After a long pause this summer, we are ready to start again, and we do it with Spectrum , which is September’s theme . 

The Spectrum we will observe will be about communication needs. Everyone can be placed in one determined point, a specific gradation of a spectrum, also concerning language and communication. There is no problem for most of us; however, some people are in certain areas of this Spectrum where communicating becomes very complicated. There are languages ​​designed to help these people express themselves effectively and satisfactorily. They are very simple graphic symbol systems. At first glance, they can be confusing, a bit like all unknown languages, but once inside, everything becomes easier. The first system of this type dates back to 1949 and is called Blissymbolics, named after its creator, Charles K. Bliss. From his work, then, several others have come. All these languages ​​are called Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems. We will discover them with Francesco Ganzaroli, who has been studying them for many years. He will show them to us on Saturday, 26 September at 10:00 am on our Youtube channel. His talk is entitled, “The image I want to tell you”.

Francesco Ganzaroli is a pedagogue, expert in Augmentative and Alternative Communication and Assistive Technologies. He also is a specialized support teacher, adjunct professor at the University of Bologna, and teacher at the AAC Master at the LUMSA University of Rome. And last but not least, Ganzaroli is a member of the board of directors of the NGO IBO-ITALIA, member of ISAAC Italy, an association that deals with the research development of the Augmentative Communication approach in Italy.

Blissymbolics
Charles K. Bliss was a Jew on the run from the Nazis. He understood that to obtain peace, it is necessary to break down brick barriers, both metaphorical and linguistic. His Blissymbolics, created to be a universal language, unexpectedly also laid the foundations for its author to develop Augmentative and Alternative Communication tools, which since the 1970s have helped people with complex communication needs to express themselves.

If you want to know more about this interesting subject you can watch the full interview with Francesco Ganzaroli by clicking here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnOqUtdcBWc&feature=youtu.be