Release Date: June 7, 2023
Archive Episode 118: Learn about Aphasia
Guest: Carol Dow-Richards, the Founding Director of Aphasia Recovery Connection
Moderator and Host: Barry Whaley, Project Director of the Southeast ADA Center
Contents
- Featured in This Episode
- What Is Aphasia?
- Resources from Aphasia Recovery Connection (ARC)
- Learn More about Aphasia
- ADA Live Podcasts and Resources on Disability Employment and Effective Communication
- Aphasia, Stroke, and Employment
- Aphasia Statistics and Research
Featured in this Episode
Aphasia Recovery Connection (ARC)
A nonprofit organization 501(c)3 in Leland, North Carolina
Web: www.AphasiaRecoveryConnection.org
Email: aphasiasupport@gmail.com
Facebook: Link: facebook.com/aphasiaARC
YouTube: Link: youtube.com/@AphasiaRecoveryConnection
What Is Aphasia?
According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders at the National Institutes of Health:
Aphasia is a disorder that results from damage to portions of the brain that are responsible for language. For most people, these areas are on the left side of the brain. Aphasia usually occurs suddenly, often following a stroke or head injury, but it may also develop slowly, as the result of a brain tumor or a progressive neurological disease. The disorder impairs the expression and understanding of language as well as reading and writing. Aphasia may co-occur with speech disorders, such as dysarthria or apraxia of speech, which also result from brain damage.
Link: nidcd.nih.gov/health/aphasia
Resources from Aphasia Recovery Connection (ARC)
- Helpful Links about Aphasia
Link: aphasiarecoveryconnection.org/helpful-links - Books for People with Aphasia and Their Families
Link: aphasiarecoveryconnection.org/books - Talk Tools
Download these “Talk Tools” communication boards to help you communicate in your home, hospital and community.
Link: aphasiarecoveryconnection.org/talk-tools - Personalized Wallet Cards
A quick and easy way to communicate your individual needs to others.
Link: aphasiarecoveryconnection.org/wallet-cards - Aphasia Posters
To raise awareness about aphasia download and share these posters on social media or print and hang them at home or in public spaces.
Link: aphasiarecoveryconnection.org/posters - Friends & Family Information Sessions
These free sessions are offered on Zoom.
Link: aphasiarecoveryconnection.org/friends-and-family - Bloom Aphasia Retreat
Small group sessions offer tools and strategies to help you and your loved one live successfully with aphasia, including-specific conversation groups, tips and resources, social time, and fun.
Link: aphasiarecoveryconnection.org/bloom - Dance Between Words
A weekly dance and movement class for people with aphasia guided by a dance educator who modifies the dances to fit all abilities.
Link: aphasiarecoveryconnection.org/dance-between-words - ARC Aphasia Cruises
Each cruise includes optional fun and educational programs led by speech-language pathologists and other experts. These sessions focus on building new language skills, coping with survivor and care partner stress, and learning how to use new communication technologies.
Link: aphasiarecoveryconnection.org/aphasia-cruises
Learn More about Aphasia
- Webinar: Perspectives on Aphasia: Communication Breakdowns in Medical Settings
Conference presentation by David Richards, Carol Dow-Richards, and Dr. John Schultz.
[Captioned video; 30 minutes]
Source: American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) (2018)
Link: youtu.be/_sTl5wknOug - Webinar PowerPoint Handout [PDF]
Link: learningcenter.asha.org/resource/docs/asha/1530887834755/18254%20Dow-Richard%20PPT%20Handout.pdf - Webinar Transcript [PDF]
Link: learningcenter.asha.org/resource/docs/asha/1530887910551/18254%20Course%20Transcript.pdf - Learn About Aphasia
This directory of organizations has information on the normal and disordered processes of hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech, and language. Use the following keywords to find organizations that can answer questions and provide information on aphasia:
Aphasia | Speech-language pathologists | Brain injury
Source: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders at the National Institutes of Health (NIDCD)
Link: nidcd.nih.gov/health/aphasia - Aphasia FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Source: National Aphasia Association
Link: aphasia.org/aphasia-faqs - Find Aphasia Help and Resources
Source: National Aphasia Association
Link: aphasia.org/helpful-materials - Types of Aphasia
Source: American Stroke Association
Link: stroke.org/en/about-stroke/effects-of-stroke/cognitive-and-communication-effects-of-stroke/types-of-aphasia - Aphasia: Communicating Through Barriers
Source: American Stroke Association
Link: stroke.org/en/about-stroke/effects-of-stroke/cognitive-and-communication-effects-of-stroke/stroke-and-aphasia/aphasia-communicating-through-barriers - Let’s Talk about Stroke and Aphasia [PDF}
Source: American Stroke Association
Link: stroke.org/-/media/Stroke-Files/Lets-Talk-About-Stroke/Life-After-Stroke/LTAS-Stroke-and-Aphasia.pdf - Tips for Socializing with Aphasia
Source: American Stroke Association
Link: stroke.org/en/about-stroke/effects-of-stroke/cognitive-and-communication-effects-of-stroke/tips-for-socializing-with-aphasia - Cognitive and Communication Effects of Stroke
Source: American Stroke Association
Link: stroke.org/en/about-stroke/effects-of-stroke/cognitive-and-communication-effects-of-stroke - Aphasia Library
Source: The Aphasia Community
Link: aphasia.com/aphasia-library/ - Aphasia Software Finder
Information about apps and software programs in English for people with aphasia.
