Tony O'D

Until his brain haemorrhage, Tony was a teacher. He had been the headmaster of a London secondary school for five years. He had a PhD in philosophy and he said:

I know that there has been problems with my little problem but it was lucky that I have my wife Catherine and my three kids James, Mark and Paul who was able to help.

Tony still has some things he wrote for his work, although he can no longer read them. He also has an audiotape of himself dictating a document, recorded shortly before his brain haemorrhage: he has kept it as a souvenir.

Below, Tony uses drawings and words to describe the communication difficulties he has had since his stroke. He also talks about some of the strategies he has used to help him to overcome them.

This page was made in collaboration with Becky. Some of the words were written by Tony, using speech-to-text computer software; some were noted down in conversation with Tony. They have not been changed, but with Tony’s permission Becky has sometimes added comments. Tony's words are in blue, Becky's are in black. All of the images were created and selected by Tony.

Some years at this time I had to talk about for a large group of people. I'm sure it was not that there realise. I was not very good indeed as a Aphasia. And they did not know me. However I thought it could be a very interesting part; an O.K. or a terrible mess!

These are the pictures that are actually used.

Tony used the drawings below  for a talk he gave to 'speech and language therapists' (his inverted commas) about how he feels he communicates. They did realise that he has aphasia when they asked him to talk, but they didn't know it is quite severe. He decided to go ahead and see what happened.

I’m a nice man. I’m happy.

This is my problem: the brain.

One side doesn’t work.

This is what’s happened.

This little bit here: there it is on that side. Bu-boom.

Then of course you go down.

That’s where they chopped it.

Nine hours to chop it, the whole thing.

My wife wrote: ‘brain haemorrhage.’

This is now. Haemorrhage eleven years ago.

The things that I’m ok still: walking, drinking, eating.

The ones that I’m bad at: reading, speaking, writing, understanding.

 Four to five years, reading speaking writing understanding don’t work at all.

<< This is the left side of the brain. 

This is the right side of the brain. >>

<< This is the side that doesn’t work. 

One side, it’s ok: eyes, talking (not sure), hand movement, walking around (so so), hearing (half and half).

This one problems. Eyes; miss things on one side. Talking, not quite sure, out. Hand on this side pretty good. Cold sometimes. Walking is pretty good. Hearing things, mixed around. I can hear what you’re talking about. But if you ask me words, I haven’t got a clue because I don’t hear it. 

This is me. I’m saying how I can talk. Sometimes I don’t talk it well. Sometimes 10%. Sometimes 1%. It takes me hours. One side is ok. Other side is difficult. The hearing, sometimes 10%, sometimes 1%.

Bring them together. Nobody can say how they come together.

This is what the doctor and psycho people say: I have an IQ of 52!! (I took this as a joke.) I knew all about this with the kids at school.

I don’t like it when people say: ‘Tony is a gentleman’. What would you do? 

Tony is explaining that he doesn't like to be patronised.

This is the real problem.

Starting from the last three years.

I couldn’t say anything and the reason I couldn’t catch between hearing and talking.

It took me about two years to sort out the ‘b’ and the ‘t’ and the ‘d’.

If I can see it I can do it. I actually know where it is in the mouth.

I took hours and hours, weeks and weeks, using the computer to bring those out.

At first, Tony couldn't say words at all. Tony found he could make sounds more easily if he worked  out where in the mouth they were produced. He made detailed charts showing where all the different sounds are made. 

I was trying to use pictures to make as a language.
 

Tony wanted to find a way of using pictures and symbols to communicate, instead of writing:

This work that I really wanted to go further than it had been, looking to find a way of as a "talking and hearing".

These little pictures make up new "words".

I think it's no real problem.
 

There is another way of thinking of words. This is the problem that our language have usest thusands years.

And how can we used the sentences. And a sentence is not very easy also.

But we need haven't groups, very large groups, becomes a total way gives a 1,000 years on.

It does not have to be a way of sentencing and languages as 1,000 years. One needs an other idias to have somethings to have othe ways.

Tony knows a system lots of people could use to 'say' whole sentences might take a very long time to develop.
 

This is any way you can think between "seeing and talking". It must!

The interesting of these is about the China. 

This problem is the first one:

It is that the symbols of the China people have made them thousands of there years.

This is the second part:

To become making such symbols should be through it way of talking-hearing. That would seem to be normal. But is so easy!

That would look impossible, was silly. Still had other problems, how can one need as a grammar.

The pictures have somewhere at least as you can bring those pictures together.

There is another way, as an idea as "the maths" and even the philosophy as sometimes.

This was something impossible. I did not know that one might find another way.

This "therepist" had been working in the University London for their science language, that she thought there was an old way, that it was not thought on, that had find any books as there university or other places.

I looked all over the places convenient. I got a single one, from all from the London University places.
 

Tony started trying to find books about using symbols to communicate; he found only one:

This was of its large and old book fall of all the tings is called as this Bliss.

Prof. Fawcus showed me about other books been used a few times before them.

He showed me to suggest that Mrs. Ena Davies to this had been used this.

I went to Ena in Wales. She showed me another book but had told me to go to Canada to meet Dr Shirley McNaughton. I went to go to Canada. She was very kindly to meet us. With Shirley I had a really good time, we stayed with them. She was so kind to us and she had for to me a lot of time and we had time to talked. Dr McNaughton's had worked with the [people with cerebral palsy].

After an other year on I went to Ireland and thare some people who had interesting in this work. It is a groop to carry on to do this work. 

But on this way have a problem which it is not so as others. But, this surpassing is on the "words" between myself and others. I have the main problem between myself has a language and to there grammar.

Since his original search, Tony has now found 5 or 6 books.

I've been doing a bit of life drawing for about six years.I usually throw them away, but I quite like this one.

Tony let me choose this from his portfolio. The original picture was ruined in a flood.