“It’s a lot of help… I don’t like to get out much but I love coming here. I have to walk with a cane, and it bothers me when people watch and judge me. So this helps me actually get out and meet with people… It lets me know I’m not alone” -Tanikia S. “I don’t like to go nowhere, I just like coming here!” -Eva M.   Group photo with two of our founding members. Pictured from left: Melody Culbert, Tanikia S., Eva M., Leonie Ly, SLP Graduate Student Clinician The communication group known to immeasurably impact lives is expanding: The Aphasia Initiative has a brand new satellite locati ..read more

Please check out the latest issue of Communication Connection! Aphasia Initiative YiR 2022 ..read more

by Frank DeVito For the second consecutive summer, the Aphasia Initiative has volunteered at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center. The center offers engaging hands-on activities and opportunities for people of all ages to connect with nature in the heart of downtown Columbus. Members, with the support of undergraduate and graduate students, helped the center with a wide variety of tasks such as: preparing camp materials, restocking brochures and backpacks, and organizing the library. Members also were able to support campers by reading stories aloud. This partnership has been a wonderful experi ..read more

  Emily a speech-language-pathologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. She earned her Master’s in Speech Language Pathology from Indiana University in 2016. Following graduation, she honed her clinical skills at Dodd Rehabilitation Hospital as part of the brain injury team. In March of 2019, she transitioned to the acute care speech pathology team within OSU.  She specializes in cognitive-communicative and dysphagia recovery in patients with acquired neurological impairments within the Brain and Spine Hospital. Specifically, she is passionate about the assessment ..read more

I came across this quote that is so perfectly relevant given the events of the past 10 months: A problem is a chance to do your best. – Duke Ellington. Instead of planning our annual open house we are writing a newsletter; something we have wanted to do for quite some time but hadn’t gotten around to it. As I was sketching out what stories to highlight for this year in review, I can’t help but be grateful for the opportunity to be better. Because of the COVID-19 crisis, we immediately transitioned to an online group platform using technology that allowed us to educate students and provide serv ..read more

by Olivia Fox My second semester as a participant in the Aphasia Initiative has come to an end. Just like last semester, my weekly attendance to therapy group quickly became one of the main things I looked forward to every week. Luckily, I will have the opportunity to spend my final semester at Ohio State participating in this wonderful program one last time. This experience has been nothing short of a blessing. Undergraduate students do not have many chances to practice hands-on learning outside of the classroom. As a senior looking ahead, the skills and the confidence that I have gained fr ..read more

Thank you OSU College of Arts & Sciences, Voices of Excellence podcast.  We love to talk about the Aphasia Initiative!   Jennifer Brello, clinical associate professor in the department of speech and hearing science, serves as the director of the Ohio State University Aphasia Initiative, a program for people living with loss of communication ability due to brain injury. Aphasia can make mundane tasks like ordering a cup of coffee very challenging, and Brello describes to host David Staley the benefits of therapy at the Initiative on this week’s episode of Voices of Excellence List ..read more

       Written by Theresa Mikolay and Meg Hartmann As we approached our second year in the occupational therapy program amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the service-learning experience with the Aphasia Initiative felt daunting. Most of us had never worked with people who have aphasia before, let alone try to deliver services via telehealth. We knew little about what to expect, other than this being a really unique opportunity albeit a very scary one. Right away, it was evident as to how enriching these next six weeks would be. The members of the OSU Aphasia Initiati ..read more

by Abby Nichols I didn’t know what to expect when I decided to volunteer at the Aphasia Initiative. I had never directly communicated with anyone who has had a stroke or brain injury, but I have learned so much about aphasia in my Speech and Hearing major. From the start, I was so blown away at the enthusiasm and love all the participants have coming to the group each day. The way they all greeted each other and accepted one another no matter age, gender, or communication difference was so incredible to see. Everyone’s attitude was so contagious to one another, and made me feel so happy to be ..read more