The Rock of Cashel will be one of a number of public monuments and buildings that will light up in blue tomorrow to mark the beginning of Aphasia Awareness Month.
Aphasia is a disorder that affects how you communicate. It can impact your speech, as well as the way you write and understand both spoken and written language.
It usually happens suddenly after a stroke or a head injury.
Tipperary stroke survivor Martin Quinn says that Aphasia Awareness Month is an opportunity to highlight what is a hidden disability.
“Aphasia is a disorder that effects how you communicate and it impacts on speech. So the impact of the disability is either ignored or underestimated by our society. And yet for three thousand newly diagnosed people with Aphasia in Ireland yearly it has a significant impact on every aspect of people’s lives.
A number of events are taking place this month to raise awareness of Aphasia culminating in a conference in Clonmel.
Martin Quinn suffered from Aphasia after having a stoke in 2013.
He says it can be very isolating and that no one should have to go through it alone.
“I’m hoping that this particular initiative will break the silence around the disability and there will be a number of events throughout the month culminating with a stroke conference at the Talbot Hotel, Clonmel on Monday June 26th.”
