|
PHILANTHROPY NEWS DIGEST
|
|
| Browse the Spotlight archives. | |
|
|
| Name: | National Aphasia Association |
| Founded: | 1986 |
| President: | Martha Taylor Sarno, MA, MD (hon) |
| Address: | 156 Fifth Avenue, #707, New York, NY 10010 |
| Phone: | 212.255.4329 |
| E-mail: | naa@aphasia.org |
| URL: | http://www.aphasia.org/ |
| Mission: | The National Aphasia Association (NAA) reduces the social and emotional consequences of aphasia by raising greater awareness of aphasia among the general public; providing information to people with aphasia and their families; and giving a voice to the thousands of people who cannot use theirs. |
| Background: | Acquired aphasia, a language processing problem that is a result of a stroke or brain injury, affects more than one million Americans. Although it is little known, acquired aphasia is more prevalent than cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson's.
Aphasia manifests itself differently in different people. Individuals who acquire aphasia may not be able to read a utility shut-off notice, ask a waiter for a cup of coffee, or follow a news story on TV. Moreover, the onset is sudden — in an instant, one's life is irrevocably altered — and the effects tend to be long-term. "One does not recover from aphasia, one recovers with aphasia," notes NAA president Martha Taylor Sarno. It is difficult to overemphasize the emotional devastation and isolation created by aphasia. Part of this is due to the lack of knowledge of aphasia by both professionals and the public. Thousands of stroke survivors are discharged from the hospital every year without being told that their speech problem has a name or that treatment is available. Moreover, even when patients are referred for speech therapy, insurance reimbursement is often minimal. And because the public is genrally unaware of aphasia, people often shy away from those who acquire it, incorrectly assuming that individuals with aphasia suffer from impaired mental functioning. Dr. Sarno, an internationally recognized authority on communication disorders, founded the National Aphasia Association (NAA) in 1987 to respond to these issues. The NAA is the only national organization dedicated to reconnecting individuals who have aphasia with their families, their communities, and their ability to communicate. |
| Current Programs: | The core activity of the NAA is its Response Center. Every year NAA staff provide information to thousands of people with aphasia and their families who call the toll-free telephone number: 800-922-4622. NAA literature includes non-technical information about aphasia, guidelines for communicating with people who have aphasia, and information about support groups and related topics.
In addition to providing literature, the NAA offers several avenues for people with aphasia and their families to connect with each other. Every two years, the NAA co-sponsors the "Speaking Out" conference for people with aphasia, their families, and rehabilitation professionals. Conference attendees learn about advances in treatment, attend workshops on different types of rehabilitation therapies, and, most important, learn that they are not alone in their struggle with aphasia. The NAA also maintains a national list of Aphasia Community Groups (ACGs) and offers a manual that outlines the necessary steps and procedures for creating a new group. In addition, the NAA has created a network of "Regional Representatives" who can answer questions about aphasia resources in their area, and it supports National Aphasia Awareness Week every June, providing aphasia community groups across the country with literature and suggestions for raising awareness of aphasia in their area. |
| Recent Successes: | Raising public awareness of aphasia and reaching all Americans who are affected by aphasia is an ongoing effort. Recent activities demonstrate the tremendous need for information and services.
|
| Web Site: | The National Aphasia Association Web site (www.aphasia.org) provides information about aphasia and the NAA's programs. It also hosts a Pen Pals page where people with aphasia and their families can contact each other. The site also lists information about Aphasia Community Groups throughout the U.S. and Canada. |
| Funding Needs: | The NAA currently receives one-third of its budget through a five-year contract administered by the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Enhancing the Quality of Life for Stroke Survivors/Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, which is funded by the National Institute on Disabilities, Rehabilitation, and Research. The NAA
is seeking other individuals, corporations and foundations to sustain the organization after the contract ends. The NAA also holds an annual benefit and conducts an annual campaign.
Additional funds are sought on a continuing basis for the Response Center to enable the association to raise awareness and public understanding of aphasia. In addition, the NAA hopes to receive funding this year to translate its basic pamphlets into a number of other languages used widely in the U.S.
|
|
Last Week Sound Partners for Community Health
|
Every week, the "Spotlight" highlights the activities of a different U.S. nonprofit organization; periodically, the spotlight shifts to an NGO in a country other than the U.S. The selection of organizations for the "Spotlight" is based on criteria such as programmatic interests, geographic focus, and size to ensure the broadest possible representation of the nonprofit sector, both in the U.S. and abroad.
If you'd like to see your NPO or NGO in the "Spotlight," e-mail a description of your organization, following the above format, to spotlight@fdncenter.org, or send a hard copy via snail mail to: NPO SpotlightThe editors of Philanthropy News Digest reserve the right to edit submissions. |
 © Foundation Center All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy |
|
