Changes and Updates

After many years as a Trustee, Helen Dixon prepares to take a well-deserved step-back.

“I got involved with 1Voice when it first started having met Katie and Tamsin at Communication Matters. Until this year I have volunteered for at least one national 1Voice event every year. But thinking about it my involvement really started before 1Voice was a discussion. My involvement actually started in 1996 when I was working as a speech and language therapist in Cumbria. At the time I was working with three people who use AAC none of whom had met each other. One of them was a 10 year old girl who had been using AAC since she was 2 years old and had not to my knowledge met any other users. Thinking this was not good for her I set up the group that is now 1Voice Lakes and Bay. We celebrated our 30th year in April with a quiz, reminiscences and inevitably cake.

I think my favourite 1Voice weekends were Harry Potter, our first themed weekend, and 1Voice 1 Vote in an election year. The sorting hat put me in Slytherin which on this occasion was not the one where all the witches and wizards who went bad were and (in my opinion) was the best house at the weekend. We had worried that the voting activity wouldn’t work but we formed political parties and came up with policies some of which would put to shame the ‘real’ politicians.

During my time volunteering with 1Voice I learnt more about AAC from the families and role models than I ever did from formal courses. I hope I was able to bring this in to my work to benefit people on my caseload who used or needed AAC. I’m proud that a number of these are still involved with Lakes and Bay or with national 1Voice. I’ve done things I would never have done otherwise, canoeing through ice at Bendrigg weekend being one highlight.

I’m not sure how long I’ve been a Trustee but quite a few years. I’ve been co-chair first with Helen Quiller and then Alison Douthwaite. The time has now come for me to step down before everyone gets fed up with me or makes large hints about it being time to retire. 1Voice is not totally getting rid of me as I will still be involved with Lakes and Bay and supporting the growing branch network. For the last few years we have been talking about the future and things may change but I am confident that 1Voice will always be “a world where the voice of every child and adult, however they communicate, is listened to and heard.” Whatever 1Voice events look like, people will always be able to get together to support each other, meet role models and most importantly have fun.”