In less than a week, I’m going to stop talking for 24 hours. To be honest, this is quite daunting. I love talking. So much so that I have studied eight other languages in addition to my home language.   

But I’m going quiet because I know there are many people who communicate every day without talking. Sometimes using symbols like Makaton. Sometimes using Voice Output Communication Aids (VOCAs) like the text to speech device that Stephen Hawking made famous. Sometimes using visual languages. And all these forms of communication deserve to be respected.  

I’m actually going to start my silence at Meath, our amazing school in Surrey, where children are supported to communicate in whatever way works for them. All staff at Meath use signing (like Makaton with grammatical markers) throughout the school. Some children also use technology like VOCAs as well. VOCAs ‘speak’ aloud words chosen by the child.  The children are taught signs themselves, and everyone – staff and children alike – engage in active learning like using props and costumes to act out stories.   

The children at the school are happy in that environment. They are well supported and learn an enormous amount because everything – the curriculum, the way teachers teach them, and therapy – has been designed for them.   

But of course, it’s not as easy when they step outside the school walls. What happens if you try to communicate using a VOCA or using symbols when you go into a shop? Or into a train station to buy a ticket?   

During The Big Silence I’ll have some cue cards that I can use to try and communicate. I’m sure that these can work – but only if other people, from shopkeepers to station staff, are open to trying. I genuinely don’t know how many will be. And I also don’t know how I’ll feel if they aren’t. I’m guessing I’d feel deflated, rejected and unvalued. I’m not looking forward to that.   

But it is an important way to raise awareness of different forms of communication. It’s also a really important way to raise money to improve children’s lives. We could do so much more at Speech and Language UK if we had more funds to answer more calls on our helpline, to proactively educate families about how to boost children’s development and to educate the wider public about differences in communication.

So despite my trepidation, I’m looking forward to Thursday. Fingers crossed I meet some kind, understanding and flexible people. Wish me luck!