REPORT FROM NORWAY to the INTERNATIONAL BLISS AFFILIATE MEETING AT FURUBODA,

1-9 AUGUST 2002

Bliss is still increasing in Norway, especially among young children.  Since the last Bliss Affiliate meeting in Washington 2000, a number of Bliss Elementary Workshops have been held in pre-schools and schools all over Norway. Introductory courses and shorter information sessions have been given at universities, teachers` colleges, habilitation centres and to parents groups.  A number of network groups are established.

A “Bliss-group” has been involved in the running of workshops and providing Bliss users with new symbols and Bliss material.  In addition they have been represented in the International Bliss Symbol Panel.  The last four years they have also arranged a National Bliss- meeting.  This year, a Nordic Bliss-meeting was arranged as a part of the National meeting.  About other things, Margaretha Jennische presented the proposal of a Nordic Bliss-grammar and Gitta Lönquist told about the very interesting project “Papunet” from Finnland.  It was a very nice way to share Bliss-news between the Nordic countries.

The “Bliss-group” has been founded by the Health and Rehabilitation Foundation for three years, including 2002 in order to translate and develop new Bliss-symbols. They also have taken the responsibility for information about “Bliss-news” to several institutions in Norway. They work together with the other Nordic countries.

The group still works to get founding to start the work with a new Norwegian dictionary.

WinBliss has now been translated into Norwegian.

The last two years there has been an ongoing national discussion in Norway of how services for people who need AAC can be organized in a better way.  Many people experience that these services are fragmented.  Knowledge and expertise are placed in many different competence centres. The result is that it is difficult for the users of AAC to get adequate help. There has now been meetings involving most of the different competence centres that offers services for AAC users, and there has been a meeting with the government.  We hope to be able to organize and coordinate the services in a better way within a few years. 

There is also an ongoing discussion about responsibility for development of literature, and material for educational use for children who are dependant of AAC.  According to the law, the government is responsible for these services.  In daily life, it does not function.  The deaf and the blind children has got much better conditions.

This year it has been decided to establish a Bliss-group within ISAAC Norway.  This group will consist of until five persons. One of these five persons will be a member of ISAAC Norway board. The board will be responsible to work out formal guidelines.

Laila Johansen                                 Asta Schulerud