If you’ve got this far you will know helping others is important to me. My initial website evolved in 2008 from the regular questions I was asked when I presented at conferences.  Then, the frequent emails I received from people around the world about my school experiences. As a result, many of the early presentations I developed and delivered were a direct result of these questions. Throughout my AAC journey I’ve had loads of practical support from others.  This includes people within the world of AAC who were and continue to be incredibly generous with their time.  As a consequence, this means I’m happy to share my experiences, ‘what goes around, comes around’. I really want others to benefit from the same opportunities and support I’ve been given.

Each section of my website gives practical support. This is drawn from my lived experience, views, and thoughts on specifics, and life in general. As a result, I’ve broken it into 4 areas:

1. Share my passion

The first section covers my journey from my earliest presentation in 2006 into leading workshops by 2014. Then, on to developing leadership and mentoring skills. Finally creating my own training courses, specifically around living independently and leading a team of personal assistants.

2. Creating presentations

This section is in direct response to frequent questions about creating and delivering my own presentations using AAC. The resulting guidance is based on my own experiences and observations. I’ve included here are some of the challenges I’ve faced as a communication aid user. Although I recognise my challenges might not be the same as those of other people.  Alongside these are my solutions to overcoming these barriers with practical tips.  Please feel free to share my ideas on technology use, pre-programming, and the use of visual aids. Finally, as an AAC user, a live question and answer session can be daunting.  You can find here a few of the strategies I use to respond in real-time.

3. Upcoming Events

The upcoming events are things I’m particularly interested in attending or have been invited to take part in.  I hope if you are reading my blog and delving into my website these events might be of interest to you too.

4. Past Events

The past events contain details of presentations and workshops I’ve been involved in with dates and a brief synopsis.

You might also find the following blog posts of interest:

AAC and video conferencing

AAC, video conferencing and communication partners