Leeds to host Augmentative and Alternative Communication conference

The annual International Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) conference, held by the charity Communication Matters, will be returning to The University of Leeds, England, 10-12 September. The conference is the UK’s leading annual AAC event and organisers say it aims to provide a pivotal hub for knowledge exchange of communication solutions to support those with little or no speech. The event will feature a specialised supplier exhibition in Parkinson Court, which is housed in the university’s Parkinson Building and centre on practical solutions, personal experiences, latest research, and clinical and technological developments in the field of AAC. Speakers at the conference next month include Professor Graham Pullin, researcher at University of Dundee and Abdi Omar, motivational speaker and AAC user. Training and support According to Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT), up to 14m people in the UK, (20% of the population), will experience communication difficulty at some point in their lives. Communication Matters, along with other organisations such as Stroke Association and MND Associate, have partnered with RCSLT to create an initiative, ‘Communication Access UK’, which offers free training to businesses and organisations to better support people with communication difficulties. Claire Heap, head of Conference Leeds, commented: “We’re delighted to see the return of the Communication Matters conference in Leeds next month. We’re proud that our team has completed the Communication Access programme and we strongly believe that everyone should receive the same conferencing experience. By completing this training, we understand the importance of offering equal access and opportunity to those with disabilities and this conference is integral to increasing the support for people with communication difficulties.”