Date: Nov 16, 2011

Student Film Puts the Spotlight on "Living With Aphasia"

November 30, 11:15 a.m., Student Center Theater, FREE

Hofstra’s aphasia support group meets weekly at the Joan and Arnold Saltzman Community Services Center.

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY … Hofstra University’s Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic of the Joan and Arnold Saltzman Community Services Center and the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences present the documentary Living With Aphasia by Hofstra graduate student Michael Kulesa. This free screening will take place on Wednesday, November 30, 2011, from 11:15 a.m.-12:40 p.m. (Common Hour) at Hofstra’s Student Center Theater, Mack Student Center, North Campus. For more information call the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic at 516-463-5656.

Living With Aphasia was directed and produced by Michael Kulesa in cooperation with Dr. Ronald Bloom, professor and chair of Hofstra University’s Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences; Wendy Silverman, director of the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic of Hofstra’s Joan and Arnold Saltzman Community Services Center; and the Hofstra Aphasia Therapy Group, which meets weekly at the Saltzman Community Services Center.

Aphasia is an acquired communication disorder that impairs a person’s ability to process language. The film documents several individuals with aphasia, their caregivers and professionals. They speak candidly about the challenges of living with a chronic speech-language disorder as well as positive coping strategies they use to manage effectively every day.

Michael Kulesa graduated from Hofstra University in 2010 with a B.A. in Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences. He is currently a second-year student in Hofstra's M.A. in Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences Program. As an undergraduate, Michael was an active member of the Hofstra Filmmakers Club and wrote, directed, and acted in several student films. He hopes to incorporate his passion for filmmaking into his future as a speech-language pathologist by spreading awareness of the challenges those with communication impairments face on a daily basis.

Hofstra’s Aphasia Support Group meets weekly at the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic at Hofstra’s Saltzman Center. The group provides psychosocial support designed to assist in the recovery of speech, language and functional communication. It reinforces therapy goals while providing an opportunity for social participation.

Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution of higher education where more than 12,000 full and part-time students choose from undergraduate and graduate offerings in liberal arts and sciences, business, engineering, communication, education, health and human services, honors studies, a School of Law and the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine. The Hofstra community is driven, dynamic and energetic, helping students find and focus their strengths to prepare them for a successful future. Located in Nassau County, New York, on over 240 acres, the University is less than an hour from midtown Manhattan.

###

Related Link: View an excerpt of "Living With Aphasia"