WHEN Sylvia Webb's youngest daughter had to undergo a tracheostomy after complications arising from another surgery, she lost the ability to speak.
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But that loss didn't change who she was – a vibrant, sociable, outgoing young person.
“It was a very tough change for her – she developed anxiety and depression because she is a very sociable person, she loves meeting people and getting out,” Mrs Webb said.
“In many ways she just wants to have fun, to go places and do things.”
Her daughter relies on a combination of speaking apps on a tablet, as well as a larynx speech aid to communicate.
On Friday morning, second-year speech pathology students from Charles Sturt University gathered in Junction Place for a silent morning tea to shine a light on what the word would be like without augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) methods.
The morning tea, part of International AAC Awareness Month, was aimed at educating the public about the needs of people who had difficulties communication with others verbally.
“I am so proud of my daughter, I don't want people to look at her and think she's weird or unsociable because she isn't,” Mrs Webb said.
“She's a young woman who wants to be a part of what's going on.
“It's important people know about the other methods of communication.”
Stacey Fisher, a speech pathology lecturer at CSU, said it was important to be aware that communication was more than just verbal.
“Communication can take many forms; a word, a glance, a picture, a gesture," she said.
"We have to find the best way to communicate with people who find speech difficult, including people with developmental disabilities like cerebral palsy, or an acquired disability, like brain injury and stroke.
"During our morning tea, the students and I want to show what it can be like to use alternative communication to communicate with others, and how we can make our community more accessible for people with a communication disability."
Student Alana Cameron said it was crucial people who rely on devices to communicate were not alienated.
“If we work in the disability sector it's important to break down those barriers instead of shutting people down,” she said.