AAC Awareness Month 2013 

AAC Awareness events were held around the world to celebrate International AAC Awareness Month. A few examples are as follows:

• ISAAC-Francophone reports here (in English, PDF 27 MB) and here (in French, PDF 27 MB) on October 2013 AAC Awareness activities in France. In addition, please see the Caa Francophone page on Facebook.

• The 24 Hour Non Speech Challenge means not talking, voluntarily, for 24 hours. During that time, only alternative means of communication, such as writing, symbols, gestures, applications, etc. can be used. By attempting this challenge, you will help the general public understand the impact of using AAC in daily life and the obstacles faced every day.

• The Silent Morning Tea on October 1st, sponsored by Scope in Victoria, Australia, to raise awareness of the different ways of communicating with others.

• ISAAC Canada chose Thursday, October 3rd to be AAC Awareness Day. They will be sharing events from around the country on Facebook.

• Coffee Shop Communication Challenge on October 12th, in Hamilton, Canada.

• A Twitter Chat using the tag #AACaware on October 14th.  Check out ISAAC Australia‘s blog for more information.

• 24 Hour AAC Chat / Read-a-Thon on Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Skype, Anywhere!  On October 23rd, starting at 8:00 a.m. ET (USA) through 8:00 a.m. ET (USA) October 24th. Details will be posted at International AAC Month on Facebook. For more information, contact Judy Bailey judybailey(at)aol.com.

• Also on October 24th, a 12-hour chat on Facebook, Skype and Twitter has been planned for French-speaking people. Contact Isabelle Guillot for more information.

• Bronwyn Hemsley, ISAAC President-elect, has offered to support anyone interested in learning more about how to use Twitter to raise awareness about AAC. Simply join Twitter and follow Bronwyn in Twitter @bronwynhemsley,  follow ISAAC Australia @ISAACaus to get help, or email Bronwyn  bronwyn.hemsley(at)newcastle.edu.au. Bronwyn requests that all people from any ISAAC Chapter in Twitter add the tag #AACaware to any tweet relating to AAC (tags are usually #AAC #AugComm).

• ISAAC/AAIDD Webinars are scheduled for October 16th & 21st — Social Media and People with Disabilities: Building Online Networks to Enhance Community Engagement and Create a Level Playing Field. Click here for more information.

• A “Quiet Coffee” event on October 29th in celebration of International AAC Awareness Month, hosted by the Augmentative Communication Service at Thames Valley Children’s Centre in London, Canada. Communication boards and small devices will be available for people to use in order to request coffee and snacks, and to chat with each other. Information about AAC and ISAAC will be on display. For more information, contact Jan Kraft at TVCC.

•  Two events sponsored by the Taiwan Society of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (PDF, 54 kB):

1. An AAC Symposium on November 2nd at the Nan Shan Education & Training Center, Taichung.
2. On October 31st, Dr. Pat Mirenda from Canada’s University of British Columbia will make a presentation at the Chung Shan Medical University in Taichung: “A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words: Visual Supports for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.”

• A “flash mob” has been planned for Mohawk College in Hamilton, Canada, in celebration of International AAC Awareness Month. This will happen at a later date, so that works better with the students’ schedules.  Students from Mohawk will be helping to organize the event.  A person who uses AAC in Hamilton has written a song, “I’ve Got a Lot to Say,” which has been professionally recorded (ISAAC International helped with the production costs). The song will be programmed onto a number of AAC devices used by clients of the Technology Access Clinic at McMaster Children’s Hospital. This is what will be used for the flash mob. The event will be videotaped, uploaded to YouTube, and posted on the ISAAC website. Following the flash mob, Mohawk College students will have an opportunity to interact with people who use AAC at the event.  Local vendors of AAC devices and products will also be on hand. For more information, contact Shelley Deegan deegan(at)hhsc.ca.