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Families, Educators and Service Providers
Speak Up brought together adults who use AAC, parents, educators and clinicians who work with youth who use AAC in order to identify ways to share information and resources about healthy sexuality and safeguarding.
Focus Group Members
Service Needs
Guidelines
Resources for Families, Educators and
Service Providers:
Focus Group Members [Top]
Cal Millar |
Parent |
Julie Millar |
Parent |
Tammy Forsyth |
Parent |
Keith Spencer |
Parent |
Shelley Deegan |
AAC Clinician, Technical Access Clinic, Hamilton |
Aaron Shelbourne |
AAC User, Speak Up Project |
Elaine Choptianey |
Occupational Therapist, Toronto District School Board |
Anne Barrett |
Nurse, Toronto Public Health |
Sarah Collinge |
Occupational Therapist, Bloorview MacMillan Children's Centre |
Lynnette Norris |
AAC Clinician, Bloorview MacMillan Children's Centre |
Ann Running |
AAC User, Speak Up Project |
Robin Goard |
AAC Clinician, Childrenís Treatment Centre, Sudbury (proxy) |
Joanne Tramontini |
Social Worker, Childrenís Treatment Centre, Sudbury (proxy) |
Fran Odette |
Sexual Health Educator, Speak Up Project |
Jake Pyne |
Sexual Health Educator, Speak Up Project |
Barbara Collier |
Project Coordinator, Speak Up Project |
Service Needs [Top]
The following service needs were identified by the focus group:
- Parents, clinicians, teachers and transitional services may not be aware of existing, appropriate sexual health and safeguarding resources for youth who use AAC.
- There are few written resources directed at youth who use AAC that address their sexuality and safeguarding needs.
- AAC users often lack the supports that make up essential safeguarding components needed to live as independently and safely as possible.
- Youth who use AAC may not have access to the same or educational social opportunities as their peers in order to learn and communicate about their sexuality and safeguarding.
- Youth who use AAC typically do not have the vocabulary, skills and strategies relative to a broad range of sexual health and safeguarding issues.
- Abuse related services for children may not have information, resources or skills to extend their services to children with disabilities who use AAC.
Guidelines for Families, Educators
and Service Providers that Support Youth who use AAC [Top]
The focus group made the following recommendations:
- Parents, clinicians, teachers need to be aware of the role they play in promoting healthy sexuality and safeguarding in youth who use AAC.
- Sexual health and safeguarding resources and information services could be available to parents, educators, AAC service providers, health care professionals etc. via pertinent websites, newsletters, brochures, conferences etc.
- Families, teachers and service providers of young AAC users could be aware of the key safeguarding elements and how to foster these in AAC users from a young age.
- Youth who use AAC could have sexual health information that relates to their disability.
- Youth who use AAC could have vocabulary, skills and opportunities to communicate about sexuality and safeguarding.
- AAC clinicians could support youth and families in selecting vocabulary and in knowing about resources related to sexuality and safeguarding.
- Sexual health educators within the school system can play a role in the supporting youth who use AAC if they are provided with support and training from AAC service providers, teachers and family members.
- Non-disabled youth require positive information / depictions of disability included in their sexual health education.
- There is a need for child centered picture and symbol vocabularies and resources to address child/pre-adolescent developmental issues.
- Youth who use AAC and families could have opportunities for peer networking and support.
- Youth who use AAC could be supported in peer group educational sessions and / or individual consultations from people with expertise in sexuality, disability and AAC communication.
- Service providers in childrenís treatment centres that focus on child abuse issues require information, resources and skills to extend their services to children with disabilities who use AAC.
- Adults with disabilities and people who use AAC can contribute to youth and families in learning about issues relating to sexuality and safeguarding.
- ACCPC could share information about the personal safety project on its website.
Speak Up Resources to Support Recommendations for Families, Educators and Service Providers [Top]
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