Report from Bliss Canada
August, 2002,
Furuboda, Sweden

During the past two years, since the Affiliate Meeting in Washington, the Canadians involved in BCI have explored various ways in which they could respond to the needs of the Bliss users in Canada, most of whom are adults. A group composed of Bliss users and BCI volunteers met several times but it was not until a specific project was identified that a direction was found. This happened in July, 2001, when the BCI Executive met at Katherine Seybold’s cottage at Lake Rosseau, Muskoka. The idea of a Learning Centre in Muskoka was studied and the group decided to proceed, first with hiring a person to help with fund raising and second to draft a plan for the Learning Centre. Helen Simpson was hired as fund-raiser for 4 months and Shirley McNaughton and Peter Lindsay worked with her to write proposals for funding the the Centre. Two sources of funding were found: The Trillium Foundation, supported by the provincial government, which approved funding for the technology required by the Centre; and the Ontario Foundation for Cerebral Palsy, which funded all the expenses associated with having persons with disabilities cared for during their time at the Learning Centre. Shirley McNaughton became project manager and Peter Lindsay became director of technical services at the Centre.

The Learning Centre opened the beginning of June, 2002. In all ten students, one consultant and one apprentice are attending the Centre, each for one week. Each person attending stays at Shirley’s cottage and is cared for by personal attendants - one who lives in, and four evening replacements who rotate. The students range in age from 16 to 60 and have instruction customized to meet the goals they determine for themselves. Their goals have included getting a computer set up and learning to use email, working on literacy skills, adding symbols to a Bliss book, delivering a church service in Bliss, learning about the various AAC technology and systems that are available, working on the production of Blissymbol displays. Everyone involved is learning a great amount in developing a new program and participating in a program with 8 staff, some full-time, some part-time. The students are enthusiastic about the experience and so far, all wish to return and would like to stay longer. Each student comes with a companion or has a companion provided by the program. Paul Marshall and Elaine Drover, both AAC users, are serving as companions for those who do not bring their own. Everyone on the Canadian executive committee is very excited about the project, and although there will need to be many changes next year, the value to the students is overwhelmingly positive.

In addition to the student instruction, the Learning Centre is initiating projects for BCI when mentors are able to donate their time. To date, three visiting mentors have participated in the Learning Centre program: Jane Green from St. John’s, Nfld; Trish Bailey from the UK, and Barbara Rush from Hamilton, Ontario.  Shirley is serving as mentor during the other times. The mentors are exploring the work that is needed to upgrade and update the BCI website, evaluating and examining the changes needed so that the Training Program for instructors can be adapted so that it can be placed on the web and can be relevant, given the changes in the system and the new symbols and technology, and examining the monitoring criteria, with the goal of providing initial information regarding the training of new monitors.

A third function of the Centre relates involves a range of technical activities carried out by the two Technologists under the guidance of Peter Lindsay.  These include providing technical support to the Bliss Instructor and the student in using various programs on the Centre’s computer network.  There are also a series of specific technical projects that the Centre’s technologists are involved in.  One is working out the interfaces between the various students’ communication devices and BlissInternet so that they can access a regular computer and use BlissInternet as a writing aid as well as a email tool.  In some cases this also involves working out ways of incorporating a text-to-speech predictive text processing tool (WORD Q) to help those who have limited literacy skills.  A third project area involves developing Clicker boards to facilitate the use of BlissInternet particularly the functions needed to address email.  Finally, they are involved, in collaboration with Paul Marshall, the Webmaster,  with revising and expanding the Centre’s website to accommodate its new educational and dissemination functions.

The fourth function for the Learning Centre is a gift shop that features items with Blissymbols incorporated into the design. Persons from other countries with items that might be sold in Canada, are invited to contact Shirley McNaughton. Currently there is stain glass, small rugs, t-shirts, jewelry and ceramics being sold.

Barb Rush has agreed to chair Bliss Canada and is currently exploring the best way to proceed when known Bliss users are spread across Canada and the professionals who originally introduced them to Blissymbols are mostly not involved in Bliss programs today. She is beginning by trying to contact known Bliss professionals by email.

Shirley McNaughton has written two chapters regarding Bliss users, for two books that will be available at ISAAC in Denmark: (1) a book edited by Stephen von Tetschner regarding development and (2) a book produced by ISAAC about literacy.