Makaton Signing at Find a Voice
The Ashford District Partnership Group for people with learning disabilities,wwwashfordweb.net.has provided funds to teach Makaton signing to members attending the District Group.
Sam Hadlow,Speech and Language Therapist,is a regional trainer for Makaton.
People attending the course,felt the signing will be useful in their work,supporting people with learning disabilities.
Suzanne from Advocacy Works attended,along with Dave Rawling and Sue Sawyer from the Ashford Volunteer Centre. Their work is to support people with learning disabilities into volunteering.
There will be further training at Find a Voice.
For further details please contact Joy Butcher on Ashford:01233 640443.
An Augmentative and Alternative Form of Communication
Many adults or children
have difficulties
- Understanding Speech
- Developing Speech
- Using
speech to tell other people what they want, how they feel and what
they are thinking.
Some people will find signing a useful
resource. Signing will help them:
- To communicate ideas which are difficult to convey in speech.
British Sign Language is an independent language used by deaf people. People have taken some of the signs from from British
Sign Language and used the signs to help people with learning difficulites.
The Role of Find A Voice
Find A Voice does not
provide training in signing at present. (We would like to
hear from qualified people who want to provide training in Ashford).
- At present we refer people to recognised providers in their locality
- We also support parents and carers who wish to access signing.
- We also lend out Makaton Resource Packs to parents/carers who are waiting
to go on a course or who can't get to a course in their area.
We have a number of resources available in the
Find A Voice Library including Makaton signing for Babies a pocket box of signs and symbols and a range of Something Special DVDs with Mr Tumble and Children Love to Learn with Justin. For further information follow the links on the Resource Library page.
Two Signing Systems
being used in Kent
Currently two systems
are available in Kent; Makaton and Signalong. We recognise that there are differences of opinion regarding these systems, and also that
various factors may influence carers in their choice of systems. including
- system used in a particular school or locality
- system
recommended by Speech and Language Therapist
- availablility of training
- symbols used along with signing.
The most important thing is for all people who would benefit from signing to be able to access signing and for parents,teachers, carers and professonals
to be able to have training which is affordable and easy to reach.
About Makaton
The essential features
of Makaton are a Core Vocabulary of 450 concepts and a Resource
Vocabulary of 7000+concepts. Signs and/or symbols are used accompanied
by speech. (Makaton has its own specially designed set of black-and-white
symbols). Makaton was first developed in 1972 by Margaret Walker,
and has been revised in 1996. The vocabulary is usually introduced
in stages, e.g. Stage 1 includes 'toilet' and 'bed' Stage 3 'apple'
and 'run'.
About Signalong
Signalong is
a Sign-Supporting System based on British Sign Language, designed
to help children and adults with learning disabilities acquire language
skills and to aid where there are communication difficulties.
Its
extensive vocabulary (now over 12,000 signs) facilitates a wide
range of activities and since 1993 has included the important area
of Personal and Social Education vocabulary.
Although use of Signalong
has in the past been restricted to certain geographical areas, it
is expanding and has been adopted in areas as far apart as Medway
and Lomond and Argyll.
Local contact for Signalong:
Mike and Gill Kennard, Stratford House, Waterside Court, Neptune Way, Rochester, Kent ME2 4NZ
0870 7743752
|
