About The Aphasia Network
The Aphasia Network is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization supporting an underserved population of persons with aphasia. Aphasia -an acquired communication disorder caused by brain injury or stroke-impairs comprehension and production of spoken language, but does not affect intelligence. Because communication is essential to relationships and performing daily tasks, persons with aphasia and their families can experience emotional, physical and financial stress and social isolation. Our goals are to raise awareness and help survivors rebuild communication-associated life systems impacted by aphasia: Quality of life, Daily life skills, Community and Support.
The Aphasia Network Concept
This nonprofit organization seeks to network people together through its programs and activities. We view these connections or reconnections as the threads that cross (hopefully at more and more intervals) and create a fabric or structure of support for those with aphasia and their families or support networks. This name is simple yet broad enough to allow for expanding programs or concepts so that we may discover new needs we can satisfy to better serve our community.
What is Aphasia?
Aphasia is an acquired communication disorder caused by a stroke or other brain injury, that results in speech and comprehension challenges. Aphasia impairs a person’s ability to comprehend and produce language, but does not affect intelligence. Aphasia affects the ability to speak and understand others, and most people with aphasia experience difficulties with reading and writing as well. The degree of damage varies depending on the extent of injury to the language center in the brain, but communication is always affected.
Communication is essential to maintaining and forming relationships and dealing effectively with tasks necessary for day-to-day survival. Aphasia fractures the ability to communicate, causing ripple effects for survivors, their families and their social communities. These individuals and their loved ones face unique challenges and support specifically designed for them is limited.
For more information about aphasia, please visit http://www.asha.org/public/
Organizational Structure
This corporation is a nonprofit public benefit organization and is not organized for the private gain of any person. It is organized and operated exclusively for exempt purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and as a Domestic Nonprofit Corporation formed under Oregon Law. The Aphasia Network shall have no members.
To meet legal and operational requirements, the organizational structure of the corporation consists of a board of directors and officers overseeing committees and volunteers. The organization also has an advisory council that includes members of the aphasia community, university faculty members, and rehabilitation clinical practitioners.