Three speech and language therapists of the department of Audiology, Speech and Language Therapy at the University of Ghana are currently piloting the online AAC training modules and will have their first (of three) mentoring session with a Link Assistive speech pathologist in the first week of March. The other nine community SLTs will start their online education in March.
After the online training, SLTs will be asked to use their AAC kits for client AAC assessments. They can apply for individual AAC device donations using the Bridge Assistive Online Application System.
All AAC kits include access and communication devices (e.g. I-110s). In addition, an I16 eye gaze device has been sent to the University of Ghana to be used for 1) assessments of clients in the University hospital; and 2) education of SLT students. If community SLTs like to trial eye gaze with their clients, they will be able to do this at the AAC University Clinic.
We hope all AAC kits will arrive in Ghana before the end of February!
The seven AAC kits for our AAC implementation project in Ghana have been shipped: thanks for the huge effort Link Assistive team! A total of 12 Ghanaian Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) will get direct access to these AAC kits and learn to deliver AAC services in their clinical practice through online learning modules and mentoring sessions.
High-technology AAC solutions are very limited for people with complex communication needs in Ghana due to availability, costs, and few skilled professionals. In collaboration with the University of Ghana, Bridge Assistive will evaluate the feasibility of a high-tech AAC implementation approach in Ghana over a 6-month follow-up. This will also include the assessment of facilitators and barriers of AAC use in everyday communication.
In this proposed study, registered Ghanaian speech and language therapists (SLTs) will participate in custom designed AAC training and receive AAC assessment kits including multiple high-tech AAC devices. Training includes an online training course and three one-hour individual mentoring sessions. SLTs will undertake AAC client assessments as part of routine clinical care following training. In case the assessment is successful, SLTs are asked to use Bridge Assistive’s online donation application system to apply for a communication device.
We will start with the inclusion procedure, i.e. sending out an expression of interest message for Ghanaian SLTs, in November 2023.
Project group: Josephine Ohenewa Bampoe, Karen Wylie, Ewurama Dedea Ampadu Owusu, Amy Litton, Tanja Effing
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