Young people who must use communication devices to talk will be creating their own television show this week during Mississippi State's Camp Jabber Jaw.
The annual program that began Monday [June 7] and concludes Friday provides youngsters with communication problems "a chance to build their vocabulary, interact with other kids, and above all, have fun," said founder Janie Cirlot-New of the university's T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability.
Now in its seventh year, Jabber Jaw is hosting 14 campers between the ages of 4-18, the largest number yet.
With the assistance of University Television Center operations director Ralph Olivieri, this year's group is spending much of the week producing a "WCJJ" newscast, complete with the weather update, cooking segment and sports report.
Joining Martin Center staff members as camp leaders are MSU faculty members and Mississippi University for Women speech pathology majors. Children with typical speech abilities also are accompanying campers as role models and conversation partners.
The camp currently is funded by Mississippi Project START, an affiliate of the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitative Services.
For more information on Camp Jabber Jaw 2004, telephone (662) 325-1029.
