Blissymbols are Alive and Well – in The British Cotswolds

At the end of March, 2004 a week-long Blissymbol Panel meeting was held in a farmhouse in the Cotswold Country in the heart of England, a most beautiful and serene setting in which to conduct a meeting. Eighteen members of the panel attended the meeting, including representatives from Canada, Sweden, Norway, Finland, England, Iceland, Ireland, The Netherlands, Belgium, and Israel. During the meeting many hours (often into the late hours of the night) were spent in the on-going development of Blissymbol vocabulary, to meet the ever-changing communicative needs of those persons around the world who incorporate Blissymbols into their communication systems. In addition, considerable time was spent in finalizing the Fundamental Rules, which are a set of rules for the development and addition of new Blisswords into the Blissymbol vocabulary. It is anticipated that these Rules will be completed in the very near future; at that point they will be available on the BCI (Blissymbolics Communication International) website (www.blissymbols.org) for all those who may want to develop vocabulary items to meet the specific needs of individuals communicating with “Bliss”.

Team efforts

A very special participant in the meeting was Jinny Storr from Toronto, Canada who has served as the primary Blissymbol monitor (proof-reader and editor) for many years. Jinny shared with us her vast amount of knowledge regarding the process of proof-reading, as a first step towards the almost impossible task of appointing her successor in order to facilitate her retirement from this position. In reporting on a fledgling Canadian project, Shirley McNaughton, shared information about the Bliss Learning Center in Muskoka, Canada (north of Toronto). This is a center which is dedicated to teaching students who communicate using Blissymbols to work towards greater independence in their lives. Information about the Learning Center can be found at www.blissinmuskoka.org. In this, its third year of operation, 40 students will each spend eleven days in the center, learning and experiencing communication and independence in this beautiful region of Canada.

The work of the BCI
The international organizational aspect of BCI was also discussed, along with exploring the possibility of continuing vocabulary development on-line.

It was a very productive meeting, with the feeling of family, as many of the participants have been participating in these work sessions for more than twenty years. Very sadly missed was Els Koerselman who was an active, contributing member of this group right from the start. For those interested, a Blissymbol meeting will take place at the ISAAC conference in Natal, Brasil. It will be held on October 4th in the late afternoon following the completion of the Instructional Courses (note that a half-day Instructional Course on Blissymbolics will be given in the morning of October 4th). Information on the location of this meeting will be available in the conference program. The next International Panel meeting, together with a BCI Affiliates and Associates meeting is being planned for April 14th to 21st, 2005 in Antwerp Belgium. Anyone interested in attending either of these meetings or in any other aspect of Blissymbolics is encouraged to visit the BCI website for further information.

And finally…..
Of course advantage was taken of the exceptional location of the meeting, with visits to Oxford and to places with intriguing names such as Chipping Camden and Bolton-on-the Water and outings to the local pubs where we even had the opportunity to see local dancing with a member of our Bliss group, Gillian Hazell, and her family as participants!

Judy Wine, Member International Blissymbol Panel
Coordinator of International Committees, BCI