PERSONAL PROJECT: VISIT TO SPEECH THERAPISTS

As part of my personal project, I had a week prior to my PDP to visit speech therapists. These visits would confirm my doubt of where I wanted to take the project.

I had been in contact with the Speech Therapists at Tameside Hospital, my visit there was eventful. Mainly they deal with Dyspraxics patients, whom basically are elderly and they have to teach them language with what they already have, rather than teaching a young child from the beginning. So in many ways they couldn't help me, but they did refer me to a Paediatric Speech Therapist, Alex Wormall and a therapist with an articulation point of view, Julie Hand. I have consequently been in contact and a joint meeting has been arranged for January.
(To be continued).

They did also refer me to get in contact with the Deaf Society in Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University Speech Therapist Tutors and Student whom may want to help.
So off I went with my work.

I got in contact but unfortunately the Therapist team at MMU have not got in contact, I therefore will pursue that in January.

The Deaf Society in Manchester have been fantastic. I visited them on Monday the 14th and the team were very eager to help out. I talked to a member of the Sensory team, Sarah and an actual Lip Speaker, Beverly.

• The advice they gave me was essential, maybe alittle too informative for what I want to produce. They recommended talking to Hearing Therapists, Audiology and visiting clubs for the hard of hearing and people who suffer from Tinnitus. This way I would be able to speak to patients to get their opinion.
• What I also am concerned about is the fact that since the 1980's there has been NO knew material on Lip Reading/Speaking for patients or Therapists. What you will find is most material to be outdated and well past its sell by date. Thus I want to re-design and re-introduce it into society. Making people more aware that people sometimes cannot hear you or understand you.
• They understood that I have only touched upon a massive subject so some of my research is not correct. They were very pleased and interested in what I had to show and where I could take it.
  

Extremely eye opening for my personal project.

After speaking to Liz and Hitch I need to be aware of and designing cutting edge graphics. So for January deadline I am mainly going to focus on the graphical aspect of where it could potentially go e.g. an interactive digital poster that could connect and pick up conversations, imitating what people are saying but showing it in the shapes I have created.
Thus, the tag line 'can you understand...because I can't', making society more aware of the problems deaf people have.