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Access to Life is a Cornwall-based project funded by national charity Connect. People with aphasia have usually survived stroke or head injury and are left struggling to speak, read, write or use numbers.

The disability is incredibly isolating and can leave people unable to communicate with their friends and family. It is often undiagnosed by the authorities and therefore stroke survivors can leave hospital without the necessary support or even the understanding that they have a specific disability.

In Cornwall there are believed to be 1,200 people to have aphasia - that’s more than the number of people with Multiple Sclerosis.

But the authorities were only aware of 200 people who have been diagnosed. Mpad helped set up a campaign to find the missing 1000 people in Cornwall statistically known to have aphasia.

We created 10 case studies of people who live in different parts of the county, telling their stories of diagnosis and how they deal with their disability.

This was coupled with fantastic photography and distributed to the Cornish media.

 

Alongside a media relations campaign, volunteers with aphasia went out and about into the community to give presentations to groups and clubs. A challenge indeed for people who struggle to speak and read.

The resulting coverage was astounding - a lead story on ITV Westcountry and a 45-minute broadcast on BBC Radio Cornwall’s Laurence Reed show.

There were 16 pieces in newspaper and magazine coverage including four-page articles in Cornwall Today and Vitality Matters.

As a direct result of the media campaign, 35 people came forward and were diagnosed with aphasia and are now receiving the necessary support to live independently and comfortably.