Third annual Aphasia Awareness Walk to be held June 17

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The third annual Aphasia Awareness Walk, hosted by speech-language pathology students in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, is scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday, June 17, on East Campus.

Participants may register online through June 9 at http://go.unl.edu/aphasiawalk-reg. Cost of registration, which includes a T-shirt, is free for anyone with aphasia, $20 for senior citizens, $25 for Nebraska students and $30 for all other participants. Individuals may also register the morning of the walk, which begins in front of the Barkley Memorial Center. Participants are encouraged to wear red.

Aphasia is a disorder of understanding and using symbols, most evident in difficulty using or understanding language. Symbols can include words, letters, numbers, signs and more. Aphasia is caused by damage to the brain, often because of a stroke. The Aphasia Awareness Walk is dedicated to raising awareness and celebrating individuals with aphasia and their families by gathering community support.

All proceeds from Aphasia Awareness Walk benefit the Barkley Speech Language and Hearing Clinic’s Aphasia Community Partners program. The program pairs a person with aphasia with a volunteer who takes the individual out to engage in community activities. It was created in an effort to address the need for improving social engagement for individuals who have aphasia.

For more information about the Aphasia Awareness Walk, call the Barkley Clinic at 402-472-2071 or visit https://go.unl.edu/aphasiawalk. Learn more about the Aphasia Community Partners program by visiting https://go.unl.edu/aphasia-partners.