May 2025 – I am James' mum

From Inequality to Opportunity: Can Business Bridge the Gap?

Reflections from the Proseed Panel available on YouTube via Proseed Asia

Last night, I had the opportunity to watch the Proseed panel discussion titled “From Inequality to Opportunity: Can Business Bridge the Gap?” I was fortunate to access the video from home—something that isn’t always possible due to the constraints many families like mine face. But this time, I could join virtually—and it resonated.

Proseed is a community that believes business is about more than just profit. It values authenticity, purpose, and impact. Its founder, Mike, opened the conversation with a powerful question:

“What if we measured success not by profits, but by the lives we improve?”

This reframes the purpose of business around human impact. It calls on our collective conscience—especially when considering how businesses can create genuine opportunities for disabled people—not just as employees, but as innovators, leaders, and contributors to the economy and society.

Questions Raised—and My Reflections

1. What is something you wish people talked about more when it comes to inequality?

My answer: ACCESS.
Accessibility is often discussed in terms of physical spaces or digital tools. But for carers like me, it’s something even more fundamental: the ability to attend. To be present. To be included. A lack of flexible or remote options for education, employment, or social engagement often excludes both carers and our children.

Inclusive access requires us to rethink what participation really looks like. It means designing systems that recognise and adapt to the realities of families like mine. Being physically present isn’t always possible—but being actively engaged should be.

Creating agency and identity is central to my advocacy. For disabled people—especially those without speech—access to communication tools and education remains unevenly distributed. These tools are evolving, but many remain out of reach to those who need them most. To build real agency, we must provide access to information, connection, and opportunity.

2. What is the biggest challenge you see in fighting inequality?

My answer: AWARENESS.
Without awareness, there can be no meaningful action. Many forms of inequality remain hidden until someone brings them to light. Disability is the largest minority group in the world, yet it continues to be subsidiary.

This must change. Inclusion isn’t a tick-box exercise—it’s the foundation of a society or business that aims to be fair and functional.

3. What are you doing or planning that makes a real difference?

My answer: ADVOCACY.
By sharing stories—my own, my family’s, and those of others—I hope to raise awareness and challenge assumptions. Real change often starts with a single, honest conversation. When amplified, it has the power to reach many.

Key Messages from the Panel—and What They Meant to Me

Barbara: The Complexity of Inequality

Barbara reminded us that inequality is layered, both systemic and structural. She quoted Dr Martin Luther King Jr.:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

From a disability perspective, this rings particularly true. Neurodiversity is complex and intersectional. One can be wealthy and disabled, or poor and disabled. However, when your disability also denies you access to essentials like food, education, or employment, injustice is compounded.

Charles: Hidden Inequalities

Charles spoke about migrant workers and the unseen costs of employment. His story about “gold loans” was striking. Families sell their belongings to get a job and then need to work for years to pay back the loan. In some cases, it takes 10 years. As someone from a Southeast Asian immigrant background, I relate. I now employ migrant workers, and I’ve come to understand the sacrifices behind those decisions with greater empathy.

Nat: Sustainable Community Solutions

Nat stressed the importance of partnership over charity. Community organisations and social enterprises are often underfunded and lack long-term structures. Her focus on blended finance resonated with me. She also emphasised non-financial support. I found this relevant as I work towards sustainable models like Hope Haven—a community hub focused on connection and collaboration.

Disability, Opportunity, and Business

This discussion reaffirmed my belief: business can and must be a force for good—especially for disabled people. Inclusion is not just about visible disability. It’s about designing policies, cultures, and environments that welcome all forms of human difference, including neurodivergence and communication challenges.

Dignity and Business Responsibility

Dignity in a business context means providing meaningful employment and opportunity to disabled individuals, regardless of how their disability presents. Businesses have the power to transform lives by creating inclusive workplaces and fulfilling their ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) commitments with real intent.

A few tools I’m developing:

Signed Social Story Series: Using Makaton, images, and video to support communication for individuals with speech difficulties and second-language English speakers.
Empower Eyes: A low-cost, everyday tool to assess visual impairment—currently being refined and prepared for tracking and efficacy.
Hope Haven: A model community centre that offers inclusive training opportunities. In collaboration with HappyLyfe, we’re working to create sustainable, ethical, vocational employment training through low-waste packaging.

