Say nothing, give a little!

June is Aphasia Awareness month. Aphasia is caused by damage to the language areas of your brain. Aphasia is a 'hidden disability' with often huge impacts on people's lives.

If you have aphasia, you may not be able to communicate in conversation, you might find that when you mean 'Yes' you actually say 'No'. You may not be able to read more than a word or two. You might not be able to write more than your name. You can feel trapped inside your head, knowing everything that goes on but unable to communicate to other people.

Even 'mild' aphasia can make conversation in a group very difficult and tiring. You can't have a good debate with someone or tell a joke easily. Texting and writing may be hard. How are you going to manage all the parts of your life that need you to have your language skills?

This Aphasia Awareness month we hope that your children or grandchildren might like to try a sponsored silence. This will help them understand a little of how challenging it is to not have words. We also hope that it might start a conversation in your family about aphasia.

You can find our sponsorship form on our website at https://www.aphasia.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Say-nothing-sponsor-form-2024.pdf