VIKOM Danish Resource Centre

VIKOM
Danish Resource Centre

Adress : Kongevejen 256 B, DK - 2830 Virum

Tel : ++45 / 45 95 00 45 | Fax : ++45 / 45 95 00 46 | E-mail : vikom@vikom.dk
Monday - Thursday: 9.00-12.00 and 13.00-15.00 h., Friday: 9.00 - 12.00 h

Contact person : Kirsten Delfour

  • Working language(s) : English, French
  • Principal disabilities and special needs catered for :
    Children and young people with multiple disabilities and without spoken language.
  • Members : Professionals working in the field of communication and multiple disabilities.
  • Number of members : 100 resource persons and 220 institutions.
  • Age groups : 0 - 21
  • Main services provided :
    The centre supports the professional assistance by:

    • Arranging annual follow-up training for the special ressource persons.
    • Arranging annual conferences on topics of communication and multiple disabilities.
    • Publishing 2 annual newsletters on topics of communication and multiple disabilities.
    • Publishing information materials. - Responding to calls and letters.
    • Initiating various projects.
    • Serving as consultants to local development projects.
    • Giving presentations and arranging courses.
    • Welcoming visitors in the media centre where materials on total communication are available for those seeking inspiration.
  • Examples of your activities in the last two years :
    We have arranged 2 conferences about “Play and children with multiple
    disabilities” and “The non-verbal aesthetic language”. We have
    published a report on videoanalysis of interaction and a video “Key
    Word Empoyerment”, which we presented at the ISAAC-conference in Dublin August 1998.
  • Types of exchanges/events to organize with other countries :
    Conferences of communication and multiple disabilities.
  • Project proposals :
    Videoanalysis of interaction between persons with multiple disabilities without spoken language and their partner - methodically aspects. How can we support young people with multiple disabilities without spoken language
    to experiment and form their own identity doing silly things in order
    to find their own wishes for their lifes.

SUMMARY :

The Danish Resource Centre for Multihandicapped Children and Young People
without Spoken Language serves the whole country. The centre is set up
as a private foundation and is at the moment run by the County of Copenhagen.

Using a network of special resource persons all over the country, the Centre takes the initiative in launching and supporting measures offering communicative and
linguistic opportunities to multihandicapped schildren and young people
without spoken language.

The Centre focusus on a group of children and young people who communicate in a way that differs from the general rule, and use a language that differs from the
normal. The target group is children and young people (age 0 - 21).

Common to these people is the fact that their disabilities, in a variety of
combinations, cause those around them to see them as different kind of
people, instead of as people with a different kind of language and way
of communicating.

The key word at the Centre is “communication”.
Communication is understood ad the exchange of messages leading to alternation.

The main focus is on the interaction between persons, and the relationships
through which they create and develop their self-image and identity.

Our starting point is total communication, a philosophy of communication in
which all available aids, forms and methods of communication are
mobilised to ensure that the interlocutors understand each other.

The Resource Centre seeks out and develops knowledge that underlines the
communicative and linguistic opportunities open to multihandicapped
children and young people.

A communication room has been established at the Centre, where materials relating to total communication are at the disposal of those seeking inspiration.