AAC Awareness Month 2014 

Theme: Discovering Communication

AAC Awareness events are held around the world to celebrate International AAC Awareness Month. This year, ISAAC chose “Discovering Communication” as the theme, to continue the momentum from the ISAAC 2014 conference. We wanted to challenge our members to continue sharing their discoveries.

Here are some of the projects that have taken place around the world in celebration of AAC:

Australia

Silent Morning Tea, community events were held through the month of October

Canada

October 9th was designated as 2014 AAC Awareness Day

Croatia

In Croatia, the ICT-AAC Open Day was held on October 17th as a special event for professionals and parents interested in the application of innovative information and communication services for persons with complex communication needs. Two new applications developed within the ICT-AAC project were presented. – submitted by Jasmina Ivsac Pavlisa

Denmark

ISAAC Denmark has had much to celebrate in 2014, its 25th anniversary year. Workshops featuring guest speakers John Costello and Linda Burkhart were part of ISAAC Denmark’s special events earlier in the year. For International AAC Awareness Month, a kindergarten class in Odense, Platanhaven, learned a song using AAC. ISAAC Denmark has posted AAC Awareness information on its website, with links to a Communication Rights poster and the Facebook group for “International AAC Awareness Month,” as well as an idea for an event called “Silent Lunch break.” Ideas from Finland for different kinds of celebrations are also on the ISAAC Denmark website.

ISAAC Denmark hosted two-day event in November for people who use AAC. Although this was not an October event, it was an important contribution to the year’s awareness efforts. – submitted by Birgitte Brandt

Finland

“Stop for a moment, listen to me” was the theme of AAC Awareness Week in Finland, October 6 – 12, 2014. Coordinated by Tikoteekki and the Finnish Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (FAIDD), the week featured events, such as information booths in public places (market square, shopping mall), Open Houses, workshops and discussions, all in support of communication solutions. These events were located in 11 cities all over Finland. Together with Tikoteekki and FAIDD, many other associations, schools and organizations worked hard to making this happen. For more information in Finish, here. – submitted by Eija Roisko

Information tent in the centre of Helsinki, October 6, 2014

South Africa

AAC Research Seminar  was held on October 3rd.

USA

6th Annual 24-Hour AAC Chat on Skype, Facebook and Twitter, was held on October 22, 2014.