Organization Details:

Aphasia is a language-processing disorder that impairs a person's ability to speak or understand speech. The NAA's mission is to educate the public to know that the word aphasia describes an impairment of the ability to communicate, not an impairment of intellect. The NAA makes people with aphasia, their families, support systems, and health care professionals aware of resources to recover lost skills to the extent possible, to compensate for skills that will not be recovered and to minimize the psychosocial impact of the language impairment. The NAA respects and values cultural and linguistic differences and makes every effort possible to acknowledge the impact of culture and language on the performance of each individual with aphasia. The NAA provides supportive and advocacy services to all persons with aphasia regardless of individuals' race-ethnicity, religious affiliation, cultural and cognitive linguistic background or sexual orientation.

Description and/or History:
Aphasia is a paradox-- it impairs the use of language but not the ability to think. Words are simply trapped in one's head. People usually acquire aphasia without warning -- a person can wake up and read the morning newspaper, and by lunch, be completely unable to understand the paper or explain that he cannot understand it. Compounding this frustration is the fact that people with communication disorders are perhaps the most stigmatized and invisible disability group. More than one million Americans have acquired aphasia, a greater number of people than have cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, or muscular dystrophy. Approximately 25-40% of the 600,000 Americans who suffer a stroke each year will acquire aphasia.

The National Aphasia Association was established in 1987 to help individuals further their ability to communicate and move forward with their lives. Each year we provide information and support to thousands of people affected by aphasia through:

• a toll-free information hot line -- (800) 922-4622, which receives over 5,000 calls a year
• our web site -- www.aphasia.org, which recorded over 400,000 visits to the home page in 2008
• publications and a registry of more than 400 community support groups across the country
• a national network of health care professionals that volunteers to answer questions about local resources
• "Speaking Out," a formerly biannual national, but now regional conference for people with aphasia, family members and rehabilitation professionals.
• materials for Aphasia Awareness Month, which are distributed to groups and individuals throughout the country.
• Emergency Responder Training project to teach EMTs, Firefighters and Police Officers how to identify and communicate a Person with Aphasia in an emergency situation.
  
  

Contact people:

Ellayne Ganzfried, Executive Director, (212) 267-2814, (email) Amy Coble, Information & Administrative Coordinator, (212) 267-2814, (email)

Address:

350 Seventh Ave, Suite 902 New York, NY 10001 (See a map)

Directions:

The NAA is located only a few blocks from Penn Station, between 29th and 30th St. it is accessible to many subways, the LIRR and NJ Transit.   Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: 34th Street - Penn Station,   Walk distance (in minutes): 2