Magherafelt woman helps to raise awareness of communication disability

A Magherafelt woman who suffered locked-in syndrome after a massive stroke, is taking place in an exhibition to raise awareness of communication disability.
Constable Clodagh Dunlop, collecting the Personal Policing award at the Policing with the Community G District awards, held in the City Hotel.  INLS 1241-505MT.Constable Clodagh Dunlop, collecting the Personal Policing award at the Policing with the Community G District awards, held in the City Hotel.  INLS 1241-505MT.
Constable Clodagh Dunlop, collecting the Personal Policing award at the Policing with the Community G District awards, held in the City Hotel. INLS 1241-505MT.

Police officer Clodagh Dunlop was unable to speak or move for almost three months after her stroke last year.

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness MLA launched the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) My Journey My Voice exhibition in the Millennium Forum Derry/Londonderry.

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Commissioned by the RCSLT, supported by Disability Action and co-funded by the Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Board, the exhibition, which runs all this month, features the voices and portraits of nine individuals by Belfast based photographer Laurence Gibson.

Each participant featured in the exhibition has a communication disability and through portraits and voice recordings which describe a memorable journey that they have undertaken, the public are able to experience a little of what life is like for them. Their stories will resonate with many.

Locked-in syndrome can affect a small percentage of people when they have a stroke. There is no treatment or cure and recovery is very rare.

Although a daunting experience for Clodagh she defied the odds and is continuing to recover - learning the basic skills of life such as walking and talking.