Society of Augmentative and Alternative Communication-Kenya (SAAC Kenya)

• Saac-Kenya evolved from the need to address the challenges faced by persons with communication difficulties in Kenya beginning with children in Special Education programs and cascading into those in the community. The mission is to ensure that AAC will be recognized as a system of communication at all levels of our community. • The Society has made remarkable achievement milestones and been involved in Mission activities as follows since inception. • Getting AAC included as content to be taught in special schools in our Competency Based Curriculum National Curriculum. • It has further been included in the Teacher Education Curriculum and is now for the first time to be taught at the Kenya Institute of Specuial Education. • Held sensitization forums with professional service providers related to persons with complex communication difficulties. This includes Social workers, teachers, college and university Lecturers, media practitioners, lawyers, Officilas of our National council for Persons with Disability and education officials • Trained over 50 teachers from special schools across Kenya who are now our agents of propagating AAC in their regions. • Helped to form a Special schools Head teacher’s forum to nurture AAC in their schools and be agents of propagating it in their regions. • Helped the idea of forming 12 Parents Groups for children with complex communication difficulties. • An assortment of stake holders and stake holders who in some way interact with persons with communication difficulties. • Our experts have continued to take every opportunity to sensitize people in any educational or social forums on AAC. • Have embarked in discussions with our National education agencies including KICD to develop AAC materials for the Kenya Special schools. • We are in the process of setting up an AAC training centre for parents and children in Nakuru. • We have continued to encourage our two Model schools and highlighting the role of the TOTs in propagating AAC