Catherine Crowley and Miriam Baigorri lead their Teachers College Columbia University speech language pathology graduate students on annual trips to Ghana, West Africa. There, they work in hospitals and schools for people with communication disabilities including those with autism, intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, hearing loss, and speech and language disorders.
Cate Crowley and Miriam Baigorri developed the AAC (Augmentative and Assistive Communication) Market Cards over several years in collaboration with Belinda Bukari of the Unit School in the Effiduasi Methodist School located outside of Kumasi, Ghana. These cards are now used by students with autism, intellectual disabilities, and cerebral palsy throughout Ghana in Ghana’s Unit Schools. The Ghana Ministry of Education Division of Special Education’s “Unit School” teachers provide 2 to 3 classroom schools within general education schools for students with autism, intellectual disabilities, and cerebral palsy throughout Ghana.
The AAC market cards were created in response to a desire from the families that their children be able to participate in a typical activity for Ghanaian children: buying food for the family at the market. The AAC market cards have the name and picture of the item the students are to buy for their families. The cards also have the cost; that is how much of the item the family wants the student to buy. How to use the cards has been disseminated through annual professional development retreats so they are now used by students with autism, intellectual disabilities, and cerebral palsy throughout Ghana. The video tutorials are dubbed into several African languages including Swahili, Amharic, Kikuyu, and West African French.
Please find related materials here:
AAC Sellers Market Cards in Ethiopia
Communication Passports at the Sunyani Unit School in Ghana
Find each of the modules from this playlist here:
English Version (AAC Market Cards)
French Version (AAC Market Cards)
Amharic Version (AAC Market Cards)
Kikuyu Version (AAC Market Cards)
Rukiga Runyankole Version (AAC Market Cards)
