The Communication Aid Service East of England (CASEE) are one of 14 NHS England commissioned services and are hosted by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and managed by the Speech and Language Therapy service.

We assess for and provide augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems to eligible children and adults across the east of England. AAC includes a range of paper-based (alphabet charts, communication books etc.) and  power-based computer systems that enable people who are unable to use verbal speech to continue to communicate with family and friends and to participate in their local communities. People who use AAC have a range of underlying conditions that affect their ability to produce sufficient verbal speech for communication. They include conditions such as Cerebral Palsy, Motor Neuron Disease (MND), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as well as a range of other conditions.

Here is a link to our website: https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/our-services/communications-aid-service-east-of-england-casee/

Communication Matters is the national charity for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). We are also the UK chapter of ISAAC (the International Society for AAC). We support people of all ages who find it hard to communicate because they have little or no clear speech. AAC may be computer-based equipment, tablet apps, communication boards and books using text, symbols, or sign language.

Here is a link to their website: https://www.communicationmatters.org.uk/

In celebration of our 5th birthday the team are taking part in 2  challenges both to raise awareness of AAC and to look after our own wellbeing after this very challenging time:

1- 5k challenge (link to separate just giving page found here)

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/casee5k

2- Crochet Alphabet Chart

We are crocheting an AEIOU alphabet chart to raise awareness of this simple way to enable anyone who is unable to use verbal speech to select letters to spell out messages. 

We'd love you to sponsor us to finish the chart by the end of March any amount you would like to give.

We'd also like to raffle the letters - so you can 'buy' a letter from the chart for £10. One of the letters is the 'lucky' letter and whoever buys this one will win a £30 amazon voucher.

To use the alphabet chart to communicate:

1- People can point to the letters while a communication partner writes them down. 

2- If the person is unable to point - the chart can still be used. The partner will 'scan' the chart like this: first point to each row one at a time and wait until the person indicates 'yes' when it is the row they need. Then read out each letter on the row until the person indicates 'yes' again to chose a letter. Continue until the message is complete

See a link to a video of this 'partner assisted scanning here': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw-2VB6Kh5o&t=2s

Thanks to Jane Bache and Samia Malik from our sister service COMPASS https://www.rhn.org.uk/professionals/compass/service-information/

Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.