When I am not painting, one of my volunteer activities is at the Aphasia Institute in Toronto. ‘Aphasia’ is an acquired disorder caused by damage to the brain from either a stroke, brain tumour or brain injury. This condition affects more than 100,000 Canadians today. Aphasia can deprive the affected person of the ability to speak, read, write or understand the speech of others. Language skills are affected, not competence, but all too often those with aphasia are discounted as incompetent because people lack the necessary skills to help them be understood.
The Aphasia Institute is a community-based centre of excellence that helps people express themselves to the world around them. It also assists people with aphasia and their families to find new ways to re-join life’s conversation and thereby reduce isolation. There are a variety of ongoing programs - all designed to encourage community involvement and social exchange.
As an artist, I am very inspired by the group of members that participate in the art program. Most have never painted before, some have had to learn to use their non-dominant hand as a result of stroke, and all have aphasia in varying degrees. Alex, one of our members,in spite of language difficulty and some physical deficit, has found a new way of expression in photography and now painting.
Making art is such a wonderful way to communicate when the right words may fail you! I admire the energy and fearlessness of Alex as he finds new pathways to enjoy life. As you can see from the paintings, his talent is also to be admired.
Thank you to Alex for sharing his work with all of us. For more information about the Aphasia Institute go to www.aphasia.ca
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