Source: The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia
Link: aphasiasoftwarefinder.org - Overview of Aphasia
Source: Mayo Clinic
Link: mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/aphasia/symptoms-causes/syc-20369518 - Aphasia Diagnosis and Treatment
Source: Mayo Clinic
Link: mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/aphasia/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20369523 - Aphasia Practice Portal
Source: American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA)
Link: asha.org/Practice-Portal/Clinical-Topics/Aphasia
Archived ADA Live Podcasts and Resources on Disability Employment and Effective Communication
You can access all ADA Live! episodes with archived audio, accessible transcripts, and resources at ADAlive.org. Most episode transcripts are also available in Spanish. (Transcripciones de los episodios en español.) Listen on the SoundCloud ADA Live! channel at soundcloud.com/adalive.
Employment Podcasts and Resources
- Episode 109: Workplace Accommodations and the ADA
Link: adalive.org/episodes/episode-109 - Episode 104: Employment, ADA, and Post-COVID Health
Link: adalive.org/episodes/episode-104 - Episode 102: Improving Employment Outcomes for People with Disabilities
Link: adalive.org/episodes/episode-102 - Episode 98: America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusive Employment
Note: This podcast and resource list are especially useful for employers, employees, and job seekers.
Link: adalive.org/episodes/episode-98 - Episode 98 (Part Two): Inclusive Apprenticeship and Mentoring
Link: adalive.org/episodes/episode-98-2 - Episode 61: Employment First and the ADA: Working Together
Link: adalive.org/episodes/episode-61 - Episode 43: ADA and Employment: Disclosure and Reasonable Accommodations
Link: adalive.org/episodes/episode-43 - Episode 37: Employment Law Developments and Advocacy Strategies for People with Disabilities
Link: adalive.org/episodes/episode-37
Effective Communication Podcasts and Resources
- Episode 117: ADA and Effective Communication in Health Care Settings with the Department of Justice
Link: adalive.org/episodes/episode-117 - Episode 69: Effective Communication, Accessible Health Care, and the ADA
Link: https://adalive.org/episodes/episode-69
Aphasia, Stroke, and Employment
- Job Accommodation Resources for Stroke
Source: Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
Link: askjan.org/disabilities/Stroke.cfm - Article: Are You Looking for Work with a Job Search After Aphasia?
Source: National Aphasia Association
Link: aphasia.org/stories/job-search-work-aphasia - Aphasia and the Workplace [PDF]
Statistics on how the aphasia community feels about working.
Source: National Aphasia Association (October 2021)
Link: aphasia.org/stories/job-search-work-aphasia - Losing Your Job After Aphasia
Source: The Aphasia Center
Link: theaphasiacenter.com/2015/08/losing-your-job-after-aphasia - Article: Returning to Work After Aphasia: Reframing Work Re-entry
Source: Access Press
Link: accesspress.org/returning-to-work-after-aphasia-reframing-work-re-entry - Navigating a Job’s Language Demands After a Stroke
Source: ASHA Wire (March 2023)
Link: leader.pubs.asha.org/do/10.1044/leader.FTR1.28032023.slp-work-post-tbi.40/full
Aphasia Statistics and Research
- 2022 National Aphasia Awareness Survey
This 2022 aphasia awareness survey is our third national survey to determine the level of familiarity and understanding of aphasia in the United States.
Source: National Aphasia Association
Link: aphasia.org/2022-aphasia-awareness-survey - Infographic – Aphasia: Be in the Know [PDF]
Source: American Stroke Association
Link: stroke.org/-/media/Stroke-Files/About-Stroke/Stroke-and-Aphasia/Aphasia-Be-in-the-Know-infographic.pdf - Perspectives of Working-Age Adults with Aphasia Regarding Social Participation
Source: National Institutes of Health (2020)
Link: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7757020