On May 6, the College of Education & Human Development’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders had its first in-person Good Morning Aphasia event in two years.
This annual program, which began in 2017, allows attendees to learn more about aphasia, a language disorder that can affect reading, writing, verbal expression and understanding others. Those living with aphasia and their families and friends are invited to attend, share their experiences and meet others living in the metro-Atlanta area who are affected by the language disorder.
More than 80 people attended in person or joined the livestream for this year’s event, which featured presentations and performances from the following:
- The Georgia State University Aphasia Choir
- Armand Andrews, Chris Chaffee and Susan Hegel telling their stories about living with aphasia
- Rachael Harrington, postdoctoral research associate in the College of Arts and Sciences, presenting the connections between reading and aphasia
- Aimee Dietz, chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, presenting on yoga and aphasia
- Ayse Needham, Michael Needham, Ashley Needham and Hannah Griffey discussing aphasia advocacy
The department’s Aphasia and Motor Speech Disorders Research Lab, the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, the Language Recovery and Communication Technology Lab and the university’s chapter of CommunicAID+ Nation sponsored Good Morning Aphasia this year.
Jacqueline Laures-Gore, associate professor and director of the Aphasia and Motor Speech Disorders Lab, said it’s difficult to sum up how influential this event can be for attendees.
“It’s hard to capture the beauty of the event, from the humor that a couple discovered while learning to live with aphasia, the comradery of the aphasia choir and the happiness that people with aphasia found when they met others with aphasia,” she said. “I’d like to thank graduate student Alayna Guthrie for pulling together such a successful event.”