WILLIE THORNE
Snooker Star's Support Charity Evening
Snooker and Strictly Come Dancing'star,Willie Thorne proved a major attraction at a gala Fund-Raising event,for our charity, Find A Voice,on Friday Night,9th May,2008.
Mr. Thorne,was the special guest of honour,at a dinner sponsored by Fairview New Homes,at the
Holiday Inn Central,entertaining,around 70 supporters,that raised over,£1,500 for the charity.
 
(left)Steven Dawson,one of our IT Student's shares a laugh with Willie Thorne
(right)Damian Green MP,President of Find A Voice,in a recent article in the Adscene Newspaper,spoke about the excellent evening and the work of Find A Voice and the continual dedication of all involved with the charity and which the town of Ashford,should be truly proud of.
Study Experience
Deborah Eldridge
I am currently studying to become a Speech and Language Therapist and have a particular interest in how communication aids can help those who experince difficulties with their speech.
Spending time at Find A Voice,has given me valuable experience and I have been able to become more aware of the issues,challenges and the practical solutions which are available.
I am very grateful for this opportunity which Find A Voice has given me to see the many different ways in which people can be supported in their communication and to see what a positive effect this charity's work can have on people's lives.
Seasonal Concert - St.Mary the Virgin Church
A Seasonal Concert at St. Mary the Virgin Church,was attended by over 150 people,raising £800.00 for the Charity.
The Evening Featured Christmas Carols and Musical Soloists.
Highlight of the evening,was a musical feature from a group from the Highworth Girls School,led by Colin Welch.
New Service for Deaf and Speech-Impaired People
The poineering service is a joint venture between Kent Police,Kent County Council(KCC) and Kent Fire and Rescue(KRFS)and will provide those with hearing and speech problems to text the emergency services,when they require help.
Those using the SMS Sysytem,will have to text the word 'police','medic' or 'rescue'depending on which service they need,followed by the rest of their message.The text number is 60066.The text will then be directed to the relevant orginisation and dealt with immediately.
KCC Cabinet Member for Adult Services,Kevin Lynes said:'I am delighted that Our Deaf Forum and staff in Deaf Services have played such an important role in the setting up of this vital system.This is an excellent example of pooling resources and together with Kent Police and Kent Fire and Rescue;this new initiative can quite literally save lives'.
A Happy New Year for Find A Voice
Thanks to KM Barclays Giveaway.
Many worthy causes in the area,were in for a New Year cash bonus,thanks to the KM Barclays special Christmas Giveaway.
The KM newspaper,asked their readers to nominate
local charities,which they fet had made a significant difference to people's lives.
There was an overwhelming response and judging was really tough,but after much careful consideration,Find A Voice,was the proud receiver of a cash bonus of £1000.
We would wish to thank all KM readers for their generous response to the appeal.
Simon Wilson
Find A Voice,helped Simon to obtain the fundraising for a 'Say It Sam' Communication Aid.
Simon is a Independant
Disability,Trainer/Consultant,Promoting in Equality and Independence for People with Physical Disabilities. Workshops,Consultancy and Mentoring.
Email: SimonAble@uwclub.net
Web: www.SimonAble.uwclub.net
Book Your Disability Awareness Workshop HERE.
Find A Voice is a Community Fundraiser.
We're Part of a New Fundraising Scheme. Simply Switch Your Utilities to the Utility Warehouse Discount Club and We'll Receive a Donation of up to 5% of your Household Bill Every Month.
You'll also Save Money For Yourself at the Same Time!
Please Join In.
Call 08001313000 Today
and Give Our Appeal Number: B41021.
Make Your Bill,Make a Difference.
Generous Donation of £10.000
from the Roger DeHaan,Charitable Trust.
Damien Green MP and President of Find a Voice,thanked Peter Bettley,for visiting the Centre and to present the cheque of £10.000-00.The money will be used to assist the vital work of Find a Voice,in helping people with severe communication needs,across the county of Kent.
Peter had the opportunity to view some of the items from the Loan Resource Library,at our Centre in Beaver Lane,Ashford.
Also in attendance Left to Right are:
Alastair Dutch OBE (Vice President)
Erryl Woollett(Chairman) and MichaeCloughton(Trustee)
Festival Fun Day
Find a Voice was part of a festive family fun day on Saturday
17th November 2007,sponsored by Batchelors and organised by Ashford Town Partnership. As well as the ten charity stalls,the public were entertained with Kent Circus School Workshop,Shenanigans Playbus,The Magic Man, Live Music from 'Wheeler Street'. Excitement of the day,was raised when the Mayor,Cllr Rita Hawes,turned on the Ashford Christmas lights.
