International AAC Awareness Month
October is International AAC Awareness Month. This year, I thought I would share a series of thoughts and prompts about using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Access The top of my list is undoubtedly access. We can have all sorts of communication resources; however, without access to them, we won't...
Publications, speeches and workshops
Several people have asked recently for me to share about my accomplishments. Below is a sort of CV including publications, speeches and workshops. It is definitely not fully comprehensive! Published Articles: M, K. (pseudonym) (2005) ‘My Life Story’, Communication Matters Journal, Vol 19 (2), August 2005, pp.19-20. Moulam, B. (2006)...
Who is a professional?
I find this an interesting question: Who is a professional? Am I a professional? What makes someone a professional in their own eyes and in the eyes of others? In my mind, I often have imposter syndrome; how is it possible that I can be doing the things I’m doing? ...
Becoming an AAC ally
Allies are essential for us all, and they can come from every part of life. A great ally wants to ensure they are inclusive of you. But more than this the best allies want to create a level playing field for everyone. They listen to AAC users, they help identify...
The ripple effect
First, there was Stephen Hawking, the physicist. Then came Lee Ridley, comedian, also known as ‘Lost Voice Guy’. Now we have Rob Burrow, an ex-rugby league professional and an advocate for motor neurone disease (MND). It is heart-warming to see the mainstream media airtime around using augmentative and alternative communication...
Disability matters
We hear and read daily about how the government wants disabled people to work. This week we know they are not valuing nearly a quarter of the population. The move to replace the Minister of State for disabled people with a junior minister makes this clear. Long-term strategy? Downgrading the...
The AAC Connection
Back in September 2023 a friend, Joanna Holmes (aka MummyvsAAC) and I got together to speak at the annual Communication Matters conference in Leeds. We had met at the 2022 conference and immediately discovered we had a lot in common. We had shared views about AAC users, communication partners and...