University Center for Language and Literacy

06/14/2024

📰 UCLL Updates: Kendra Scott Fundraiser, NAMI Conference and More!

Click the link to read our June newsletter.

https://mailchi.mp/umich.edu/ucll-news-june-2024

02/29/2024

We recently wrote a letter to our community, detailing our fundraising efforts in 2023, and looking ahead to 2024. Enjoy a brief snippet below, and read the full piece on our website.

Aphasia is a multifaceted condition. Not only does it affect language, but it also has a strong impact on mental health. Depression, anxiety, and other reactions can impact both the person with aphasia and their family relationships and quality of life.

Yet, there are only minimal resources available to help clients and their families. The stigma surrounding aphasia, a national shortage of mental health professionals, and a lack of resources contribute to the problem, but the biggest issue is that even in the mental health world, many professionals have no idea what aphasia is or how to treat it. Essentially, the current belief is how can a therapist who practices talk therapy work with someone who struggles to talk?

Recognizing this great need, in 2023 we centered our fundraising efforts on mental health for those with aphasia and their families.

Read more at https://mari.umich.edu/ucll/ucll-fundraising-summary-2023.

02/05/2024

Another client story from our U-M Aphasia Program.

We are pleased to share a new client story with you: meet Doug and Brandi.

Family has always been a central value for Brandi Garden. For over 30 years, she focused on raising two children and building a life with her husband, Doug.

She remained close to her family, including her sister, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Even when life moved the family from Michigan to Montana for Doug’s job, the family support never wavered.

And that support is what would help Brandi, as she searched to find her voice after a stroke left her with aphasia.

Read Brandi's story at https://mari.umich.edu/success-story/going-blue-for-brandi.

02/02/2024

📰 UCLL Updates: Read Bruce's Story, Mental Health Fund Established and More! -

Click the link to read out winter newsletter.

https://mailchi.mp/umich.edu/ucll-news-january-2024

12/22/2023

A client story from our U-M Aphasia Program. Read the full story below. ⬇️

06/13/2023

It's time for a 5K! 🏃🚶‍♀️👨‍🦽 Participate in our aphasia program's virtual Aphasia Warrior Dash! This is the inaugural year, and it's free! You can walk, run, roll, from wherever you are located in the US!

Registration information below. ⬇️

Join us for our inaugural Aphasia Warrior Dash!

An event to celebrate the aphasia warriors in our lives. Funds raised will benefit the our mental health fund created in 2023.

Who: Anyone!
What: 5K virtual event (3.1 miles)
When: June 2023 (June 1 – June 30)
Where: Your choice! Run, walk or roll this race wherever you’d like. This is a virtual event.
Cost: Free!

Register: https://runsignup.com/Race/MI/AnnArbor/AphasiaWarriorDash
Donate: https://maizeraise.umich.edu/o/university-of-michigan/i/maizeraise/s/aphasia-warrior-dash-2023

Connect With Us!
We are excited to see everyone’s unique race! Follow our Facebook event page: Aphasia Warrior Dash, and/or join the Facebook group: Aphasia Warrior Dash - 2023 to connect with other racers. Use the hashtags and so we can follow along.

06/01/2023

Our Aphasia Program has exciting events coming up for National Aphasia Awareness Month! Many are free and open to all! Click the link to learn more about each event. ⬇️

June Events for Aphasia Awareness Month - Click the link to learn more and register. https://mailchi.mp/umich.edu/june-events-for-aphasia-awareness

05/19/2023

Treat yourself to some Kendra Scott jewelry, and support our U-M Aphasia Program! Next week, 20% of proceeds from their store in Troy, MI, will be donated to our aphasia program.

Want to shop online instead? The discount code is below. ⬇️

Join us for our first event with Kendra Scott on Saturday, May 27, to shop and support the University of Michigan Aphasia Program! 💎

20% of their profits (from their store in Troy, MI,) will be donated to us!

You can shop online using a special code. The discount code is: GIVEBACK-EEENJ. Use this code online, and enter it into the box that asks for a "promo code".

NOTE: the discount code ONLY works from Saturday, May 27 to Monday, May 29, so you must use it during those days so the U-M Aphasia Program can receive the proceeds. 💍

You can also shop in-person, if you're in the Detroit, MI area! Visit our team at their Troy, MI store from 12 - 4 pm.

Store address:
The Somerset Collection
2800 W Big Beaver Rd, Suite 216
Troy, MI 48084

(Located inside the mall, on the second floor, between Sephora and Altered State).

05/15/2023

We are offering a Speaking American English workshop designed to help you reach your personal communication goals.

Our certified Speech and Language Pathologists use techniques technically known as accent reduction to help non-native speakers feel more at home in their communications – whether that’s giving a presentation or taking notes in a class with a native speaker with a fast cadence. The program's goal is not to eliminate the accents of our clients but to enhance communication skills for greater confidence in any setting.

Visit http://ow.ly/NInv50OmRoE to learn more and register.

05/12/2023

While raising a child is never completely done, regardless of age, most parents never imagine having to help their children learn the basics more than once: learning to walk; learning to talk. But that’s exactly where Robyn Bowles found herself.

While Bryn and Robyn were already a close pair, after Bryn developed Aphasia at the age of 26 after a brain injury, their relationship became even deeper. Robyn became a care partner to her daughter, and continues to support her today through her recovery.

While Bryn and Robyn were already close, after Bryn developed Aphasia at the age of 26, their relationship became even deeper.

03/17/2023

Our Clinic Manager, Jennifer Corey, was recently featured in a virtual panel discussion called Aphasia From All Sides: Experiencing, Treating, Caring. The panel was hosted by the University of Michigan Department of Linguistics as part of their Language, Disability and Neurodiversity Seminar Series.

During the panel, Jennifer discussed the role of care partners, how she works with clients across different contexts and backgrounds, tools and resources for working with clients, and more.

The Aphasia from All Sides discussion included a range of panelists who have experienced aphasia, care partners, clinicians, and researchers. Bryn Bowles, a former client of UMAP, was also featured in the panel.

View the panel here: http://ow.ly/JTs150NkuQY

12/15/2022

This month, we say goodbye to one of our clinical interns - Elle! She completed her clinical internship with us during this fall semester. ✅

Elle is a returning visitor - she volunteered with the University Center for Language and Literacy frequently throughout the summer of 2018. She provided weekly activities and conversations to engage our families during lunch hours within our UMAP program AND worked with 2 to 4-year-olds daily in our summer PACT (Preschool Language and Communication Therapy) program. 💬

She was a bright and enthusiastic volunteer then and is an outstanding clinician now! Elle's compassion and creativity shine in and out of the treatment room. Our UMAP families and staff will dearly miss her. ❣️

She will graduate with her Masters in Speech-Language Pathology in the spring of 2023. 🎓