MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS OF SPEAKING DIFFERENTLY
CORPERATION
Date: February 14, 2005
Place: Metro Hall, Toronto
Time: 6:30pm-8:00pm
Members Present: Anne Abbott, Bern O'Keefe, Garth
Foote, Urszula May, Perry Redlick,
Sarah Green, Carmen Robitaille-Brown, Verna Abbott
Regrets:Paul Marshall, Nancy Christie, Penny Balenger, Tony Diamant, Nina
Wright, Aaron Shelbourne, Mabel Lam, Lamia Gibson
Guests: Sara Tayefeh
Previous Minutes:
UM moved that the minutes of January 17, 2004 be accepted as circulated,
seconded by GF. Carried 8-0-0.
Financial Report:
Cash on hand and in TD account: $751.00
Trillium
funds: $ 650.00
Membership Committee:
No report this month.
Publications Committee:
The committee has developed several feature stories, web links, crosswords,
and a new banner for the upcoming issue of Loud ‘N Clear. The lead story is currently in
progress. The committee has met
several times and will continue to meet regularly to discuss future directions
for the newsletter. Comments and suggestions are welcome,
and can be addressed to GF at speakingdifferently@gmail.com.
Web Site Update:
No report this month.
ICE Preparation:
SD has reached an agreement
with ICE for the encore performance of Broken Speech. ICE has agreed to provide $2,000.00 for
the upcoming production, scheduled for April 9th, 2005. Actors and production crew have been
chosen and rehearsals have begun.
Other active Trillium
Project Reports:
a)AAC Toolkits: BOK announced that the first
toolkit will be ready for distribution in one month. Colleen Witt is currently working on the
content for 5-6 remaining toolkits.
BOK will meet with Ms. Witt regarding format.
b)Administrative
Assistant: No report required.
e)Increase
SD Effectiveness: Ongoing.
f)Information: No report required.
h)Organizational
Liaison: No report required.
i)Physical and Recreational Support: No report required.
j)SD
Member Volunteer Outreach: No report required.
k)Social Receptions: CRB reported that the first SD
Social Reception was held on February 14, 2005 at the 519 Community Centre in Toronto. The reception resulted several new AAC
users joining SD, and fostered the idea that such social gatherings should
become a more regular occurrence in the city. Those who attended discussed future
‘themes’ for these evenings (e.g. 50’s Dance, Arts
Night). CRB reported that the 519
Community Centre is subway accessible and the building itself is fully wheelchair
accessible. There is no room rental
charge at the Centre, however a suggested membership
fee of $10.00 is requested from each person in attendance. Three main issues were raised by the
committee regarding the possibility of expanding the Social Reception to a
“Speaking Differently Social Club” that would meet regularly at the
519:
1)
Determining the SD person power required to
organize and run such gatherings;
2)
Determining the number of people who would be
interested in attending the gatherings;
3)
Funding issues surrounding the 519’s
suggested membership cost of $10.00 in addition to SD’s membership fee of
$4.00.
A small committee has been formed
to continue discussions related to these main ideas (CRB, UM, AA, BOK).
CRB will be contacting possible
assistants in Ottawa
and Hamilton this week via Podium.
Other Business:
SD
would like to congratulate Dr. Joan Truxler on the
recent completion of her dissertation on the topic of phonological awareness
and children who use AAC. Great job
Joan!
SD
would also like to congratulate Anne Abbott on her appearance on City
TV’s Breakfast television this month.
SD home email
address reminder:
SD’s
new email address is speakingdifferently@gmail.com
Main Issue of the Meeting: Housing for Persons who
are non-speaking:
Discussion
associated with AAC and friendship continued. Records of the discussion are
being kept for later integration and then used as the basis for planning.
Date of Next Meetings:
NOTE: All meetings are on Mondays
Monday March 14, 2005
Place: Metro Hall
Room: Meeting Room 313A (room subject to change)
Time: 6:30-8:00 pm
April 11, 2005
May 16, 2005
June 13, 2005
Please contact us:
Members and other interested parties are invited to contact any member of
the executive council. Email addresses are below. Questions, comments, and your
experiences with AAC are all welcome. We would also be most pleased if you
were to submit letters or articles to Loud 'N Clear
(speakingdifferently@gmail.com)
Board of Directors and Officers of Speaking Differently:
President and Chairman of the Board: Anne Abbott aabbott0@rogers.com [Note: 0 = zero]
Vice-President and Member
of the Board: Tony Diamanti dan7@sprint.ca
Treasurer and Member of
the Board: Bern
O'Keefe b.okeefe@utoronto.ca
Secretary and Member of
the Board: Urszula May u.may@utoronto.ca
Members of the Board:
Verna
Abbott
Nancy
Christie nancy.christie@utoronto.ca
Perry
Redlick
Carmen
Robitaille-Brown carmen.brown@westpark.org
Aaron
Shelbourne
Editor of the Association:
Nina Wright baneena72@yahoo.com
Assistant Editors:
Penny Balenger
Sarah Green sarah.green@utoronto.ca
Web site Editor: Paul
Marshall paulmarshall@cogeco.ca
Web Site: www.speakingdifferently.org
Promotions Liaison: Mabel
Lam mabel.lam@utoronto.ca
Administrative Assistant: Garth Foote speakingdifferently@gmail.com