May is Better Speech, Language and Hearing Month

During May our local chapter was involved in several activities:

• We send out The Face of a Communication Disorder Awareness / Information packages to ever school, daycare, nursery school, Health Unit, Preschool Language Program, doctor office, hospital, School Board Trustee and Special Education Advisory Committees (SEAC) in Lanark, Leeds & Grenville counties. We distributed 1,100 packages.

• On May 15 we held a day long "Connecting with Your Child with Special Needs" Conference / Information Fair. Workshops were included Transition from preschool to elementary by Lindsay Moir, Comhnadh Consulting, Transition to High School by Lindsay Moir, Comhnadh Consulting, Every Kid Counts Coalition Developmental Assets by Dave Heuther, The Importance of Routines for Children with Communication Difficulties by Language Express Preschool Language and How to talk to your Special Needs Teen about Sex by Developmental Services.

• On May 7 co-chair of our chapter, Susan Richards, traveled to Ottawa to accept the 2004 Consumer Advocacy Award from the Canadian Association of Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists (CASPLA). Susan was being honoured for her many years of persistent effort to increase public awareness of speech/language disorders, the role of the Speech/Language Pathologist, and her advocacy to maintain and increase speech/language services in her daughter's school board (UCDSB). Through her membership in the Lanark, Leeds & Grenville chapter of Ontario Association for Families of Children with Communication Disorders (OAFCCD), she has developed a Public Relations Campaign, created and managed the provincial web site, approached local municipal councils to declare May 'Speech, Language and Hearing month, carried out letter writing campaigns in support of school speech/language pathology programs, organized local parent workshops, and sat on various community committees to promote her goal of increased services. She has refused to accept "no" as an answer to her requests for additional school services. Last year, the Upper Canada Board increased speech/language services. Susan was also elected as School Board Trustee for 2003 - 2006.

• As a fundraiser and for Awareness we sold Speech Bubbles for $2 donation and displayed them on the window at Creative Computing in Smiths Falls. Below is Glen, Robbie and Kaity standing in front of the window with poster and speech bubbles.