MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS OF
SPEAKING DIFFERENTLY
CORPERATION
Date: March 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, Verna Abbott, Nina Wright, Aaron Shelbourne,
Mabel Lam
Regrets:Paul Marshall, Nancy Christie, Penny Balenger, Tony Diamant, Carmen Robitaille-Brown
Guests: Lamia
Gibson, Michael Schamber
Previous Minutes:
UM moved that the minutes of February
14, 2004 be accepted as circulated, seconded by GF. Carried
11-0-0.
Financial Report:
Cash on hand and in TD account: $200.00
Trillium funds: $5,269.89
Membership Committee:
Membership renewal will begin in
April. A Membership Committee
meeting is scheduled for April 11, 2005.
Publications Committee:
GF announced that the first issue of the newly redesigned Loud ’N
Clear is ready for distribution!
The format and much of the content has been reworked at the hands of the
Publications Committee, and under the guidance of a professional Editor. This issue is focused thematically on
the upcoming encore production of Broken Speech. The committee will continue to meet
regularly to discuss distribution options and future directions for the
newsletter. SD is looking for
contributions from it’s members, including
poetry, editorial-style reflections, as well as student, parent, and user
experiences. Comments and
suggestions are welcome, and can be addressed to GF at speakingdifferently@gmail.com.
Web Site Update:
BOK announced that the first of the AAC Toolkits is ready to be uploaded onto
the SD website. It’s
focus is on strategies for AAC users to employ when preparing to visit a medical
professional, including a tutorial-style terminology resource, and information
for users to provide to the professionals prior to their visit.
SG and several students in the Speech-Language Pathology
program at the University
of Toronto have developed
“Take AACtion”, a resource focused on
strategies for facilitating interactions between AAC user and non-users. The authors have agreed to allow SD to
upload this useful tool onto the website.
Many of the professional photos taken during at the production
of Broken Speech will be uploaded onto the SD website this month.
Be sure to check the SD website regularly for these exciting
updates!
Web Site: http://www.speakingdifferently.org
ICE Preparation:
The upcoming production of Broken Speech is scheduled for
April 9th, 2005. The
location of the ICE conference has changed to the Marriott Hotel in Mississauga. The new location poses a transportation
concern, as Wheel Trans does not provide service to Mississauga. The Board agreed to fund transportation
for TD during rehearsal and production if needed. NW reported that ICE might be providing
transportation for attendees of the conference who require accessible transit
services.
SD will speak with ICE regarding the possibility of sharing
the registration table in order to increase awareness of our organization, the
play, and the benefits of membership.
GF, NW, ML, and PR will continue to act as representatives
for SD at the ICE conference.
Other active Trillium Project Reports:
a)AAC Toolkits: BOK announced that the first
toolkit is ready for distribution.
Colleen Witt is currently working on the content for 5-6 remaining
toolkits.
b)Administrative
Assistant: No report required.
c)Increase SD Effectiveness: Ongoing.
d)Information: No report required.
e)Organizational
Liaison: No report required.
f)Physical and Recreational Support: Numerous
organizations, specifically serving persons with disabilities interested in
physical and recreational activity, have been identified. This information will be organized by
Province and available on the website soon.
g)SD Member Volunteer
Outreach: No report required.
h)Social Receptions: CRB, UM, AA, and BOK will meet to
continue discussions related to social receptions.
Other
Business:
AS requested funding for an
attendant who would support his ability to attend SD’s monthly Board
meetings, as his external funding support has expired. The Board will discuss this possibility
at the next meeting.
SD would like to congratulate Paul
Marshall on recently being named to the ISAAC Board of Canada. Way to go Paul!
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 April 11, 2005
Place: Metro Hall
Room: Meeting Room 313A (room subject to change)
Time: 6:30-8:00 pm
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