Augmentative Communication Campaign 2008
Do you think communication aids services in Scotland should be improved? Yes?
Please support the RCSLT, AAC in Practice:Scotland and Capability Scotland Campaign, ‘Give us our right to communicate’
Click here to see what people who use AAC said at a meeting in CALL in February 2008
A major achievement of the campaign to date is the successful lobbying of Parliament. There is a debate on Augmentative Communication in the Scottish Parliament at 5pm on Wednesday 7th May 2008.
The motion, put forward by Nanette Milne, MSP (Conservative, North East Scotland) is:
S3M-1202# Nanette Milne: Alternative and Augmentative Communication—That the
Parliament expresses concern following the findings by the Royal College of Speech and
Language Therapists, Capability Scotland and Augmentative Communication in Practice
whose recent survey of alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) equipment and
speech and language therapy support provision in Scotland revealed that eight out of 15 NHS
boards, including NHS Grampian, are providing a poor service; notes that only 16% of
potential beneficiaries are accessing specialist AAC services in Scotland and that AAC
provision is a postcode, age, advocacy and impairment lottery, and considers that an AAC
strategy for Scotland should be developed and implemented to provide for a national standard
of specialist speech and language therapy provision.
Supported by MSPs: Elizabeth Smith, Robin Harper, Jamie McGrigor, Ted Brocklebank, John
Lamont, Jackson Carlaw, Murdo Fraser, Rob Gibson, Ken Macintosh, Hugh Henry, Hugh
O’Donnell, Kenneth Gibson, Bill Aitken, Trish Godman, Mary Scanlon
The AAC campaign is launched supported and promoted by the following organisations:
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Augmentative Communication in Practice Scotland (including the ‘Make your voice Heard’ AAC user group
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Capability Scotland
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Communication Aids for Language and Learning (CALL) Centre
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Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
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Scottish Centre for Technology for the Communication Impaired (SCTCI)
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Scottish Commissioner for Children and Young People
Please contact the CALL Centre if you wish for more information or wish to be involved in the campaign.
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