Thank You to the Searchers and the Hazlett Theatre
A very enjoyable concert by the Searchers at the Hazlett theatre in Maidstone was followed by a collection for Find A Voice, a total of £156.00 was raised. We thank the Searchers for their continued support to the Charity Find A Voice.
CredoCare Foster Care Provision for disabled children.
A total of £250.00 was raised during a Fun Day held by Credocare, the Directors had matched this sum, to make a total donation of £500.00 to Find A Voice. A cheque was donated to Eryll Woollett at an award ceremony, by The Very Rev'd Damien Mead.
Thanks for Years of Support to Find A Voice
The Find A Voice Charity, has given a company plaque,to thank it for its years of support.
The plaque was presented to Security firm,Retainagroup,which is in its 25th year of business.
The charity's chairman,Eryll Woolett,presented the plaque to company chairman and managing director,Weny Rowe at the firm's base on the Henwood Industrial Estate.
A spokesperson for the charity said:'The company has beenthe most generous and encouraging sponsor that any charity could have.
Partnership Working With The Railway School
The Old Railway School Centre promotes the appropriate use of ICT for children with Special Educational Needs in Kent. Find A Voice is delighted to be working in partnership with this organisation. As a result Kent County Council is now contributing towards some of the ongoing costs of the our Resource Library. This will mean that a school-aged child will be able to borrow communication aids of different design from our library before it is decided which one is most appropriate. Sometimes a full assessment by the Old Railway School team will be then needed, on other occasions further intervention is not required. Other children will benefit from our wide selection of switches and switch-accessible toys. Of course we continue to support people of all ages (not only school children), who are all welcome to borrow items from our Resource Centre.
More about the Old Railway School Centre
The Centre encourages best practice within schools use of ICT to support SEN. It comprises several services, the East Kent Communications and Assistive Technology Service (joint funded between KCC and the NHS), The West Kent Communication Aids project and the SEN ICT service which supports children with less severe and complex needs. Schools which have already trialled equipment with Find A Voice and want to refer a child to the Old Railway School should phone to discuss the child’s needs and referral criteria. Contact Beverley Croft at the Old Railway School,
Wainwright Place, Newtown, Ashford, TN24, 0PF. Tel. 01233 629859 or Fax 01233 639516. Email Beverley.Croft@kent.gov.uk
Supported Volunteers
Ashford Supported Volunteering have been providing much needed renovation work to our porch! Thanks to all the team, coordinated by Dave Rawling, who have also helped
to keep our garden in order!
Adrian Butcher has new Dynavox V Communication Aid
With the support of Find A Voice Adrian has received funding for the brand new Dynavox V communication aid which has newly arrived from the United States. Find out more about Adrian and other people helped by Find A Voice in our Case Studies.
Visits to Find A Voice
East Kent Portage paid us a visit. Three parents with children under 5 came to look at the switch toys in our Resource Library. They had great fun playing with a wide range of toys.
We also enjoyed a visit from Faversham Day Centre. Joy explained the use of Talking Mats and the use of symbols when giving choices to develop a Person Centred Plan. The group were able to look at and try Communication Aids and Switching Equipment. Following their visit we had a letter from Evelyn, Linda, Owen, Joy, Ingrid, Paul and Gail saying how much they had enjoyed their visit.
If you would like to arrange a visit give us a call on
01233 640443. We look forward to seeing you.
Kent Adult Services Award for Joy Butcher, Steve Dawson, Victoria Vaughan and Friends.
In March 2007 Joy, Steve, and Victoria were presented with the award for their contribution to Partnership Work and the Community at the Kent County Council Adult Services Qualtiy Service Awards for 2006 -7. Uniquely they are part of a 'virtual team' who 'work with determination and creativity to move things forward for people with learning disabilities and their carers in Ashford and District'. Achievements include the successful Saturn Night Club, and the Person Centred Planning Day at the Rare Breeds Centre.
Joy, Steve and Victoria are of course at the heart of Find A Voice as Executive Director, Student and Volunteer respectively and the other members of the virtual team, Janet Guntrip (Team Manager, Ashford Integrated Team for people with Learning Disabilities), Jenny Meehan from MCCH, and Nicole Eveleigh, Advocacy are all regualar visitors!
Presentation of Cheque for £5.382.76
By Malcolm Eke, former Mayor of Ashford, 2005-2006.
Raised by holding a number of fundraising events during the year. A highlight was the Mayor’s Ball, with guest group The Searchers. The money will be used to further the work of Find A Voice.
