VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – A local woman sparked a movement to make sure popular locations throughout Virginia Beach are inclusive.
Ashley Causey is a Speech Language Pathologist who runs the business Speech at the Beach.
She joined forces with the Virginia Beach Parks and Rec Foundation to install communication boards at 11 parks and recreation centers throughout the city.
Causey says the simplicity of the boards can make a world of difference in the lives of families whose loved ones are nonverbal.
“So if you’re coming to the park with your child, you can just come over and model ‘Wow! Look at this! Let’s go, and then, you know, find let’s go swing!'”
The boards are large, with a number of pictures that show various playground equipment, emotions, actions and more.
“Even my two-year-old can benefit from, ‘You’re not understanding! Snack! Eat! Eat! You know, juice, drink.’ We all can benefit from visuals. Some of us are really visual learners, so I think it’s great for everyone,” said Causey.
All communication boards in Virginia Beach are sponsored. The sponsor of the board at Kids Cove at Mt. Trashmore is the non-profit, Families of Autistic Children of Tidewater (FACT). CEO Tyler Williamson says the communication boards will make life so much easier for families.
“It’s frustrating enough to be a human being and trying to effectively communicate when you have a full vocabulary and you can use all the words that you want to,” Williamson says. “But imagine how frustrating it is, you know, I remember when we were growing up, my brother had an ear infection, and he could not tell us why he was hurt. and what was wrong. He had an ear infection for like three weeks. Imagine having that and not being able to communicate that.”
Causey wants to put more boards up throughout Virginia Beach.
“My ultimate goal is to just spread awareness and inclusion and accessibility for everyone. So, I want this to be almost like a speaking point for families. Like, ‘Oh wow! Check that out! Some people communicate with pictures!'”
If you would like to sponsor a communication board, email: ashley@speechvabeach.com
The locations, and sponsors, of the communication boards in Virginia Beach are as follows:
- Mount Trashmore – Families of Autistic Children in Tidewater (FACT)
- Woodstock Park – Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters
- Red Wing Park – Aid Another
- Lynnhaven Park – Towne Bank
- Plaza Northgate Park – Kroger
- Bayville Farms Park – Tidewater Autism Society
- Kempsville Recreation Center – Virginia Beach Parks and Rec Foundation/Speech at the Beach
- Bow Creek Recreation Center – United Way
- Beach Garden Park– Solobo Toys
- City View Park – United Way
- Munden Point Park – Sentara Therapy Services, Pediatrics
