Grant Blasko Grant Blasko is a young adult nonspeaking autistic student and part of the Summit’s Organizing Committee. He is a University of Washington DO-IT Scholar, an active member of TASH’s National Communication Access Workgroup,… Systemic social isolation of AAC users (Blasko, 2024)
endever* corbin endever* corbin is a multiply disabled semispeaking autistic self-advocate. Their life has improved so markedly since getting access to AAC that they now spend a lot of their time on research, presentations, consulting,… Speech is Simpy Exhausting (corbin, 2024)
Melissa Crisp-Cooper Melissa Crisp-Cooper is a writer, adventure seeker, and advocate. She uses many forms of AAC. Melissa is the Associate Director of Participant Experience at The Arc San Francisco. Before joining The Arc,… Crossing the communication chasm (Crisp-Cooper, 2024)
Holyfield and colleagues present current research, and identify needed technical development, for supporting individuals who need AAC in learning language and literacy
Alice Wong Alice Wong (she/her) is a disabled activist, writer, media maker, and consultant. She is a relatively new AAC user and nonspeaking person. Alice is the founder and director of the Disability Visibility Project, an… How ableism impacts people who need and use AAC (Wong, 2024)
Creative uses of a visual scene display (VSD) approach to supporting communication
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Light and McNaughton apply the framework proposed by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) to illustrate the need to re-think AAC intervention to improve outcomes for individuals with complex communication needs, and to foster a new generation of intervention research that will provide a solid foundation for improved services. Specifically, the paper emphasizes the need to take a more holistic view of communication intervention and highlights the following key principles to guide AAC intervention and research: (a) build on the individual’s strengths and focus on the integration of skills to maximize communication, (b) focus on the individual’s participation in real-world contexts, (c) address psychosocial factors as well as skills, and (d) attend to extrinsic environmental factors as well as intrinsic factors related to the individual who requires AAC.
Tracy Rackensperger describes the importance of AAC supports for her many employment, independent living, and recreational activities, and areas in which she would like to see improvements in AAC technology.
Rob Rummel-Hudson describe the dangers of limited expectations, and the importance of opportunities and equity, in achieving meaningful outcomes for his daughter, Schuyler.
Chris Klein describes how his regular use of a consistent access and vocabulary coding system has resulted in effective and efficient use of his AAC system.