Find A Voice ICT Tutor
We welcome Becky Washington as our new ICT Tutor for Adult Students with Learning Disabilities. more info
Stroke assocation helps Find a Voice
The Dover branch of the Chest Heart and Stroke Association has generously donated £10.000 to Find A Voice to provide equipment for our Resource Library. 3 high-tech communication aids will be available to barrow. Priority will be to stroke patients from the Dover area.
Alistair Dutch OBE
Congratulations to Alistair, our former Chairman, on receiving this award in the Queens Birthday Honours 2006 in recognition of his work for the Foreign Office and for Find A Voice.
Kent Partnership Board Communication Project
Find A Voice has been commissioned by the Kent Partnership Board to commence this exciting new project with the aim of developing a person-centred approach for adults with learning disabilities in supporting the understanding and knowledge of augmentative and alternative communication, signing, symbols and communication aids. We will start by giving presentations and offering workshops in Kent on augmentative and alternative communication either at the Find A Voice Centre in Ashford or by visiting provisions across Kent. The work will aim to identify training gaps and needs of professionals and carers, make reccommendations to Kent County Council for future provision and raise awareness generally about what AAC is, what is available and where it can be accessed.
This is really important because as the 'Valuing People' White Paper recognised, there is a need to focus on the communication needs of people with a learning disability and it is vital that support and equipment is provided to enable individuals access to full participation and inclusion in society.
PR Solutions Grant from BT
Find A Voice has been awarded a grant from BT to further increase our presence and publicise our services.
Joy Butcher, executive director of Find A Voice, said: “We chose to apply for the Public Relations Solutions Package because we want to be better at providing a voice for those disabled people who are not able to lobby for their own needs, and who otherwise would be trapped into silence. Also, we will soon be celebrating our 10th anniversary and we want to know how to raise the group’s profile in a professional manner. We’re delighted to have received this award because the expertise, skill and time provided by BT will give us the confidence to raise a noise about the group’s work. A small charity like ours would never usually have access to specialist advice such as this so we’re very excited about the difference it will make! Not only will a greater number of people with communication needs gain vital help through our assistance, but we can eventually achieve our long-term aim, to become one of the leading charities in the field of speech, language and communication.”
Human Rights Report Has Now Been Published.
Find A Voice, has received a copy of The Extensive Report,by the House of Lords,House of Commons and the Joint Commitee on Human Rights.
Titled:A Life Like Any Other?-Human Rights of Adults with Learning Disabilities.
The detailed report highlights the practical application of human rights principles to the provision of public services, the possibility to form relationships, opportunities to participate in the life of the local community and the potentional of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to promote the rights of adults with learning disabilities.
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If you would like to find out
more about communication aids and training please
go to our 'CONTACT
US PAGE' and complete the details.
Please make sure that you clearly
specify whether:
• You are interested
in viewing equipment;
• You are interested in training and/or
• You are interested in any other equipment, giving details of company
and model.
For a resource list of Find a Voice's Communication
Aids Suppliers, please
click here.
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THE SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS -CODE OF PRACTICE (NOVEMBER 2001)
Sue Soan, M.Ed shares her thoughts
The New Code of Practice refers to speech, language and communication
problems and the provisions needed to support children with these
difficulties (Chapters 7 and 8). It also clearly states that: "communication
is so fundamental in learning and progression, addressing speech
and language impairment should normally be recorded as educational
provision" (8:49). Therefore it is the responsibility
of the LEA to ensure that provision is in place for those children
with a statement specifying speech and language therapy.
In the section entitled 'Communication and interaction' the range
of needs and support children with all kinds of speech, language
and communication difficulties may require are described. It
is clear that children should receive intervention programmes either
from therapists or from suitably qualified education professionals
to enable them to make educational progress. This list includes
the following: "help in using augmentative and alternative
means of communication" (7:56). If you don't know what
these options are and you suspect your child may be able to be
helped in this way, come or telephone the 'Find A Voice Centre'
where you can receive information about the equipment available
- and perhaps decide if any of it could help your child!
If you have a child with speech, language and communication difficulties
do read the New Code of Practice (Chapters 7 and 8) so that you
are aware of what should be available to enable your child to reach
their full potential.
Find A Voice has a copy of this document, which you are elcome
to consult. Otherwise contact DfES Publications, PO Box 5050, Sherwood
Park, Annesley, Notts, NG15 ODG, tel. 0845 60 222 60 or dfes@prolog.uk.com.
You might also like to look at www.dfes.gov.uk and http://inclusion.ngfl.gov.uk
Please contact us for
details of future events.
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(left to right) Michael Cloughton, Joy Butcher ,Peter Cobb(Managing Director
