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Links to organisations dealing with
communication impairments
Following any of the links below will cause you to leave the Communications Forum site. The Forum is not responsible for the contents of these external web sites.
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- ACE Centre
Provides a focus for the use
of technology with the communication and educational needs of young
people with physical and communication difficulties, offering a wide
variety of services including in-depth individual assessments,
information, R&D, and specialist training for parents and
professionals.
- Afasic
Afasic is helping children
and young people, their families and the professionals working with
them. Afasic is a recognised training provider and offers a range of
services that include a helpline, publications, support groups, and
membership.
- Aid for Children with
Tracheostomies
ACT's
intention is to complement rather than replace statutory provisions of
the medical and community services, by providing the necessary
encouragement, support and practical advice to families facing a trying
time after their child has had a tracheostomy.
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- Alderwasley
Hall School (part of the SENAD Group)
Alderwasley Hall School provides
specialist education for children and young people with speech and
communication difficulties. It is currently the largest specialist
school in the UK for children and young people aged 5 to 19 years
either on a day or residential basis and are supported by over 50 Local
Education Authorities.
- Aidis
Trust
Aidis works to improve the lives of people with disabilities
through communication aids, computers, and special assistive technology
such as larger keyboards, head pointers or specioalist software. Aidis
gives advice, assessment, installation, and, perhaps most importantly,
training and support to people with disabilities, both adults and
children.
- ARCOS
ARCOS is a national charity working with children and adults
who have communication and eating (swallowing) difficulties, their
families, carers and others involved. ARCOS provides information,
advice, practical help, specialist therapy training and other services
not readily available elsewhere.
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- Association of Speech and
Language Therapists in Independent Practice
The
Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent
Practice has two main functions: 1) to
provide information on independent speech and language therapists throughout the United
Kingdom and b) to support therapists in independent practice. A
searchable database of private therapists can be
found here on their website.
- British
Aphasiology Society
The
British Aphasiology Society (BAS) is a national interest group formed
to foster the development of the study of aphasia, through encouraging the dissemination of knowledge of aphasia and
its treatment amongst all disciplines concerned with aphasia, promoting
the application of a scientific approachand promoting the interests of
dysphasic people by broadening the knowledge and understanding of
dysphasia.
- British Dyslexia Association
The BDA is the voice of
dyslexic people. It aims to influence government and other institutions
to promote a dyslexia friendly society. The BDA promotes early
identification and support in schools to ensure opportunity to learn
for dyslexic learners. It aims to represent the needs of dyslexic
people on leaving school, in higher education and in work.
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- British
Stammering Association
The
British Stammering Association offers support and information about all
aspects of stammering, in children as well as adults, through its
information service, and offers mutual support, membership activities
and self-help.
- Children's
Brain Injury Trust
The
Child Brain Injury Trust (CBIT) supports anyone in the United Kingdom
affected by childhood acquired brain injury. The Trust provides
information, support and training to families and professionals.
- CommunicAbility
The Trust's aim is to help people
with communication disabilities overcome their problems. It fulfils
this objective by offering support, information and advice but,
primarily, by giving small grants to enable disabled people to purchase
communications equipment.
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- Communication Matters
Communication Matters focuses on
the needs of people with complex communication needs who may benefit
from augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems to
maximise their opportunities and enhance their life. AAC systems
includes eye pointing, gesture, signing, using symbol/word boards, and
electronic speech devices.
- Contact
a Family
Contact a Family is the only
UK-wide charity providing advice, information and support to the
parents of all disabled children - no matter what their health
condition. They enable parents to get in contact with other families,
both on a local and national basis.
- Council
for Disabled Children

A national forum for the
discussion, development and dissemination of policy and practice issues
for disabled children and young people and those with special
educational needs
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- Cued Speech Association (UK)
The Cued Speech Association UK is a charity which was
established to promote, maintain and advance education in Cued Speech
in the United Kingdom for use with and among deaf and hearing-impaired
children and adults.
- Dominic Barker Trust
The Dominic Barker Trust
fund aims to:
- Fund
research into stammering
- Raise
awareness of the issues surrounding stammering
- Encourage
understanding in those who meet people who stammer
- Devise
better programmes to help overcome this disability
- Down's Syndrome Association
The only organisation
in this country focusing solely on all aspects of living successfully
with Down’s syndrome. Provide information and support for people with
Down’s syndrome, their families and carers, as well as being a
resource for interested professionals, strive to improve knowledge of
the condition, and champion the rights of people with Down’s syndrome.
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- Dyspraxia Foundation
The Dyspraxia Foundation acts as a
resource centre for those wishing to learn more about dyspraxia, its
diagnosis and treatment. The Foundation has a national network of some
35 local groups offering support and a wide range of activities
specific to the child with dyspraxia.
