As my time working as an intern at Neuro Hero draws to a close, I am able to reflect on the last 3 months as one of the most eye-opening times of my life. Between an education and an internship abroad, I have been able to learn an incredible amount in such a short time, about Ireland, Speech-Language Therapy, the latest innovations in therapeutic technology, and maybe most importantly, about myself.
I came into ...
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It was a late September afternoon and I was spicing my soup when I read about an opportunity to work with Neuro Hero. As a Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) I have always been interested in using digital technologies to help my patients. I started using SLT apps when I was working in MINDS clinic in Singapore and my private practice in India. My interest developed when I became a part of developing low cost assistive ...
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The Sapeurs in this picture embody a dignity and fighting spirit that can overcome poverty and adversity. By dressing in bright, elegant clothes they transform themselves and temporarily lift the spirits of a community in the Congo. As the Guinness ad proclaims, these men really are ‘made of more’.
Yesterday I was captivated by a talk given by directors of Diageo and Milward Brown about how to create a brand. We watched numerous Guinness ads and ...
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When I was a little girl I saw an ad for an amazing new toy, a little doll with a catchy slogan “Weebles wobble but they don’t fall down”. My little brother and I tested this claim over and over as we tried to make our Weebles stay down!
Years later at a self-development seminar I was asked to come up with a slogan that described my life. I was at a particularly low point, Steve ...
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In 2006 a stroke caused Steve to lose his speech; since then he has been able to say “1,2,3”, “difficult” and a few other words. His frustration has been immense and the impact on family life is beyond measure.
This Saturday evening our daughters had a baking competition, Steve was the judge. Gina (now aged 14) presented a large, well risen, Oreo cake while Tanya (now aged 8) proudly handed over a modest, highly decorated chocolate ...
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Earlier this year I had the privilege of visiting St Raphael’s school where we met many of the extraordinary teachers and motivated students who fill their bright, joyful classrooms. This was the first time we had the opportunity to show our Talk Around It apps to staff at a special needs school and we were delighted by their response.
During that short visit we heard many stories but the tenacity of one teacher sums up the spirit that prevails ...
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At first I felt guilty. Here I was in one of the poorest countries in the world, sitting in a beautiful hotel stuffing myself with the best food I have ever tasted. When I heard I was coming to India with Journeys for Change I thought that I would be living in rough conditions and helping to deliver polio drops or distributing food parcels while learning about social enterprises here. I could not have been ...
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When I told people that Social Entrepreneurs Ireland was sending me on a journey through southern India I was frequently warned to expect a moment when “It” will hit me. “It” can be anything; for one of my fellow travellers it was a meeting a beggar who shared the same severe disability as two of her children.
Each surgeon completes 100 operations a day
‘It’ hit me in the ...
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In the summer of 2011 my blog stopped appearing, my Facebook stopped posting and my Twitter stopped tweeting. There are lots of reasons for this, the main one was my intense focus on an incredible opportunity that I had to grab with both hands.
Research & Hope has always been a labour of love. I poured my heart and soul into creating the website and I am just as passionate about my ‘baby’ as I was at the start. ...
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On 15th June 2011 I hosted the first ever Research & Hope event. When I realised I had the opportunity to host a talk by Professor Vincent Walsh on ‘Brain stimulation and stroke’ I was thrilled … and then I panicked.
I have attended and spoken at numerous events but I had no idea how to organise one. I am very grateful, therefore, that Care Alliance came to my rescue. They agreed to co-host the event ...
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