In October 2009, to celebrate ISAAC’s second annual AAC Awareness Month, selected stories from the Many Methods, One Goal: To Communicate (MMOG) online collection will be read or viewed in community settings all over the world.  In order to assist participants, the AAC Awareness Month Task Force has come up with a list of preliminary ideas of how to plan and facilitate this celebration of communication and AAC users worldwide.  These ideas are just a start, and we invite you to comment and suggest new ideas by emailing us at events@aacawareness.org .

Thank you.

• Sarah Lever, the Chair of International AAC Month Committee

Please note that a volunteer task force for AAC Awareness Month planning developed these ideas.  We welcome suggestions and feedback at events@aacawareness.org.

 Suggestions for October 2009 AAC Awareness Month regarding MMOG Readings and Video Viewings in a Community Setting (library, school, etc.).

• Planning for the MMOG Community Reading Event 

  Is the reading event in a public library? Classroom?  Make sure the setting has the right technology support for the reading and/or video viewing. 

Download the MMOG stories from www.aacawareness.org website or Click on the Video link to access the MMOG video entry.

If the event leader and/or reader is a Person Who Uses AAC (PWUAAC), make sure that the story is accessible to the reader.  Create a list of ideas on how the person who uses AAC (PWUAAC) can participate in the reading and discussions of the MMOG Collection.

Create a list of sample questions/discussion points that can be used during October at community readings of the MMOG Online Collection after the story has been read, or after the video has been viewed.  

Create an activity to engage audience that relates to the story and increases audiences’ awareness of AAC, PWUAAC, and the varied methods of communication that PWUAAC utilize to communicate.  For example, if the group watches a video in which an AAC user is telling a story, during the viewing one could have the audience take note of the different types of methods that the storyteller is using to communicate (e.g. signs, gestures, voice, assistive technology devices, etc.). 

• The MMOG Event

The event leader will read a story (or two) from the MMOG collection, or view one of the MMOG video entries.  Prior to the reading and or video viewing, the reader can present a brief biography and introduction to the story.  Then, the event leader will proceed with the reading or the video viewing.

• After the Reading or Video Viewing Event

  Create a list of sample questions/discussion points that could be used during October at community readings of MMOG Online Collection. 

• For example, after the reading and/or video viewing, one could discuss:

The author’s different methods used to communicate.  One could list the types of AAC used and how each one of them resolved a specific communication problem, assisted them, etc.

• Ask the listeners (non-AAC users) group, “what are ways that you would communicate if you could not talk?”  Ask the children (or adults) what they would do in the situation of having to communicate using a variety of methods in lieu of speech.

Have members of the audience tell a story using AAC methods.

Explore feelings towards AAC-users and AAC devices by asking the group, “How would you feel if you saw a child/adult who used AAC?”  “Would you initiate a conversation with them?”  Talk about the different types of AAC and the devices that help people communicate.

Ask the audience how they could be “good communication partners” to someone who uses AAC.  Discuss how to be a good communication partner.

For some PWUAAC, the facilitator could assist their interaction with the Q&A session by pre-programming their Assistive Technology devices to anticipate questions and answers.

• Write to the MMOG Author to say what part of his/her story that the listener/reader liked.

These are suggestions to get you started!  Help us by commenting and sending your ideas to events@aacawareness.org and thank you for participating in ISAAC’s October 2009 AAC Awareness Month.