{"id":129382,"date":"2022-06-28T10:59:37","date_gmt":"2022-06-28T14:59:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=129382"},"modified":"2022-06-28T15:34:27","modified_gmt":"2022-06-28T19:34:27","slug":"the-performing-arts-at-ucf-empowers-community-members-living-with-aphasia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/the-performing-arts-at-ucf-empowers-community-members-living-with-aphasia\/","title":{"rendered":"The Performing Arts at UCF Empowers Community Members Living with Aphasia"},"content":{"rendered":"

A partnership between the School of Performing Arts, the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, and the Department of Psychology at UCF is helping improve the lives of people living with aphasia.<\/p>\n

Aphasia is a condition that stems from a brain injury, most commonly the result of an accident or stroke. People with aphasia may struggle with oral and written language, such as finding the words to express themselves. While all people forget the word they are trying to think of occasionally, this may be a daily struggle for people with aphasia.<\/p>\n

The National Aphasia Association (NAA) estimates there are 2 million. Only 15% of the population know about the condition, according to a 2020 poll the NAA conducted. To the untrained eye, the symptoms are often mistaken for intoxication or an intellectual disability. Aphasia is neither.<\/p>\n

Seva Reilly, a student earning her bachelor\u2019s in communications sciences and disorders<\/a>, took a theater class in 2020 and quickly realized the potential the performing arts could have on some of the families she works with at UCF\u2019s Aphasia House<\/a>. The house is a clinic staffed by UCF communication sciences and disorders faculty. Graduate students work as student clinicians and undergraduates may volunteer to work with community clients. Reilly is the president of the Adaptive Community, also known as UCF Aphasia Family. This is a free community group for individuals and their families living with aphasia.<\/p>\n

\u201cI took Professor (Sybil) St. Claire\u2019s Theatre for Social Change<\/em> honors course in 2020, where she introduced us to the Playback Theatre,\u201d Reilly says. \u201cI loved how Playback shared and honored the stories of the audience, and I invited them to perform for Aphasia Family. The collaboration has only grown since then, and I was thrilled to be part of (the production) Advocating for Aphasia<\/em> and its mission to increase awareness of aphasia among first responders.\u201d<\/p>\n