October is International AAC Awareness Month and this year Darryl is truly doing his part to raise awareness of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) globally. What started off six months ago as a single guest presentation at a conference for LIFEtool in Linz, Austria, has turned into a series of international guest appearances. In the month of October, Darryl will present at five forums in four countries. His series of lectures will begin in his hometown of Adelaide, Australia (which is the first in a series of lectures by people who rely AAC to communicate, hosted by Two Way Street). Then he is off to Austria a few days later to present a paper at the Martinstift Symposium. The following week he will be in Poland giving an address at a conference on AAC in Warsaw and a public lecture in the town of Torun. Returning home to Adelaide for only sixteen days, Darryl then jets off to speak at the launch of the new ISAAC chapter in Bangkok hosted by the CLUE EI Centre.

“As a determined, lateral thinker with a slightly twisted sense of humour, I enjoy working on thinking of creative ways to solve problems that could enhance the quality of life for others as well as for myself. I am optimistic that I will continue to succeed and achieve exciting things in the future.” - Darryl Sellwood

Darryl Sellwood is commencing a PhD in 2014. He has complex communication needs (CCN) and uses an AAC device. As a computer science graduate with experience in the telecommunications field, he has a broad perspective on both user and technical issues. Darryl recently graduated with first class Honours in a Bachelor of Arts degree researching telecommunications access for people who rely on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).

He co‐authored a paper based on his Honours research with his two supervisors, which was one of the four prize winning papers published in the May 2012 edition of the Telecommunications Journal of Australia. An incisive and provocative thinker and an engaging speaker, he has presented numerous conference papers and keynote addresses at both Australian and international conferences. Darryl’s PhD will investigate the experience of sexuality and intimacy of people with cerebral palsy who rely on AAC.

The lectures will cover Darryl's experiences of using various AAC devices throughout his life, his journey to beginning his PhD and provide a background of research in the area, along with Darryl’s perspectives on the topic.

To find out more about Darryl and his extensive repertoire of achievements and accolades, his involvement in various community agencies, his interests and aspirations, as well as his collection of insightful and witty blog postings, please visit his website at www.thedazz.com