VIIth Eastern and Central European Regional Augmentative and Alternative Communication Conference (ECER-AACC)

June 29– July 2, 2009

Archangelsk, Russia

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

At the end of June / beginning of July, the VIIth East European AAC-conference was held in Archangelsk, Russia. It was organized by Pomor State University, the municipality of Archangelsk and the Rehabilitation Centre of Archangelsk and its AAC Centre – the first and only one in Russia.

The main aim of the conference was to share information about AAC research, practical experience and assistive technologies in Russia and former Soviet Union countries.

Main Participants:
The conference hosted about 100 participants representing 10 universities, national research institutes, institutions and NGOs from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Norway, Italy, England and Sweden, including:
- Pomor State University, named after M.V. Lomonosov, Archangelsk, Russia;
- Rehabilitation Center of Archanglesk Municipality;
- Northern State Medical University, Archangelsk, Russia;
- Institute of Special Education, Russian Academy of Education, Moscow, Russia;
- Russian State Pedagogical University, named after A.Hertsen;
- Early Intervention Institute, NGO, S-Petersburg, Russia;
- Belarus State Pedagogical University, named after M.Tank;
- National Pedagogical University, named after Dragomanov, Ukraine;
- Tbilisi State University, Georgia;
- University of Oslo, Institute of Psychology;
- University of Stockholm Department of Special Education;
- University of Upsala, Department of Neuroscience, Section of Speech and Language Pathology;
- University Malmo, Department of Special Education;
- Expert AAC technology, supported by AbleNet, England and USA
- DART – Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication and Assistive Technology, Queen Silvia Children’s Regional Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden;
- Rehabilitation Center “Quarto di Palo,” Andria (BA), Italy.

Some of the countries participated at a distance:
- AAC Society “Speaking without Words,” Vorshow, Poland
- Bliss Center, Budapest, Hungary;
- AAC Center, Prague, Czech Republic.

Eleven countries were represented at the conference, three of them at a distance.

Sponsors:
The conference was supported by the municipality of Archangelsk, the Swedish Institute, Stockholm University and its Department of Special Education, AbleNet, Inc., Zygo, Inc., Attainment Co., Mr. Harvey Pressman and his Global Network, and the Russian Fund of Fundamental Research. The mayor of the municipality of Archangelsk cordially invited the lecturers to be honorary guests at the official celebrations for Archangelsk’s 525th year anniversary.

Conference Program:
The participants were greeted by the vice-chancellor of Pomor State University, named after M.V. Lomonosov. Dr. Lugovskaia; the head of the Department of Healthcare and Social Policy of Archangelsk City Administration, Ms. Makarova; the coordinator of AAC projects with Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, Dr. Magnusson; and the host of the conference, associate professor Dr. Kalinnikova. 

Just to give you a few examples of the very intensive program:

International Research Experience featured as its keynote-speaker Professor Stephen von Tetzchner from Oslo University, one of the foremost researchers in the international AAC field. Creator of the ECER-AAC-conferences, Dr. Sophia Kalman, participated at a distance with a presentation from her centre in Budapest. Dr. Margareta Jennische from Uppsala University had workshops on Blissymbols and Ms. Judy King from England, supported by AbleNet, Inc., presented workshops on basic AAC technology. Dr. Lotta Andersson from Malmo University College gave a lecture on Social Networking. Professor Nicolay Malofeev, head of the Vygotsky Special Education Research Institute in Moscow and a member of the Russian Academy of Education, participated in the conference with an ‘instrumental’ approach to the new reality of special education in Russia. Dr. Magnus Magnusson of Stockholm University presented on the necessity of good infrastructure for AAC implementation.

International Practical Experience was represented by sign language from Britt Claesson, Regional Hospital Göteborg, Sweden; a project about sharing music by Sophia Alexandersson, Regional Government of Göteborg, Sweden; ‘Apple Shelve,’ an idea from a children’s library, by Eugenia Granat, Regional Library, Göteborg, Sweden; and home visiting and AAC by Mario Giovanni Damiani, Rehabilitation Center “Quarto di Palo.”

Former Soviet Union Countries shared their AAC projects, and an educational program and course for specialists working with children with special communicative needs (Belarus), which were done through Maksim Tank University together with Pomor State University and Stockholm University during 2008-09. Participants from Ukraine stressed the fact that AAC is not well known in education or professional circles. Lecturers from Georgia expressed the need for such knowledge for their country.

Russian Research and Practical Experience in AAC was represented by Pomor State University, named after M.V. Lomonosov, and specialists from Rehabilitation Center of Archangelsk Municipality, the only Center with AAC competence in the whole of Russia; Russian State Pedagogical University, named after A. Hertsen, by Professor Ludmila Baryeva (poly-functional environment) and aspirant Olga Kovaleva (sign language of children with Down syndrome); Early Intervention Institute, with the interdisciplinary approach to communication, by Director of EII, Elena Kozhevnikova; and regional initiatives by Nenets Autonomy and  Velsk of Archangelsk County.

Main Documents:
The conference was documented in the form of a book and the book will also be available in the format of a PDF-file. Participants have discussed the main content of the conference Resolution. 

All documents soon will be updated on the web page of Stockholm University.

Some Issues for the Future:
At the conference, different methods of international cooperation in the form of projects were discussed, as well as future joint publications. Archangelsk municipality has pledged its support for research collaboration in the AAC field, in cooperation with Pomor State University.

Well represented at the conference were ongoing projects in the AAC-field between universities in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine and Sweden, and this cooperation has resulted in another AAC Centre in Belarus, at the Maksim Tank University, Minsk. Several articles have been published about these projects in Russian and English, some of them in peer-reviewed journals.

At the moment, the Department of Special education at Stockholm University is planning to initiate further projects in the AAC field, including increased partnership with Russia as well as with other countries, such as Moldova, Albania and Roumania.

The next conference of the local Eastern and Central-European network in AAC will be held in Poland, in AUTUMN 2011.

For further information on work in progress at the AAC Centre in Archangelsk, please contact the authors of this letter:

Lia Kalinnikova, Pomor State University, Department of social work

Magnus Magnusson, Stockholm University, Department of Special Education