MINUTES
OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS OF SPEAKING DIFFERENTLY CORPERATION
Date: April 11, 2005
Place: Metro Hall,
Time: 6:30pm-8:00pm
Members Present: Anne Abbott,
Regrets: Perry Redlick,
Nina Wright, Aaron Shelbourne, Mabel Lam, Tony Diamanit, Carmen Robitaille-Brown
Guest: Denis Cyr
Previous
minutes:
AA moved and GF seconded that the minutes of
March 14, 2004 be accepted as circulated, Carried 6-0-0.
Treasurer's
report:
Cash on hand and in TD account: $175.00,
Trillium funds $650.00, chequing
$590.51
Membership
Committee:
The Membership Committee has planned its
renewal campaign beginning in early April and is cooperating with the Publicity
Committee on an informational campaign centering on university programs in the
rehabilitation sciences. The
Membership Committee is leading a project that will create an annual calendar
for the organization to help insure that all activities are completed in a
timely fashion.
Publications
Committee:
GF announced that the first issue of the
newly redesigned Loud ’N Clear was very well
received and the second issue will be issued in early June.
Comments and suggestions are welcome, and can
be addressed to Garth Foote at speakingdifferently@gmail.com.
Publicity
Committee:
A brain-storming session that includes SD
members and volunteer consultants is being planned.
The purpose of the session will be to determine ways and means of increasing
the visibility of SD and fundraising. Mabel Lam chairs the committee.
Web site update (www.speakingdifferently.org)
The first toolkit will be added to the site in late
April (see below) and a major new section will be added - “Take AACtion” prepared for SD by Sarah Green, Aimee Kelly
and Pamela Rahn. This resource focuses on strategies
for facilitating interactions between AAC user and non-users. The addition of
Take AACtion provides the site with an AAC education
function not previously provided.
ICE
Conference participation:
"Broken Speech", the play about
life as an AAC user that was produced by SD and presented in November, was
presented at the annual ICE conference on April 9th, 2005 to full house of
augmented communicators and friends of AAC.
Additional performances at other venues are
proposed and funds are being sought for a video production available to all
interested AAC, disability or general interest groups. Nina Wright was the SD
liaison to ICE and the board wishes to recognize her efforts.
Social
receptions:
The first of three social receptions for
augmentative and alternative communication users,
funded by the Trillium Foundation, was held in
AAC
Toolkits:
The first of approximately seven AAC toolkits
will be placed on the SD website at the end of the month. The first is "A
Visit to the Doctor" and it is intended to help augmented communicators,
their facilitators and medical staff to prepare for medical visits. This
creative and easy to use "toolkit" should prove very helpful to many.
The toolkits are being created by consultant Colleen Witt and are funded by
Trillium.
Jobs
and AAC:
Because of the threatened Toronto Transit
Commission strike the board meeting was originally
postponed. When the strike was averted, the meeting was rescheduled. Several
AAC user board members were not able to arrange transportation, however, so SG
moved, seconded by BOK that the discussion of jobs and AAC be tabled until the
next meeting. Carried 6-0-0.
Support
for ACCPC:
SD has written a letter of support for
Augmentative Communication Community Partnership-Canada associated with two
projects related to equal access to the legal system for AAC users. Barbara
Collier leads this excellent organization whose interests include the following
AAC issues:
· Safety
· Interpreting
services
· Employment
· Attendant
services
· Self-determination
for adults and youth
· Inclusive
education
· Literacy
Charitable status for SD to be explored:
SD is incorporated nationally through
Industry
Date of next meeting:
Monday, May 16, 2005
Place: Metro Hall
Room: Meeting Room 313A (room subject to
change)
Time: 6:30-8:00 pm
Meeting to follow: June 13, 2005
Please
contact us:
Members and other interested parties are
invited to contact any member of the executive council. Email addresses are
below. Questions, comments, and your experiences with AAC are all welcome. We
would also be most pleased if you were to submit letters or articles to Loud 'N
Clear
(speakingdifferently@gmail.com)
Board of Directors and Officers of Speaking
Differently:
President and Chairman of the Board: Anne
Abbott aabbottÆ@rogers.com
Vice-President and Member of the Board: Tony Diamanti dan7@sprint.ca
Treasurer and Member of the Board: Bern
O'Keefe b.okeefe@utoronto.ca
Secretary and Member of the Board: Urszula May u.may@utoronto.ca
Publicity Chair and Member of the Board:
Mabel Lam mabel.lam@utoronto.ca
Members of the Board:
· Verna
Abbott
· Perry
Redlick
· Carmen
Robitaille-Brown carmen.brown@westpark.org
· Aaron
Shelbourne
· Sarah
Green sarah.green@utoronto.ca
Editor of the Association: Garth Foote speakingdifferently@gmail.com
Assistant Editors Nina Wright baneena72@yahoo.com
Web master: Paul Marshall paulmarshall@cogeco.ca
SD Web Site: www.speakingdifferently.org