Andrew: Profit With Purpose

Andrew offered a critical perspective:

“We are not equal and never will be. Each of us is unique.”

He reminded us that while equality isn’t about sameness, it’s about fair access and opportunity. He spoke of the power of ethical capitalism—how business and profit, when pursued with conscience, can reduce inequality in ways charity alone cannot.

This strongly aligns with my own mission: building tools and inclusive products that empower people to help themselves—thereby reducing dependency and increasing dignity.

Father Edgar: Making Inequality Personal

One statement from Father Edgar continues to echo for me:

“Make inequality a personal problem.”

That means recognising injustice not as someone else’s issue—but one that belongs to all of us. In Thailand, where I’ve lived for nearly a decade, you can visibly see wealth and poverty side by side. I support grassroots organisations like the Thai Child Development Foundation, Angel Arms, and the Bangkok Community Foundation. I shop local, reuse, recycle, and talk openly about disability—because small, consistent acts matter.

Education, Mindset, and Neurodivergence

Audience members rightly pointed out that education is key. Barriers like uniforms, transport costs, and school fees create serious inequality. But beyond logistics, mindset is perhaps the most powerful barrier of all.

As someone who is neurodivergent, I’ve found empowerment through digital communication. Platforms like social media and spaces like Proseed allow me to express myself in ways that feel authentic. They are tools of visibility and agency.

A Moment of Change

We are living through one of the most transformative periods of our lifetime. From my personal experience, I’ve seen a shift in public attitudes towards disability—towards positive language, greater representation, and a rights-based model.

Yet these advances are not universal. In lower-income settings, the digital divide, structural barriers, and underfunded services still keep disabled people marginalised. As progress moves forward, we must ensure it reaches not only the privileged but also the margins—bridging the gaps in access, opportunity, and dignity.

In Closing

This post is both a reflection and a call to action. Opportunity and inequality can be personal—but this is also optional. If we keep aggregating awareness, advocating, amplifying, and building inclusive tools and communities, we can bridge the gap.

Multimodal Communication, Makaton, AAC and learning English Language

This blog explores how multimodal communication can support teaching English. It is especially helpful for learners who may be developing language in different ways. Let’s take a closer look at the What? Why? When? Where? How?

❓What is Multimodal Communication (MMC)?

Multimodal communication means using more than one method or mode to share a message. It falls under the umbrella of AAC — Augmentative and Alternative Communication.

These modes can include:

📸 Photographs or images
✋ Makaton or simplified sign language
🗣 Spoken language
🧍 Body language and facial expressions
📱 Speech-generating devices (SGDs) or apps
📝 Writing or typing
🧃 Real objects (e.g. a juice carton to represent “drink”)

By mixing and matching these modes, we make communication more accessible. It becomes more engaging and inclusive. This is especially true for children who find spoken English difficult to understand or use.

❓Why Use Multimodal Techniques?

Much like how we might use multimodal communication gestures when traveling in a foreign country, and can’t speak the native language,

Multimodal communication helps to support:

Children with delayed or different language development
Non-speaking or minimally verbal children
Learners with unclear or inconsistent speech
Those with sensory, cognitive, or motor differences
Children learning English as an Additional Language (EAL)

These techniques help avoid communication breakdowns and build:

💬 Meaning
🧠 Memory
👂 Understanding
🖐️ Participation
💪 Confidence

❓When Should We Use These Techniques?

Every day, and as often as possible.

Multimodal communication becomes more effective when:

It’s used consistently across different places — home, school, and community
It’s paired with real-life situations (e.g. signing wait at a zebra crossing)
It’s modelled with patience, rather than taught as a formal lesson

Multimodal communication is about natural connection, not just teaching.

❓Where Can We Use Multimodal Communication?

Anywhere! But the method you choose might change based on the setting.

For example:

🏫 In school: visuals, signs, speech, writing
🏊 In the swimming pool: facial expressions and gestures
🛝 In the park: key words, pointing, body language

🧩 Be flexible. If one mode isn’t available, use another. All forms of communication modelling count.

❓How Do We Use Multimodal Communication?

There’s no “one-size-fits-all.” Every child communicates in their own way.

