Noah on communication during COVID-19 and the importance of AAC
Well, hello there! My name is Noah, I have cerebral palsy quadriplegia and I am nonverbal. During these crazy times, it has been difficult not seeing friends and loved ones, but thanks to the power of technology we can still find opportunities to connect.Being unable to communicate verbally is really hard and sometimes it can be a challenge to get my message across. One item that has changed this for me is my grid pad. It allows me to communicate effectively just with my eyes. To be honest, it has given me the voice that for a very long time I didn’t have. This has been great for me, although some people might think that I speak too much rubbish! Oh well, I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion!I’m a massive Harry Potter fan and a proud Slytherin. (Yes, the evil house!) I’m currently listening to the whole series which is a blast from the past. I absolutely loved seeing ‘The Cursed Child’ which I have been lucky to see twice in the last 12 months. So much real magic! I’m also helping Kids Plus. I am currently working on content to educate families on the importance of augmentative and alternative communication to get a user’s message across, as well as offering advice on how to become a good AAC partner! We would love you to be part of this so that you can get more of a handle on AAC, so come along!Recently, I was asked to be on Sunrise (Channel 7 morning TV) to talk about what I have been doing while in isolation. I was interviewed by the weather man Sam Mac. Without my grid pad, this kind of opportunity wouldn’t have existed. I was asked what was the best,/worst thing, about isolation and what is my message to Australia about staying safe and keeping happy during isolation. This gave me the opportunity to show AAC to the nation and expose the technology behind it. This is so important because we need more people using this life changing technology, it allows for greater independence and a better quality of life, which of course, we all deserve!
Love my job 💙 Today I got to share @noahjcallan ‘s story & cheeky personality with Australia. That’s what it’s all about @sunriseon7 pic.twitter.com/Escx6uvpvE
— MrSamMac (@MrSamMac) June 27, 2019
Stay safe and take care.Written by Noah Callan. Noah works with our Speech Pathology team in our new AAC program, which is all about improving knowledge of AAC and in turn fostering better communication and interaction with your children. More info on that program here.