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!
Help us reach our goal!
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!
Three CommunicationFIRST Board Members Testify Before Senate Judiciary Subcommittee
Clarissa Kripke with Senate Judiciary Constitution Subcommittee Chair Senator Richard Blumenthal. Photo credit: Tauna Szymanski On September 28, 2021, three…
CommunicationFIRST Asks White House to Improve Communication Equity
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CommunicationFIRST Joins ACLU Amicus Brief in Britney Spears Conservatorship Case
CommunicationFIRST is pleased to announce it has joined other civil and disability rights groups in filing a brief led by…
Guardianships for AAC Users? (Updated with Recordings)
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Speak Up for KASSA and Keep Our Kids Safe
Silence can impact all of us: our relationships, learning, and employment. Yet being placed in a setting of forced silence…
“Why are you using a male voice?”
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This Black History Month, It’s Time for Disability Justice
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OCR MedStar Hospital Visitor Policy Complaint Resolved
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Statement: MUSIC Reinforces Dangerous Stereotypes, Practices
WASHINGTON, D.C. – CommunicationFIRST, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), and the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint (AASR) today condemned the Golden Globe-nominated movie MUSIC, directed by singer-songwriter Sia Furler. The film, released widely via video on-demand services today, contains a number of deeply disturbing and potentially harmful scenes.