What matters is that we:

✔️ Adapt to the child’s needs
🕓 Slow down and allow time to process
🔁 Repeat key messages using different modes
💡 Model communication naturally, rather than instructing
🔄 Focus on connection over correction — understanding comes first

❓What is Makaton?

Makaton is a simplified signing system that removes complex grammar and supports spoken language. It focuses on key words.

You:

Say the word
Sign the word
Use gestures to show the meaning

It’s a powerful tool for learners who are developing communication alongside or instead of spoken English.

❓Why Focus on Makaton Key Words?

Key words lay a strong foundation for:

🛑 Safety – stop, wait, no
🧃 Choice – want, like, more, finished
🧍 Social interaction – hello, help, look, me/you

When used naturally in conversation (not just commands), these words help children to:

Make choices
Express needs
Connect socially
Learn English in context

❓How Does Makaton Support English as a Second Language?

Makaton creates a bridge between a child’s home language and English.

It offers:

👁️ Visual cues for abstract English words
📣 Sound–meaning connections
🖐️ Gestural prompts that aid memory
💬 Early ways to communicate, even before fluent speech develops

In group settings, Makaton is inclusive — it helps everyone use the same universal signs to support understanding.

💬 My Personal Experience

Everyone communicates differently, and there is no right or wrong way to communicate with our kids. How we do it depends on what we want to say, how we naturally speak, and how we can adapt our message to support differences in processing, cognition, apraxia, and language development.

Key words are important because they help lay the foundation for basic safety, communication, and self-advocacy. My core keywords are:

Stop, Go, Wait, Want, Like, Do, Not

When these words are taught naturally as part of everyday conversation — rather than just used for giving directions — they become meaningful and usable in real-life situations. This creates a structure of understanding and builds the child’s ability to express themselves independently.

Using songs and storytelling to model the functions of language through Makaton (or other multimodal methods) reinforces the connection between sign and sound. Melody, imagery, movement, and expression add deeper meaning to the key words and make learning more engaging.

Music and stories are brilliant for:

🗣 Learning how language is used (asking, greeting, commenting)
🎵 Practising rhythm, tone, and pronunciation
🧠 Boosting memory and vocabulary
💖 Encouraging creativity, connection, and expression

What songs or stories would you like to learn? Please comment!

The Importance of Being Earnest: Understanding Gestalt Language Processing

I’ve been reflecting on the term Gestalt Language Processing (GLP) and how I wish someone had explained it to me years ago. Despite more than a decade of therapy with my son James, the term was never specifically brought to my attention. Perhaps for various reasons. But it’s so crucial that I now believe everyone — especially parents, teachers, and therapists — should know it.

As James’ mum

It’s my job to look and listen.
Not just with my eyes and ears, but with my heart and soul.
Not just for words, but for meaning.
Not just for learning, but also for feeling.

What Does Gestalt Mean?

We all contribute to the human Gestalt. It is our shared responsibility to make sure everyone feels part of it. As whole people. As part of a shared humanity that values people as equal, different and not less.

The word Gestalt comes from German, meaning “shape” or “form”. You might not hear it often in everyday conversation. That’s normal — specialist language tends to remain within professional circles such as speech and language therapy or medicine. Much like terms such as sensory processing disorder or neurodiversity, we often only learn them when we need to. But Gestalt is one of those vital, essential words we should all know.

So I write this blog in the earnest hope that someone else — perhaps a parent just beginning their journey — finds the clarity and hope this understanding has brought me.

As I continue to learn, I’ll continue to write and update my blog posts.

Learning styles, simplification, mnemonics and memorability

When trying to understand or explain something complex, I use simple comparisons. These include similes, metaphors, or symbols. I use any approach that helps make it memorable.

So here’s how I explain Gestalt Language Processing:

Gestalt Language Processing is greater than both the individual words AND the sum of the words or sounds used.

Using basic mathematical notation:

Gestalt Language Processing ≥	the sum of its parts (words)
GLP ≥	Σ (individual words)

And importantly:

Neurodiversity >

the sum of its diagnostic parts

Neurodiversity is greater than the sum of diagnostic labels, attributes and the way they communicate. The individual is more than any one label. Neurodiversity is the whole person.

