"Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done."

Justice Louis Brandeis

Human Race Raises Funds for ACC
	by Roberta J. Elman, Ph.D. Pleasanton's mayor with some ACC participants at the Human Race.

Enjoying picture perfect May weather, more than 50 Aphasia Center walkers and runners participated in the Volunteer Center's annual walk, the Human Race, in Pleasanton, California. These individuals and others enlisted the help of more than 250 donors who made contributions to the Human Race to benefit the Aphasia Center of California. Each one helped to make the event an incredible success. We raised more than $4,000, and received an additional $500 bonus award because we had raised the most donations by race day!

All money received from the Human Race will be used to expand program services for individuals with aphasia and their families. Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 6, 2000 to join us at next year’s Human Race.

The ACC held a separate drawing for people who had collected the most Human Race donations. The winners: Esther Anderson, Martin Aston, Luanna Blagrove, Jack Carroll, Judy Clark, Marie Kmiesiak, Mary Jane Laufenberg, Darrin Parrish, Valeria Royal, and George Yee.

Big thanks to the companies that donated prizes: Italian Colors Restaurant, Oakland; Glenview Florist, Oakland; Trader Joe's, Danville; Creme de la Creme Restaurant, Oakland; La Peluqueria Hair Salon, Oakland; and Epcom Enterprises, Oakland.

Thanks, also, to everyone who helped put the event together: Enid Meyer (Event Co-Chair), Vicki Welcome (Event Co-Chair), Jan Taylor, Ron Curtis, Ellen Bernstein-Ellis, Sue Ewing, and Roberta Elman. And special thanks to those who helped out at the Center's table on race day: Carol Sommers, Sid Dommes, and Jim Dodge.

Reading & Writing Class

Nineteen individuals with aphasia participated in our Spring reading and writing classes. Individuals in these classes received small group treatment focusing on individual reading and writing needs. Such needs ranged from relearning to write one's own name and address to writing poetry. All participants showed significant progress. Currently, our Summer reading and writing program is concentrating on reading a novel—all of the participants have received the book in audiotaped and printed formats so that reading and listening skills can be combined to increase success. For many, this summer’s book will be the first that they have read since their strokes. The Aphasia Center of California’s reading and writing classes are supported in part by a Cisco Systems Foundation grant. Thank you to Cisco Systems!

Haiku
(Poems of the topic of stroke, from the reading and writing class)

Jack Carroll
The breeze whispered low
The dark gave way to the dawn
To greet the new day.

Sharing Knowledge

We've been busy presenting information about our research and treatment programs to other professionals throughout the United States and Canada. Sharing information about the ACC provides knowledge to others so that they can begin treatment programs in their own locales and help many other stroke survivors with aphasia.

Elman, R. (March, 1998). Managing rehabilitation through group therapy. Invited presentation to the Annual Stroke Course, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.

Elman, R. (May, 1999). Group treatment for adults with aphasia. Invited presentation to the Northern Outreach Program in Communicative Disorders Conference, North Bay, Ontario, Canada.

Elman, R. (June, 1998). Group therapy: A need in today's healthcare climate. Invited presentation to the First National Conference: Speaking Out!, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and National Aphasia Association, Chicago, Illinois.

Elman, R. and Bernstein-Ellis, E. (July, 1998). Aphasia treatment groups: Efficacious and cost-effective options for delivery of services. Invited presentation to the 21st Annual Summer Institute for the Management of Communicative Disorders, Utah State University, Logan, Utah.

Elman, R. and Bernstein-Ellis, E. (May, 1999). New Directions in Aphasia Management: Clinic, Family, and Community Programs. Invited presentation to the Speech/Language & Learning Services Conference, Seattle, WA.

Elman, R., Bernstein-Ellis, E. & Ewing, S. (November, 1998). Aphasia treatment groups: Enhancing communication skills and psychosocial well-being. Seminar presented at the annual convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, San Antonio, TX.

Elman, R., Ogar, J., & Elman, S. (June, 1999). Aphasia: Awareness, Advocacy, and Activism. Paper presented to the Clinical Aphasiology Conference, Key West, FL.