Championing Aphasia in Parliament

Championing Aphasia in Parliament

June marks Aphasia Awareness Month - a time for us to shine a light on a hidden disability affecting more than 350,000 people across the UK. Yet despite its prevalence, aphasia is still widely unknown and misunderstood. In fact, 85% of people don't know what it is. At Aphasia Support, we're on a mission to change that.

On 17th June, we were proud to join forces with three specialist charities at the Houses of Parliament to raise awareness and call for better access to long-term support for people living with aphasia. The occasion was kindly sponsored by Simon Lightwood, MP for Wakefield and Rothwell, a passionate advocate for the aphasia community. The event brought together politicians, healthcare professionals, and people with lived experience, all united by one shared goal: to improve understanding and support at both a local and national level.

The opportunity allowed us to educate MPs and Ministers on what aphasia is, how it's acquired, and how damage to the brain can impact a person's ability to speak, understand language, read, and write - the everyday skills we all rely on to connect with others and take part in daily life. As our Speech and Language Therapist, Karen Stromberg, explains:

“Imagine knowing exactly what you want to say, but not being able to express your thoughts, share your feelings or take part fully in conversations. Aphasia affects every aspect of life, for both the individual and their loved ones.”

The parliamentary reception, hosted alongside Dyscover, Say Aphasia, and Aphasia Re-Connect, allowed us to share experiences from across the sector and highlight the urgent need for more consistent, long-term support. 

A key focus of the discussion was speech and language therapy, which is widely recognised as the most effective treatment for aphasia. However, we continue to see significant variation in NHS provision across the country - often described as a “postcode lottery.” This means that access to ongoing support is often determined by where someone lives, rather than what they need. 

Our Chief Executive, James Major, spoke about the importance of collaboration in addressing this inequality:

“We are grateful to every MP who attended the event and pledged to engage with our efforts to improve long-term support for local people living with aphasia. We look forward to continuing these conversations to create positive change for our community.”

We were also privileged to hear from Shadim Hussain MBE, who developed aphasia following a stroke in 2022. With his daughter by his side, Shadim openly shared his personal experience, captivating the room with his honesty and transparency.  

“Like many people, I’d never heard of aphasia until it changed my life. Suddenly, I couldn’t speak, read or write. Over the years, I’ve made great progress, but I’m still recovering. Charities, like Aphasia Support, are a lifeline. They gave me hope for the future and showed me a way forward. People living with a communication disability deserve access to long-term support. We deserve to live in a world where communication barriers don’t limit who we are, or what we can be part of.” 

Throughout the event, we called on policymakers to help raise awareness of aphasia by working more closely with health and care leaders, improving access to speech and language therapy, and strengthening communication accessibility. These steps play an essential part in ensuring people with aphasia can fully participate in everyday life.

If you’ve been affected by aphasia, you don’t have to navigate it alone. The charities below offer support, guidance, and services for people living with aphasia and those who support them.

Aphasia Support

Aphasia Support is a specialist charity providing tailored speech and language therapy and long-term support for people with aphasia and their carers. Through lived experience and professional expertise, we deliver home-based services and group support that empower people to communicate with confidence, reconnect with their communities, maintain meaningful relationships, and live life to the fullest.

Dyscover

Dyscover is a specialist charity providing community and online support for people with aphasia and progressive aphasias led by Speech and Language Therapists. We use our Centre of Expertise to share our knowledge in helping and empowering people with aphasia, and all who support them, to manage their communication disability and re-engage with life.

Say Aphasia

Say Aphasia provides a supportive, inclusive space where adults with an acquired communication disability can connect, feel understood, and feel confident living with the condition. We strive for a world where people with aphasia stay connected to society and have a good quality of life. Our charity prides itself in being peer led by people with first hand experience of aphasia.

Aphasia Re-Connect

At Aphasia Re-Connect, our mission is to create a peer support network of people living with aphasia and other acquired communication disabilities, to enable them to live life, discover opportunity, develop confidence and find wellbeing and mutual engagement within the wider community.

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