COMMUNICATION MATTERS - Key Persons
I am a speech and language therapist and for the past 9 years I have worked in the adult acquired service in NHS Tayside. For most of that time I have been based at the Centre for Brain Injury Rehabilitation and at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.
I am a Clinical Director at ATtherapy, an independent speech and language therapy service which was set up in 2012. I have led our team to grow and expand and am now very proud of our team of over 15 staff including therapists, assistants and AAC mentors.
I've been an electronic AAC user since the age of 4. I recall little of life except living as a multi-modal communicator, every day.
I've been in the AAC/AT industry for over 10 years, initially running my own business, iHelp Innovations, through to the position I hold now as UK & International Sales Manager for Pretorian Technologies.
I have been using various forms of AAC since I was approximately 4 years old. I am very aware of the issues people can face when they have a disability that effects their ability to communicate normally with the outside world. I have had many long hard fights with the NHS to get my communication needs met and funded, so that my voice can be heard.
I am a speech and language therapist and have worked in the field of AAC since 1991 when I worked in an assessment centre.
I began my career in Special Educational Needs (SEN) in 1995, initially providing one-on-one support to a visually impaired student. It was during this period that my passion for AAC was ignited. Guiding children to develop their unique voices and facilitating their access to the world has consistently been a deeply fulfilling aspect of my professional path.
I'm a devoted parent carer to my son Kit, a remarkable young man with Cerebral Palsy who is an AAC user. Additionally, I am the co-founder of the charity AbleStay, London's first fully accessible holiday home. This was inspired by my experiences as a parent navigating the challenges of complex physical disabilities especially when away from the home.
I am a Speech and language Therapist (SLT). Prior to starting a PhD in 2017 I led a local AAC service in Gloucestershire. I am currently carrying out research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
Following a career as a chartered surveyor, I retrained as a teacher and worked with children with a wide range of special educational needs in mainstream schools for 11 years. Looking for new challenges, I worked for both Mayer Johnson and Widgit where I trained education...
I am a Speech and Language Therapist and for most of my 32-year career in the NHS have been supporting children with additional support needs and their families in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area. I still remember hand drawn low tech communication boards where my love of art came in handy!
Having lived and worked in London as a teacher, teaching music and steel pans, I moved to Lincolnshire 14 years ago for a quieter life! I have a busy family life, living with musicians and dancers, so never a quiet moment.
I am an Advanced Specialist Speech and Language Therapist with over eight years of professional experience in pre and special school contexts. I am passionate about improving the outcomes for AAC users and adapting information in order to promote inclusion and equal opportunities.
I'm a special educator with over 30 years' experience working with learners with significant disabilities, many of which used AAC in all its forms. I started my career as a teenager when I volunteered to work at an inclusive summer camp on the beaches of Long Island (NY) which lead to a degree in Special Education specialising in PMLD.