Simon Judge, Senior Clinical Scientist at Barnsley Hospital and
Honorary Research Fellow within CATCH was last night presented with an HonoraryFellowship in the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists’ (RCSLT)
annual Honours Ceremony in London.
On learning of his award we caught up with Simon, “I am
flattered to have been awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of
Speech and Language Therapists for my work in Augmentative and Alternative
Communication (AAC).” He told us. “I have been incredibly lucky to work with
many amazing teams and colleagues since starting my career in this field 17
years ago. I will accept this award in
recognition of these colleagues.”
AAC, also referred to as “communication aids” refers to the
methods used to supplement or replace speech for those with impairments in the
production or comprehension of spoken language. Stephen Hawking’s speech
synthesizer is a well known example of this.
“AAC is a great field to work in – bringing together people
from many diverse professions. Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) is one of the
cornerstones of the field and I have been able to work with some inspirational
SLT colleagues. I am not an SLT – I am a Clinical Scientist and have an
Engineering background – but I feel that by working truly collaboratively with
SLTs and colleagues in other disciplines, we have been able to move forward AAC
design and service delivery and hopefully to improve the outcomes for those who
rely on AAC to communicate. To be recognised by my peers in this way is a great
honour.”
Since 1945 the RCSLT has used its
annual honours awards to acknowledge the achievements of its members and those
who have contributed outstanding services to SLT.
Professor
Pam Enderby, MBE, Speech and Language Therapist within CATCH at The University
of Sheffield shared her delight at Simon being awarded this honour: “Simon
leads the Assistive Technology team at Barnsley Hospital who see many people
with severe physical and communication problems. The team looks at how AAC
technology and all types of equipment can overcome their problems and lead to
better independence. Through Simon’s work in the Communication Matters
programme he has also helped to ensure that governmental money is ring fenced
for AAC. Congratulations, Simon.”
CATCH would like to take this
opportunity to also offer our congratulations to Simon on this excellent
achievement.
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