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OSLHA has conducted three Sponsored Silent events, with a fourth scheduled for later this year:
- Warren McClellan, Loveland Intermediate School principal, communicated via AAC with students during a recess and classroom period. The students and staff sponsored the event by donating money to keep their principal "quiet." Proceeds were donated to the special education fund of the Loveland school district.
- State Sen. David Goodman held a town hall meeting in a Columbus nursing home to discuss political issues, communicating with residents using an AAC device.
- Nancy Zimpher, University of Cincinnati (UC) president, and Elizabeth King, dean of the College of Allied Health Sciences, used an AAC device to present part of their opening addresses at the College's 2007 research conference. The UC chapter of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association made a donation to OSLHA to mark the event.
- A fourth event, scheduled for December at a UC basketball game, will feature a radio sports commentator. At half-time, the announcer will use only a pre-programmed AAC device to comment on the first half of the game and to promote speech and hearing services to spectators. The announcer will also interview an individual who uses an AAC device. Other universities in Ohio will be challenged to follow UC's lead and implement a Sponsored Silence event.
Key steps in organizing a Sponsored Silence event include:
- Choose and solicit the community leader
- Select a time for the event and define the leader's activity
- Recruit volunteers to help organize and publicize the event
- Secure an AAC device
- Train the community leader to use the AAC device
- Determine if sponsorship is appropriate
- Arrange for media coverage
- Record the event, including follow-up interviews with participants
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