Dear Exhibitors and Sponsors
In August 2008 the International Society for Augmentative and
Alternative Communication (ISAAC) will hold its 13th international
conference in Montreal. ISAAC brings together people with communication
disabilities, professionals, researchers, and academics from all over
the world to present and discuss the latest advances for people who use
augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).
Who
are the people who use AAC? They are your neighbours, friends, and
family members whose speech is not understandable as a result of events
at birth e.g. cerebral palsy, or events during life, e.g. ALS (Lou
Gehrig's disease), Multiple Sclerosis, stroke or traumatic brain
injury. These individuals use a variety of technologies to communicate
and conduct their lives, from simple spelling boards to sophisticated
“talking-computers”. Every two years from across the world, ISAAC
brings many of these people together with support professionals,
researchers, technology designers, and academics from leading
universities. The outcome of the biennial conferences is improved
technological, social, and human communication approaches.
In
2008, ISAAC will be 25 years old and Montreal has the privilege of
hosting this landmark conference on AAC. On behalf of the organizing
committee I am hopeful that your organization will support this event.
Please review the list of support opportunities to determine the best
option for your organization. Your support will be visibly acknowledged
at the venue and in media communications leading to the conference.
ISAAC
originated in Canada in 1983 to address the many situations of people
who cannot speak; visual symbols were first used here to help children
with severe speech impairment learn to read and write. ISAAC is now an
international organization, accredited as an NGO with the United
Nations, with 3600 members in more than 50 countries around the world.
It is with great pride that I invite you to join us in celebrating this
history and being part of the future of AAC. Please join us in showing
the world Canadian values of compassion, self-determination, and
inclusion.
Yours truly,
Jeff Riley
Conference co-chair
jeff.riley@vch.ca
|
