Speaking the same language, part two
by Patricia
In my last post I promised to give blog readers more details on the Second International Congress on Persons with Disabilities I was fortunate enough to attend in Guadalajara last week, so here goes!
My colleague Beverlyn Mendez, the Chief Operating Officer at Easter Seals Southern California, joined me to give a presentation on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). We were also able to share time with our colleagues from the Confederación Mexicana de Organizaciones en Favor de la Persona con Discapacidad Intelectua (CONFE) to discuss how we can most effectively provide services and supports to individuals with disabilities.
And the good news is that Beverlyn actually speaks REAL Spanish as opposed to the “fake” Spanish I try to get away with. This, of course, is just one quality among many that Beverlyn possesses — she also has an amazing understanding of how to work collaboratively to meet the needs of people with disabilities. She was such a valuable asset to the trip to Mexico, as she really appreciates working collaboratively to promote the best outcome.
With international work, we have the opportunity to learn so much. One of my learning opportunities from this trip was that the natural supports that exist in Mexico within extended family are amazing! Two of the more memorable people I met In Guadalajara were our two hosts from CONFE: Javier Quijano Orvananos and Maria Quijano Orvananos. Yep, they are brother and sister. Their family has a long history of supporting people with disabilities, as they have a brother who was born with Down Syndrome.
Easter Seals was able to share some of the communication strategies we are currently using in the United States with individuals who don’t develop spoken language. There are lots of different ways to communicate. Some people with autism point to pictures or symbols to tell people with they want. Others use sophisticated computer devices with touch screens that have pictures, symbols and words on them. The person with autism touches the screen on the computer, and the computer generates a voice — the computer talks! Pretty funny that I was in a country where I don’t speak the language and I was talking about communication, don’t you think? Good thing the topic was autism so that I at least had some content knowledge!
All in all, an absolutely wonderful and rewarding trip. Having opportunities to learn together like this makes all the difference in the world.