Anne Warrick

Anne Warrick

Anne Warrick led a full life, filled with quiet accomplishments in augmentative communication circles around the world. Anne was a pioneer in the AAC field, a catalyst for the development of AAC in Poland and India, an ISAAC Fellow, the author of the first book in ISAAC’s series on AAC (Communication Without Speech, 1995), an early adapter of Bliss Symbols for children with cerebral palsy, a valued member of the Board of Directors of the Central Coast Children’s Foundation, and the founder and first editor of Figuratively Speaking.

And she was much more: a steadfast friend, a willing volunteer, an amazing colleague, and an all-around wonderful lady.

Anne’s proper English upbringing and consistent ladylike behaviour provided cover for a quick and sometimes mischievous wit and an adventurous streak that took her around the world in support of children and adults with communication impairments.

She was also a great wife to Ed, an always supportive mother to Scott, Bill and Deborah, and a valued and valuable grandmother to Dylan, Emily and Vanessa.

Anne’s long career included stints as a speech-language pathologist at Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre, Ottawa, ON and Ontario Children’s Treatment Centre, Toronto, ON (now Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Centre) in Canada. She served as an international AAC consultant for ISAAC (the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication). Anne was known as “Anne Auntie” to the children at the Indian Institute for Cerebral Palsy in Kolkata, India and as a mentor to emerging augmentative communication programs all over the world.

Anne left this world she served so well in the same way she lived in it–peacefully and on her own terms. Her wish for us, in the words of a favorite poem, was that we “smile, open our eyes, love and go on.”

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