Aphasia is an episodic series that was created to bring awareness of the impacts and causes of aphasia. The short series helps to create a space of learning and acceptance. Boston University offers a program for those affected to get assistance and to create a community with others going through similar circumstances. The goal was to show that those affected are not alone and to shed light on a life changing condition.
Our team knew we had something special on our hands when we were given the opportunity to make an Aphasia documentary. So little is known about Aphasia so we felt it was a privilege getting to dive into the medical perspective of the condition as well as the personal journys of those in recovery. Those personal perspectives are what make our Aphasia documentary so unique. One of the biggest challenges our team tackled was presenting those personal stories in a way that was educational and impactful. We spent many hours in the editing process working with Boston University's Aphasia experts to help decide on what was best to feature.
The results of our team's project are a five-part episodic series broken up into the following parts: The Diagnosis, The First Few Days, The Recovery, The Psychological Impact, and The Care Partner Perspective. These episodes are comprised of sit-down interviews with different individuals and their family members impacted by Aphasia, as well as interviews with trained professionals.
We consider our efforts a success because our chapters create a digestible way to inform those newly diagnosed with aphasia of the road ahead. Since for many this remains an unknown condition, we found that most diagnosed were introduced to what aphasia is through their diagnosis. To help inform the public is to also help create more understanding and resources long term of the condition. It’s a long road and there are lifestyle changes, but with resources and speech therapy, communication can be rebuilt to increase quality of life.