Key:

≠ = not equal to	= = equal to
≥ = greater than or equal to	≤ = less than or equal to

Gestalt Language Processing is not the same as typical language learning (known as Analytic Language Processing). It differs from learning and using words one by one. It’s about how some people absorb chunks of language — phrases, tone, even lines from films — and use them to communicate meaning. It’s not merely random repetition or what might be labelled as vocal stimming or self-stimulation.

GLP ≠ Analytic Language Processing	GLP is not the same as analytic language processing.
GLP ≠ Random Repetition	GLP is not random repetition.
GLP = Meaningful Language Chunks	GLP involves meaningful units of language.
GLP > What It Seems	GLP is more than it appears to be on the surface.

The message often lives in more than just what is being said. That message is in the Gestalt. It encompasses the whole being of the person, the form it takes, and the environment that shapes it. It is not only in the parts of their language or behaviour we can easily see or interpret.

This is why the message is often greater than it may first seem. This is key to finding the meaning. It helps support the learner to develop more meaning in their communication attempts. Using alternative and augmentative communication techniques (AAC) can facilitate making their lives easier.

Echolalia and the Misunderstood Message

If you’ve heard of autism, you may also have come across the term echolalia. It refers to when a child repeats a word or phrase, seemingly out of context. It might appear random, even meaningless. But it isn’t. Echolalia is often a clear sign of Gestalt Language Processing. The repeated phrase isn’t just a copy. It’s a meaningful unit. We may simply not yet understand its full significance.

For years, I didn’t consider James to be a Gestalt Language Processor. This was because he didn’t have “words” in the traditional sense. He didn’t repeat lines from television or use set phrases. But he did, and still does, make sounds, use intonation, and produce strings of vocalisations that don’t appear to make sense.

Recognising GLP involves more than just spoken words. It is crucial for understanding how many people with disabilities may be trying to communicate. Some children, like my son, process language gesturally. They may also communicate through vocalisations that may sound unintelligible. However, they likely carry deep, personal meaning.

A Cultural Example: Rain Man

In the 1988 film Rain Man, Raymond (played by Dustin Hoffman) is portrayed as a man who frequently repeats lines from television and past conversations. At the time, these behaviours were seen as curious or even comical — part of the “savant with quirks” stereotype. As a 10-year-old watching the film, I didn’t understand what was really happening. Now, I can see that Raymond was likely a Gestalt Language Processor — using stored scripts to express thoughts and emotions.

While Rain Man was groundbreaking in raising awareness, it also simplified or misrepresented the richness and diversity of neurodivergent communication. Today, we know better — so we can do better.

Understanding James, Understanding GLP

Since learning about GLP, I now understand that James — a non-speaking Gestalt Language Processor — is communicating all the time. His vocalisations, intonations, facial expressions, and gestures (what I now affectionately call his “gjesters”) are his way of forming meaning.

His brain doesn’t retrieve or process language in the typical way. This isn’t a failure — it’s just different wiring, likely related to neurological differences in areas such as the basal ganglia. For him, spoken language is like a stormy sea. There’s no bridge, no path laid out — but he is wading through, sound by sound, expression by expression, building his own way to the shore.

Against Deficits, For Understanding

You may read my posts and think I’m anti-labels or sceptical of diagnostic tools — and yes, to an extent, that’s true. I believe we need knowledge, language, and evolving frameworks to help our children. But I push back against deficit-based labels — the kind that reduce children to categories of what’s “wrong” with them.

We’ve moved on from outdated terms like handicapped because we recognised how language shapes perception and inclusion. I hope we can keep evolving — towards a framework that respects the Gestalt of neurodiversity.

Gestalt, in broader contexts

From a linguistic perspective, the word Gestalt reminds me of “gesture,” and the ending “-alt” feels like “halt” — a blocked gesture. This reflects how many children’s communicative attempts are disrupted by neurological barriers. That’s where Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) becomes vital — to help work around these blocks.

In psychology, Gestalt theory is all about the whole: perception, behaviour, motivation, and connection. It sees the mind in a holistic view, for example more than the brain, blood and tissue that make up the organ, the body and the person. This is essential in how we understand neurodivergence.

And in the humanities? We might say this:
There is always more to a person than what meets the eye. The Gestalt of humanity is neurodiversity, and the sum of a person is more than what can be seen — or boxed into diagnostic categories.

As Dr Barry Prizant writes in Uniquely Human, our job is not to fix people — it’s to understand and support them.

Month: May 2025