The Language Stealers

As part of the Radiowaves Street Life project, funded by Youth In Action for the British Council, and with additional funding from Co Durham Youth Opportunity Scheme, animator Vivien Peach working with us at Henderson House, Chilton. We made Language Stealers to promote our 'Equality Without Words?' campaign and the language boards of core words we are making.

Language Stealers is a story of attribution, exposing the real barriers to communication for students with speech and motor impairments as being more to do with the situation they find themselves in than anything to do with their disposition. If nobody gives us a way to say or write the core words, or only gives us lesson nouns to go on class worksheets but no literacy instruction, then how dare they attribute our language delay to lack of ability?

AAC and literacy specialists around the world are teaching learners with the most severe physical and cognitive disabilities to read and write and it's about time it was happening for everybody.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities states equal education, accessible information, freedom of expression, and the facilitation of communication by any method(s) of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) of a person's choosing is a legal right.

Please read Articles 2, 21 and 24 of the Convention http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=150

AAC & Literacy specialists:
Penn State story http://live.psu.edu/story/44035 about two new sites from Janice Light and David McNaughton
Literacy http://aacliteracy.psu.edu/ (see the results http://aacliteracy.psu.edu/ResearchResults.html) and
Language and Communication http://aackids.psu.edu/index.php/page/show/id/1
The Center for Literacy and Disability Studies http://www.med.unc.edu/ahs/clds/projects/project-converge
Comprehensive Literacy Instruction for Older Students by Karen Erickson, David Koppenhaver, Penny Hatch, ISAAC 2006 Pre-conference http://www.aacawareness.org/ISAAC06PreconferenceHandout.pdf
AAC RERC Webcast Series, Reading and AAC, Janice Light and David McNaughton, Pennsylvania State University http://aac-rerc.psu.edu/index_literacy.html
Caroline Musselwhite http://www.aacintervention.com/index.htm
Gail Van Tatenhove www.vantatenhove.com

The National Literacy Trust: Campaign for Reading Rights http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/campaigns
Scope Freedom of Expression campaign No Voice, No Choice
TASH Resolution: AAC and the Right to Communicate http://www.tash.org/IRR/resolutions/res02communication.htm

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• FaCE
• AAC
• animation
• iStop Motion
• Vivien Peach
• Radiowaves
• Street Life Project
• Youth in Action
• British Council
• Diana Award
• Youth Opportunity Fund
• Big Challenge
• core words
• literacy
• language
• special needs
• campaign
• Equality Without Words?
• education
• speech therapy

[uliitube]

Awesome piece of work. So true - and still fun to watch. Brilliant!!

How long did it take you to produce it??

[michaelbrianreed]

Thank you! We had 7 days with animator Vivien. Our gang got together lots of times to plot plan and do the art

[mammatrouble]

Can I have permission to use your video in a presentation for my technology in education class? I need to embed it in a presentation and then my presentation will be placed on my blog. Thank you.

[michaelbrianreed]

@mammatrouble I hope you got my message that we are happy for you to use Language Stealers? It never appeared here on the page and I wrote 3 times. A friend said it might be because I put a link in the message - to Language Stealers on my iDisk space where you can download it. Thank you for liking and sharing!

[michaelbrianreed]

@mammatrouble My friend was right. I can't post here with my iDisk URL even spelled out in words! my user name at me com is michaelbreed if that helps.

[michaelbrianreed]

@mammatrouble My friend was right. I can't post here a link even spelled out in words! my name at pu blic me etc is michaelbreed if that helps.

[sueminmn]

This video is awesome. It made me laugh and cry. It made me cry because when my daughter got her first device, she was so happy to be able to say some things. Then we sent it to school and the speech person made new screens that were the only ones she was supposed to use at school. Yes. No. Good Morning. Her words were stolen from her.

You go! Keep saying these truths!

[aacterry]

We've cried too. By year 11 we got speech and 1 teacher to use 300-500 core words with Michael. New speech reduced to Yes. No. Good Morning. And a pre-stored message for Monday morning. Then I use... I have... i want... and I like... and adjective - noun phrases like Orange Wall. Blue Door. TO KEEP IT MANAGEABLE FOR SCHOOL! His last year was Register Please. Here Register. Naming each item for lunch. And now and then asking each classmate What are you doing? Tonight? Michael's Mum, Terry.

[nicocoer]

I know that the words are in the animation, but is there a particular reason otherwise why this doesn't have a caption track? I'm willing to provide one for you if you like.

[ndboyd2]

Very clever and entertaining. I like the way it emphasizes using core words and the importance of speech. I enjoyed the presentation and format.

[MissBev11]

I love this video. My husband even asked why we don't actually teach students how to "talk" with A.T. That's a great question for most teachers. Thanks for this!!!

[cascar34]

I have a non-verbal son. I just had a meeting about functional communication, and his right to communicate. Wish I had this video to show them what they are missing. He too is over 16...

Thank You for a great video..

[buckeyebrit]

totally fantastic!!!!!!! Congratulations to all involved

[supersighs]

wonderful!! and don't forget about assisted typing. so many people with autism can read and can learn to type their thoughts. a little motor planning support can free the person.

[vivienpeach]

Wow, when I was making this with you guys I never thought it could touch so many people like this. I am truly amazed and I hope this issue soon becomes something of the past. Everyone deserves the right and ability to speak.