Aphasia Access Conversations

Today, Katie Strong (Assistant Professor at Central Michigan University) speaks with Mary Ray-Allen about the Bama Perks Coffee Shop at the University of Alabama Speech and Hearing Center. Mary Ray-Allen is the Clinical Director at The University of Alabama Speech and Hearing Center. She is the project director for Bama Perks, a simulated coffee shop that is housed within The UA Speech and Hearing Center that offers a unique social environment for individuals with aphasia to practice and enhance their communication skills. Bama Perks was featured in the March '17 ASHA Leader. She is a member of Alabama Clinical Educators (ACE) and is a nationally certified Speech Language Pathologist and member of ASHA.    In this episode you will: Learn how a cup of coffee can lead to confidence in communicating for people with aphasia Learn about how Bama Perks program facilitates the opportunity to socialize in a café style environment Learn a few tips about how to develop this type of program in your work env