Partner-Assisted Communication
An AGOSCI LIVE panel event
MEET OUR PANELISTS
Read our full panelist biographies below.
ABOUT THIS PANEL EVENT
Many people in our Agosci community use partner-assisted communication in their every-day lives.
This panel event will highlight the lived experience of partner-assisted communication and seek to explore the complex subject of 'authorship'.
Authorship may be questioned by unfamiliar audiences, when communication is partner-assisted. This is the statement and experience we'd like to explore with our panel.
Our panelists will share their thoughts and experiences about:
- when has their communication authorship been doubted?
- what was/is the impact of that experience?
- what can we as a community do to overcome this challenging issue?
- what makes an excellent communication partner?
PANEL FACILITATOR
Agosci is excited to announce Fiona Given as our panel facilitator.
SPECIAL GUEST GAYLE PORTER
With thanks to Gayle Porter for contributing her perspectives as a clinician, and expertise in the subject area of partner-assisted communication.
EVENT DETAILS
This event will be LIVE on December 9th, and recorded.
The recording will be available for all registered attendees.
The event is held on Zoom, for 2 hours.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This panel event will include individual stories, perspectives, and opinions from our panel and at times the live audience. AGOSCI acknowledges the breadth and depth of lived experience in communication diversity. The views and opinions shared during this event belong to the individuals who share them, and are in no way a reflection of AGOSCI's position or stance on any given topic.
ABOUT OUR PANELLISTS
Fiona Given
Fiona Given completed her Arts/Law degree at Macquarie University in 2003. She is a part time Research Assistant at UTS. Fiona has a general member on the Guardianship Division of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal for almost ten years. She is on the board of Assistive Technology Australia.
Ange McReynolds
My name is Ange and I’ve been using a communication device called an Accent with an eye gaze for 12 years.
I went to TAFE and completed a certificate 3 in welfare and certificate 3 in fitness. Currently I’m working for Cerebral Palsy Alliance as a guest speaker and Northcott as a communication assess, the communication assessor means, communication access aims to remove communication barriers so that everyone can get their message across, no matter how they communicate. In my personal time, I enjoy going for bushwalks, going to Dee Why beach, to the movies and to sport events. I love going to concerts
Nell Mcmillan
My name is Janelle McMillan, but I am known as Nell. I am a children author, artist, ABC writer, advocate and I also have an Order of Australia for my fundraising work for charities such as breast cancer. I live in a crazy body that has a mind of its own due to Cerebral Palsy. I have never used any communication device in my adult life to achieve what I have done so far. I communicate through "Nell Talk", I use my voice to talk and with a spelling out method if people can't understand me.
Gayle Porter
Gayle Porter is a Speech Pathologist with over 30 years hands on experience in the field working with people with complex communication needs. Gayle currently works at the Cerebral Palsy Education Centre in Melbourne, Australia. She also has a private practice working with both children and teenagers with complex communication needs in their schools. Gayle developed and has published resources on the Pragmatic Organization Dynamic Display (PODD) communication books and pages sets for speech generating devices. In addition, she has authored articles, publications and chapters on Augmentative and Alternative Communication and cerebral palsy. Gayle is a highly sought after international presenter.
