"Access. Opportunity. Justice." is written above the round CommunicationFIRST logo in black and white, with the tagline "Because communication is a human right." On the right is the Giving Tuesday logo and the words: "Support the fight for communication justice and equity!"

We postponed our 4th birthday fundraiser in early October due to world events. This week, we are combining Giving Tuesday with that annual fundraiser and setting an ambitious goal of raising $25,000 by December 1! Help us celebrate our birthday and Giving Tuesday at the same time. We cannot advance our mission to improve the civil rights of people with speech disabilities without your support. The first $2,500 was matched by the law firm of Vanaman German LLP. The next $7,000 in contributions will be matched by The Gupta Foundation! Thank you for your generosity!

$25,150 of $25,000 raised

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    Donation Total: $250.00 One Time

    With your help, over the past 4 years, we have begun to transform the national conversation about the legal rights and lived experiences of people who need and use augmentative and alternative (AAC) tools and supports. We are ensuring conversations at the federal and state level around policy issues that impact us – guardianship, access to health care, restraint and seclusion, education, access to justice, employment, institutionalization, effective communication, and more – include our voices and address our interests. We are ambitious and unrelenting disabled advocates who believe in radical inclusion and acceptance. We are fighting to change hearts and minds, and to build a world that centers justice, community, dignity, and humanity. And we are just getting started. We have so much more to do and with your help, we will!
    The Power and Art of AAC: Disrupting Racism, Ableism, and Oppression - A Conversation with Three Generations of Award-Winning Artists and Activists: Devva Kasnitz, Lateef McLeod, DJ Savarese, and Bob Williams. Text is on a bright yellow background, and the round CommunicationFIRST logo is in black and white, with the tagline, "Because communication is a human right."

    The Power and Art of AAC: Disrupting Racism, Ableism, and Oppression

    By Communication FIRST | April 4, 2023

    On June 20, 2022, the evening after Juneteenth, CommunicationFIRST Policy Director Bob Williams, and CommunicationFIRST Advisory Council member Devva Kasnitz…

    Bob Williams, an older white man sitting in a wheelchair and wearing a yarmulke looks at the audience while presenting in front of a microphone. A speech generating device is in front of him. Two women rabbis sit behind him looking on.

    Bob Williams Eulogy for Judy Heumann

    By Communication FIRST | March 8, 2023

    The following is the transcript of Bob Williams’ eulogy delivered at the March 8, 2023 memorial service for CommunicationFIRST’s late…

    A photo collage containing eight different photos of Judy Heumann with Bob Williams, Jordyn Zimmerman, Tauna Szymanski, and others

    “All Voices Matter” – Remembering Judy Heumann (1947 – 2023)

    By Communication FIRST | March 7, 2023

    Like others in the disability community and around the world, everyone at CommunicationFIRST is devastated by the untimely loss of…

    out of focus image of a parked police car with blue lights on at night

    Police Brutality: A (Speech) Disability Concern

    By Communication FIRST | February 14, 2023

    Content Warning: This post discusses police brutality against disabled people.  On January 26, 2023, police in Huntington Park, California, fatally…

    Two Black men kneeling on a stage facing the audience. One is behind the other and his hands are on the biceps of the man in front, who is wearing a grey tanktop and white trousers. Both men have serious looks on their faces. The man in back has long hair and a short beard, and his face is partially obscured by the man in front. The man in front is Lateef McLeod and he has very short hair with a hint of a beard. His hands are balled into relaxed fists and are laying on top of each other at the wrist. They are bathed in a warm light, and the background is bathed in an electric blue light.

    So Much

    By Communication FIRST | February 14, 2023

    I hear their painful cries jut up from cracks on the street.

    The block is a scorching frying pan,

    frying my brothers on the pavement.

    Image with green background and blue text that says, “What is speechism?” To the right of the text are four question marks in black of varying sizes and a thin vertical line behind one of the question marks.

    What is Speechism?

    By Communication FIRST | December 16, 2022

    A Working Definition and Request for Input For centuries, people with significant speech disabilities have been treated as if we…

    A smiling white woman in her 20s with medium length brown hair wearing a light pink blazer over a grey t-shirt that says "Speech does not make someone more human" and a conference lanyard around her neck that says "Jordyn" and "Presenter" and has a mini-fidget attached. She is standing in front of a screen that says "2022 ASHA Convention - SLPs as Gatekeepers: Reimagining, Challenging, and Pushing Our Assumptions - 2:45-3:45". The bottom of the screen says 2:22 PM and November 18, 2022, and New Orleans Convention Center.

    SLPs as AAC Gatekeepers

    By Communication FIRST | December 12, 2022

    Guest blog by Jordyn Zimmerman, M.Ed. On November 18, 2022, CommunicationFIRST Board Chair Jordyn Zimmerman gave an invited presentation at…

    White text on a green-shaded background with an image of a child being examined by a doctor, reading " Ignoring a child’s need, ability, and right to express themselves and be understood in a health care setting is dangerous to their health, well-being, and life. -- Bob Williams" and the CommunicationFIRST logo in black and white, with the tagline, "Because communication is a human right."

    Kids Need to Be Able to Communicate with their Doctors

    By Communication FIRST | November 23, 2022

    Bob Williams Testimony on behalf of CommunicationFIRST on the Rights of Children and Youth to Effective Communication and Quality Health Care…

    Yellow background with black text that reads, "Run for Office with a Speech Disability?"

    Run for Office with a Speech Disability?

    By Communication FIRST | November 4, 2022

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CommunicationFIRST joins other disability rights advocates to express dismay at the public and media response to a…