The speech-language pathology students in the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders will host the fourth annual Aphasia Awareness Walk Saturday, June 9, on East Campus.
The walk, which is a one-mile loop that begins and ends at the Barkley Memorial Center, starts at 9 a.m. Participants may register online at http://go.unl.edu/aphasiawalk-reg. Individuals may also register the morning of the walk, beginning at 8:30. The first 80 people to sign up will receive a free T-shirt. Following the walk, there will also be lawn games at the Barkley Center.
The registration cost for the Aphasia Awareness Walk is $25 per person. Senior citizens are $20 each, while children ages 5 and under are free. This year’s walk also features group pricing available for teams of 4-10 people: $90 for four, $110 for five, $125 for six, $140 for seven, $155 for eight and $170 for a team of nine or 10.
All proceeds from the 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.
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.
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.