October is AAC Awareness Month is celebrated every year to spread the word about augmentative and alternative communication and the many different ways people communicate. Most AAC users use a range of communication methods including body language and gestures, facial expressions as well as a communication device/s.
The ISAAC theme for 2024 is “Vibes of AAC” and encourages celebrating with social events such as a morning or afternoon tea, reading stories, watching videos, making music and other community events to help promote AAC awareness.
Help to spread awareness and show how you are supporting AAC awareness by sharing your events and activities using #AACaware24.
Get some inspiration by finding out about some amazing AAC role models below. We have also complied some useful resources to help support AAC awareness.
Abdi Omar’s Top AAC Tips
Abdi Omar is a motivational speaker who wants to change the world’s perception of disability. Abdi has cerebral palsy and uses power based AAC to support his communication.
Abdi is an amazing role model for many people including some of the students at Charlton Park Academy who are learning to use AAC to communicate.
To help school communities support their AAC users CENMAC Student Ambassador Khamani recently sat down with Abdi to ask him for some practical advice and suggestions. Take a look at their video.
Abdi also shares his Top Tips for AAC Awareness in a video and a series of posters that you can print and put up on classroom walls.
> Watch CENMAC Student Ambassador Khamani’s chat with AAC Consultant Abdi
AAC Role Models
Ellise Hayward
Since leaving school, 22-year-old Ellise Hayward has not let cerebral palsy stand in her way. She’s an inspirational speaker as well as a disabilities correspondent and general reporter for Jill Dando News.
Ellise has had a very busy year of speaking engagements, being part of a Channel 4 short film and our keynote speaker at CENMAC’s annual event Communication Works earlier this year. Find out about Ellise’s AAC journey and watch the recording of her keynote speech.
Ellise Hayward giving her keynote speech at Communication Works
Beth Moulam
Beth is a Paralympian who competed in the sport Boccia at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. She is also a public speaker, a Social Policy Graduate and a great advocate for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and communication inclusion.
In this conversation student ambassador Khamani finds out about the high tech AAC Beth uses to communicate, her journey to the Paralympic Games, the exciting places she has visited, the people who inspire her, and more.
Student Ambassador Khamani talks with Beth Moulam
Lee Ridley (aka Lost Voice Guy)
Lee Ridley became a household name in 2018 when he won the 12th series of Britain’s Got Talent as Lost Voice Guy. Since then Lee has competed in America’s Got Talent, he’s written a book called ‘I’m Only In It For The Parking: Life and laughter from the priority seats’ and he has been touring with his stand-up comedy. Lee is a great role model to many and CENMAC student ambassador Khamani spoke to Lee about AAC, making people laugh and more.
Student Ambassador Khamani talks to Lee Ridley (aka Lost Voice Guy)
CENMAC’s Thursday Thirty
Live Online Training & Information Sessions
CENMAC supports many children and young people to access the curriculum and/or to communicate using a wide range of assistive technologies. It’s important that the team supporting the child or young person encourage them to use the technology supplied and know how to use the equipment themselves. So, on Thursday afternoons we run short sessions training and information sessions on a wide range of assistive technologies giving you the opportunity to listen to product specialists and ask them any questions you have about the technology.
Take a look at some of our upcoming sessions to help support AAC users:
Thursday 3 October 2024 – Discover the new “Eye gaze friendly app wheel” powered by IRISBOND in collaboration with Call Scotland
Thursday 10 October 2024 – Using Empower by Liberator to communicate via social media and online
Thursday 14 November 2024 – Commtap – Symbol support from SEN to mainstream
Thursday 28 November 2024 – Global Symbols – Supporting AAC to reflect Language and Culture in schools
Thursday 12 December 2024 – Voiceitt: Accessible Speech-to-Text to Meet Students’ Education Goals
Resources to support AAC users
Switches are useful technology that provide access to meaningful activities for people with complex physical difficulties and/or intellectual impairments. They enable someone with the least controllable movement to play with toys, access the alphabet for writing, symbols for communication and more.
Charlie Danger, CENMAC’s Occupational Therapy Consultant has created this useful Switch activity book for use in class, making finding appropriate activities easy at every level.
Global Symbols
Global Symbols is a useful website where you can create boards to aid communication using thousands of free images from their library. Symbols on this website represent cultures both internationally and closer to home.
Find out more about Global Symbols: Supporting AAC to reflect Language and Culture in Schools at our free Thursday Thirty online training and information session on Thursday 28 November 2024 from 15.30 to 16.00 (GMT).
AAC Literacy
There are some great books written by AAC users including ‘I’m Only In It For the Parking’ by stand-up comedian Lee Ridley (aka Lost Voice Guy) and ‘Eye Can Write: A memoir of a child’s silent soul emerging’ by Jonathan Bryan.
There are also a number of children’s books with characters who use AAC to communicate including ‘Something to Say About My Communication Device’ by Eden Molineux and ‘Artie is Awesome’ by Diedra Darst.
PrAACtical AAC Activities
PraAAtical AAC have a range of free AAC activities to try in a group including familiar board or card games that help to take the focus off the AAC and let the participants focus on communicating and having fun. You can download the activities from their website.
