International AAC Awareness Campaign
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International AAC Awareness Campaign
ISAAC’s Vision of Communication for All
The International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC) has a vision that augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) will be acknowledged, valued and used throughout the world. Achieving the vision of a world in which everyone has a way to communicate takes more than a village. It takes people who use AAC and their families, friends, therapists, researchers, manufacturers, service providers, schools, funders, and the government. We will all have to work together to make augmentative communication known and accessible to everyone who cannot speak. ISAAC’S GOAL IS TO PROMOTE THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WHO USE AAC THROUGH FULL PARTICIPATION, EQUALIZATION OF OPPORTUNITY AND DEVELOPMENT.
The International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC) has a vision that augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) will be acknowledged, valued and used throughout the world. Achieving the vision of a world in which everyone has a way to communicate takes more than a village. It takes people who use AAC and their families, friends, therapists, researchers, manufacturers, service providers, schools, funders, and the government. We will all have to work together to make augmentative communication known and accessible to everyone who cannot speak. ISAAC’S GOAL IS TO PROMOTE THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WHO USE AAC THROUGH FULL PARTICIPATION, EQUALIZATION OF OPPORTUNITY AND DEVELOPMENT.
2011 International AAC Month - Power of Communication
For 2011, the focus of October's AAC Month events will be on people who use AAC having a greater presence in their communities and on fundraising. Power of Communication Relays will be held around the world at high school or college tracks to raise funds for AAC devices and as a way to inform the public about the many ways in which people may communicate using technology. Details on the Power of Communication Relays, promotional materials, and fundraising information will be posted on the website. www.aacawareness.org
In addition, people who use AAC will be encouraged in October to visit schools and organizations that provide services to people with disabilities to make presentations and to serve as mentors. The third annual 24-hour online AAC Chat is being planned for October 26.
The task force invites people who use AAC to contribute to the AAC Writing and Video Collection (due date is September 15 for stories to be uploaded by October 1, later entries will be added at a later date).
The ISAAC AAC Awareness Month Task Force invites you to organize a Power of Communication Relay in your community for October. It encourages everyone to promote access to AAC for all people who have difficulty with speech in your communites: in schools, colleges, organizations, businesses, and everywhere. For more information about the Relays, check this video by Faye Warren, Chair of the AAC Awareness Task Force http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ati_34FcEAs.
Send inquiries or submit information on your event to info@aacawareness.org. Many people continue to live days, weeks and years in silence without effective communication. This is the year to get the world involved in AAC and the Power of Communication.
ISAAC International AAC Awareness Month Task Force
Website: www.aacawareness.org
Brief History of International AAC Month
In October 2007, the world experienced a global celebration of the spirit and personality of people who have little or no speech. The International Society for Alternative Communication (ISAAC) held its inaugural AAC Awareness Month. In 2006, ISAAC was awarded NGO with consultative status to the United Nations. This means that the United Nations accepted ISAAC’s application to serve as technical experts, advisors and consultants to governments and the UN Secretariat.
With such an auspicious role, ISAAC leadership determined that an annual world-wide event was needed to promote AAC. The national chapters of ISAAC joined together and led a first-time-ever worldwide event to bring attention to people who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). The first AAC Awareness Month in 2007 included school and community events around the world.
In 2008, the AAC Month task force expanded its work to promote AAC and literacy by setting up website resources and hosting a writing collection by people who use AAC with the theme “Many Stories, One Voice (AAC)”. Events around the world included readings from the AAC online collection, AAC fairs, workshops and seminars.
The theme for 2009 was “Many Methods, One Goal: To Communicate”. The 2009 AAC Month online collection expanded to include not only writings but also videos. Events included the first international online 24-Hour Read-a-Thon, the release of an advocacy song (“If I Had a VOCA”), festivals, workshops, the launch of an AAC blog and an AAC Club, and many other events around the world.
Brief History of International AAC Month
In October 2007, the world experienced a global celebration of the spirit and personality of people who have little or no speech. The International Society for Alternative Communication (ISAAC) held its inaugural AAC Awareness Month. In 2006, ISAAC was awarded NGO with consultative status to the United Nations. This means that the United Nations accepted ISAAC’s application to serve as technical experts, advisors and consultants to governments and the UN Secretariat.
With such an auspicious role, ISAAC leadership determined that an annual world-wide event was needed to promote AAC. The national chapters of ISAAC joined together and led a first-time-ever worldwide event to bring attention to people who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). The first AAC Awareness Month in 2007 included school and community events around the world.
In 2008, the AAC Month task force expanded its work to promote AAC and literacy by setting up website resources and hosting a writing collection by people who use AAC with the theme “Many Stories, One Voice (AAC)”. Events around the world included readings from the AAC online collection, AAC fairs, workshops and seminars.
The theme for 2009 was “Many Methods, One Goal: To Communicate”. The 2009 AAC Month online collection expanded to include not only writings but also videos. Events included the first international online 24-Hour Read-a-Thon, the release of an advocacy song (“If I Had a VOCA”), festivals, workshops, the launch of an AAC blog and an AAC Club, and many other events around the world.
The 2010 theme was "Many Cultures, One Dream: Communication without Barriers." It was planned to complement the theme for the ISAAC conference in Barcelona, "Communicating Worlds." All people wish to communicate, to understand, and to be understood. Many barriers can make that difficult. Many people who have difficulty speaking do not have access to AAC, are not taught how AAC works, or how to read and write. Perhaps no one around them knows how AAC could help.
The task force produced a promotional video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfDHahudrxk about AAC Month 2010, posted materials online for activities including Word Wall Bingo, AAC quizzes, and Silent Bingo or Silent Tea, AAC advocacy songs for download, and they added more stories and multimedia projects in the online Writing Collection.
