Fundación "Gema Canales" - Presentación

On October 18, 2023, the Gema Canales Foundation was officially launched at the UCLM Toledo Arms Factory Campus. The event was attended by the Regional Minister of Social Welfare, Bárbara García Torijno; the Rector of the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Julián Garde; the Director General for Disability, Francisco Armenta; the President of the Provincial Council, Conchi Cedillo; the Mayor of Toledo, Carlos Velázquez; the Deputy Mayor, Inés Cañizares; the Councilor for Social Affairs, Marisol Illescas; the Councilor for Culture, Ana Pérez; and the Councilor for the Tagus River, Environment, and Sports, Rubén Lozano. The Foundation is a project designed to enable "people with complex communication needs to say what they want, when they want." This is how Sol Solís expressed it at the presentation. That "crazy" teacher, who has now become the president of this foundation, explained it. At six years old, Gema could only communicate with a slight movement of her eyes to say yes or no. Her motor and communication challenges were so great that there was no real opportunity for her to progress in school, nor in her social life. The GEMA CANALES FOUNDATION is born, a voice for users of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), led by one of the leading figures in AAC in Spain, Gema Canales, a user of assistive technology herself. She will continue to promote the right to communication for all people, now, through her FOUNDATION, emphasizing the need to listen to AAC users. Dissemination, legislation, research, and teaching cannot be done without taking into account the community that receives them. NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US Toledo, October 18, 2023