed. A winning painting was to be selected by the renowned artiste and IICP’s Ambassador, Shri Shuvaprasanna, but in his opinion they were all equally deserving! All participants from IICP & Apeejay School, Park Street received certificates from the Oxford Bookstore. The event was well covered by the print & electronic media.

IICP thanked Mrs. Maina Bhagat and her team at Oxford Bookstore and the Apeejay Group for supporting & making this International AAC Week event such an exclusive and joyous occasion.

(3) Event 3-  Mysore

In southern India, this event was organized by members of AAC special clinic at ALL India Institute Of Speech and Hearing from 3.11.08 to 5.11.08.  On this event exhibits on AAC and  other material to project its activities were displayed.  The program was titled as “Be aware of, learn and interact about AAC”.

More than 60 caregivers of clients with various speech, language and hearing disorders, 70 undergraduate and postgraduate students doing various courses in the field of speech and hearing and 20 faculty and staff members visited the exhibition. They were oriented to the purpose, means and materials used for AAC rehabilitation. Feedback forms were also obtained from the visitors and the common opinion was that the event should be conducted more frequently and for a larger population.

(4) Event 4-Chennai
Vidya Sagar Institute in Chennai, Southern India is organizing an event from 24^th to 28^th of November, 2008 .As a part of this, conducting AAC camps will be conducted in different special schools in Chennai. This would help to create awareness as well as work out strategies to take AAC forward.  They are also planning to run AAC workshop for the Community Based Workers.

COUNTY DURHAM, United  Kingdom 

A group of students from Durham Trinity School FE Unit, Haughall College, The Oaks at Spennymoor, and Broom Cottages Primary School at Ferryhill, are reading aloud their stories and poems from the 'Many Stories, One Voice' collection in libraries and schools around County Durham, using AAC and computer technology.  

Dates and times: 
Chilton Library, Tuesday 7 October at 2:30 pm,
Durham Clayport Library, Saturday 11 October at 2:30 pm 
Stanley Library, Monday 20 October at 10:30 am 
Broom Cottages Primary School, Wednesday 22 October at 10:30 am 
Ferryhill Library: TBC 
 
Town Mayors, council representatives, students from local schools and the press are being invited to all of our reading sessions. The group wants to raise awareness about AAC and Literacy, and raise people's expectations of and for people with complex communication needs.  

Six individuals who use AAC started an AAC and Literacy group in April. They have held around 20 story writing workshops in libraries and community colleges across the county. Four in the group do not receive literacy instruction at school, and they are all keen to improve their skills and would like to be accredited for their work. They are meeting with an advisor from the Arts Council with a view to receiving an Arts Award (equivalent to a GCSE) for their work on the Many Stories, One Voice project. View their flyer!

View Photos! View Video on YouTube

Rotherham S Yorks United Kingdom
A Special School will be holding an AAC awareness event at the local  town hall.  They are inviting pupils from school all over S Yorks who use communication aids. The event is Halloween themed. They plan to organise games where children will choose materials etc to make masks, choose clothes to dress up in and socialize with each other. The local council has been supportive and council representatives will be attending the event.

Phoenix, Arizona USA

The Out and About group sponsored a Literacy Day in conjunction with the Carden Traditional School .  Krista Howard (device user extraordinaire), Caroline Musselwhite and Jane Odom started off the event with a short inservice for the student council volunteers at the Carden Traditional School.  We talked about different disabilities and got to play with devices hands on – courtesy of the Prentke Romich Company.  When our device users arrived, the students were ready!  We broke up into small groups, read stories together, got to know one another and ate a TON of pizza.  We all had such a wonderful time.  It was amazing that over 20 students at Carden volunteered to stay after school to participate with the event.    VIEW FLYER!  View Photos

Owego, NY USA

Nick Warfle will be reading his Many Stories, One Voice story, along with a couple of others he has written. We will also be handing out laminated bookmarks that were downloaded from the website. VIEW FLYER!