Second Annual Aphasia Awareness Walk set for June 4

26 May 2016     By Kelcey Buck

Speech-language pathology students in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders will host the Second Annual Aphasia Awareness Walk at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, June 4, on UNL’s East Campus.

Registration for the one-mile Aphasia Awareness Walk is free for anyone with aphasia, $10 for UNL students and $15 for all other participants. Individuals may register the morning of the walk, which begins in front of the Barkley Memorial Center and ends at the UNL Dairy Store. Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m., with the walk getting underway an hour later. Participants are encouraged to wear red.

Aphasia is a disorder of understanding and using symbols as a result of damage to the brain, often a result of strokes. Speaking, reading, writing, and listening to others may be difficult for people with aphasia. June is Aphasia Awareness Month.

All proceeds from the June 4 event will benefit the Aphasia Community Partners program, which was started by a group of UNL students last year in conjunction with the inaugural Aphasia Awareness Walk. The volunteer program connects individuals with aphasia to community members who help support communication outside of therapy. The funds from the Aphasia Awareness Walk help offset the costs of background checks for the volunteers, as well as reimbursing some of the expenses from the activities.

Anyone interested in learning more about the Aphasia Community Partners program, either as a person with aphasia or a community volunteer, should email aphasiapartnerslnk@gmail.com. Complete information about the Aphasia Awareness Walk can be found by visiting the Aphasia Awareness Month – Lincoln, NE Facebook page. 
Special Education and Communication Disorders