- Headway
Headway's aims are to promote understanding of all aspects
of head injury and to provide information, support and services to
people who have suffered a head injury, their family and carers. Deals
with enquiries connected to head injury and its aftermath, from brain
injury survivors, their families, carers and friends, as well as from
professionals and other interested parties.
- I CAN
I CAN exists to help children with a communication
disability communicate. I CAN provides a combination of specialist
therapy and education for children with the most severe and complex
disabilities, information for parents and training and advice for
teachers and other professionals.
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- ICANHO
Icanho's multi-disciplinary team offers
a wide range of rehabilitation and support services. These include
speech and language therapy, social work, physiotherapy,
vocational rehabilitation, consultant neurology, occupational therapy
and neuropsychology
- Liberator
A specialist supplier of
communication aids and other special needs equipment
- Makaton
Makaton is a unique language
programme offering a structured, multi-modal approach, using signs and
symbols, for the teaching of communication, language and literacy
skills for people with communication and learning difficulties.
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- MENCAP
Mencap is the UK's leading learning disability charity
working with people with a learning disability and their families and
carers, with special services for housing, education, employment and
leisure.
- Michael Palin Centre for
Stammering Children [ARSC]
ARSC, the Association for
Research into Stammering in Children, is a charity which was set up to
help and support the specialist speech and language therapy service
which is offered at the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children in
London.
- Motor Neurone Disease Association
MNDA is the only national charity in England, Wales and
Northern Ireland working to help people with MND secure the care and
support they need, while also promoting research into causes,
treatments and a cure. The Association offers a wide range of services
to people affected by MND, including a telephone helpline.
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- Multiple
Sclerosis Society
The MS Society is the UK's largest charity for people
affected by Multiple Sclerosis (MS) - about 85,000 people in the UK.
Across the UK information and support is available to anyone affected
by MS from our network of over 350 local branches.
- National
Association of Deafened People
The NADP provides
information and support for deafened people who have lost all or most
of their useful hearing, and for their families and friends, to help
enable them to regain their independence and enjoy the best quality of
life.
- National
Association of Laryngectomee Clubs
NALC has almost 100 clubs
nationwide and offers a range of services to Laryngectomees and their
families and carers. A major role of the clubs is to provide the sort
of non-medical help and information that can only come from the
experience of living with a laryngectomy.
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- The
National Autistic Society
The
National Autistic Society exists to champion the rights and interests
of all people with autism and to ensure that they and their families
receive quality services appropriate to their need
- National
Deaf Children's Society
As the leading provider of impartial information and
individual advocacy on every aspect of childhood deafness, NDCS can
help with welfare rights and benefit claims, making education choices,
advising on health and audiology and technology, or simply as someone
to talk to.
- Parkinson's Disease Society
Provides support, advice
and information to people with Parkinson's, their carers, families and
friends, and to health and social services professionals involved in
management and care.
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- Royal
Association in Aid of Deaf People
The Royal Association for Deaf people (RAD) promotes
the welfare and interests of Deaf people (i.e. deaf people whose first
or preferred language is sign language). Founded in 1841, RAD is the
oldest organisation in England for Deaf adults.
- Royal
College of Speech and Language Therapists
The RCSLT represents speech and language therapists and
support workers, promotes excellence in practice and influences health,
education and social care policies.
- Royal
National Institute of the Blind
Offering information, support and advice to over two million
people with sight problems. RNIB helps anyone with a sight problem –
not just with Braille, Talking Books and computer training, but with
practical solutions to everyday challenges.
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- RNID
Information and resources
for deaf and hard of hearing people, their families, friends and
employers, and professionals.
- Scope
Information and advice for people affected by
cerebral palsy, their family and carers.
Sense
Sense is the UK's leading organisation for children or
adults who are deafblind or have associated disabilities.
- Signalong
Signalong a sign-supporting system based on British Sign
Language. It is designed to help children and adults with communication
difficulties, mostly associated with learning disabilities.
- Speechmatters
Speechmatters aims to represent the
voice of aphasic people in Northern Ireland, through advice,
befriending, advocacy, campaigns and training.
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- Speakability
Speakability helps people
with aphasia and their carers directly through an Information Service,
a national network of support groups, and training courses and
meetings. They support professionals working with people with aphasia
through the Information Service, as well as training courses and an
annual lecture series.
- Speakeasy
[email address only]
- Speech, Language and Hearing
Centre
The Speech, Language and Hearing Centre at Christopher Place
is for babies and children under 5 who have hearing impairment or delay
in speech, language and communication. The Centre is the only one of
its kind in the UK and is a registered charity. Its child-centred
programme combines teaching with therapy using an interdisciplinary
professional team. A close partnership with the whole family is central
to the approach, as is liaison with professionals involved in the
child's development.
- Symbol [email address only]
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