The British Aphasiology Society (BAS) International Conference 2025 was held from 18-20 August at the University of Dundee in a fully hybrid format, welcoming nearly 200 participants from the UK and around the world.
The theme of the event, “Community,” shaped its design, emphasising collaboration among researchers, clinicians, and people living with aphasia.
Aphasia is a complex language disorder caused by damage to the brain's language centres, often due to a stroke, brain injury, or illness. It impacts a person's ability to speak, understand, read, and write. In the UK alone, approximately 350,000 people live with aphasia.
Organised by City St George’s, University of London, in partnership with the local Tayside speech and language therapy team and aphasia advisory committees from London and Dundee, the goal was to create an inclusive environment for knowledge exchange and co-design. Advisory groups consisting of people with aphasia were actively involved in planning and co-chairing sessions, ensuring that the event was accessible and relevant.
'Organising a conference is a surprisingly complex challenge! This experience has introduced me to new people, new processes, and new places. Working with DCRCB made this enjoyable and ultimately a very rewarding challenge. The support received from the team helped me accomplish not only the essentials but also all the “wouldn’t this be great?” ideas on our ambitious wish list. The time and investment in the preparation not only paid off during the conference – which happily went without a single unexpected event – but also helped create a lasting legacy for the brilliant city of Dundee where our conference was hosted. Awareness of aphasia has been raised through public display of the aphasia artworks commissioned for and unveiled at the conference. Communication Access training has been undertaken by numerous organisations across the city and will continue to improve the customer service experience of people with diverse communication needs long after the conference was wrapped up. Delegates were treated to unforgettable experiences which really celebrated our brilliant city and made me so proud to call Dundee my home.'
Dr Abi Roper | Research Fellow Speech and Language Therapist | Technologist, City St George’s, University of London
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