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Bob Williams on the Power of Free Speech

By Communication FIRST | Dec 15, 2024
Outside the U.S. Capitol, CommunicationFIRST Policy Director Bob Williams poses with Executive & Legal Director Tauna Szymanski. The smiling co-founders sport sunglasses. An AAC device is fixed to Bob’s powerchair.

In celebration of Bill of Rights Day, Bob Williams reflects on the power free expression holds for those of us who cannot rely on speech alone to be heard and understood.
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Communicating in Times of Stress

By Communication FIRST | Dec 5, 2024
A glimpse over the shoulder of Ren, a fat nonbinary person with glasses and a partially shaved head visible, as they type into the AAC app on their smartphone. On their lap, a blanket is visible, patterned with smiling cartoon ghosts in the colors of the transgender flag.

Our resource guides people with speech-related disabilities and mental health conditions, allies, and lifeline workers.
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Dr. Lateef McLeod on “How Ableism Impacts People Who Use AAC”

By Communication FIRST | Nov 20, 2024
Lateef McLeod, a Black man wearing a black fleece top sits in his power wheelchair smiling at the camera.

Dr. Lateef McLeod’s “How Ableism Impacts People Who Use AAC” presentation was first given at the Future of AAC Research Summit on May 14, 2024, in Arlington, Virginia.
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Connecting on AAC Research Opportunities

By Communication FIRST | Oct 29, 2024
A smiling young girl uses her AAC device. Three women surrounding the girl cheer her on, and another woman sitting at the dining room table with them takes notes.

If you are a researcher, an AAC user interested in research opportunities, or a person supporting an AAC user interested in these opportunities, learn about how we can best connect you!
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Tips for Online Meetings with AAC Users, by AAC Users

By Communication FIRST | Aug 30, 2024
A drawing of five hands represents the Five Finger/Number voting method. The first hand holds up one finger, the second hand holds up two, the third hand holds up three, the fourth hand holds up four, and the fifth hand holds up five.

This resource includes quick tips written by AAC users on organizing and hosting online meetings with AAC users.
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Bob Williams on Literacy and AAC

By Communication FIRST | Aug 23, 2024
Bob Williams and Jordyn Zimmerman sit on a dais chatting with one another. They both have AAC devices in front of them.

Bob Williams’s Literacy and AAC presentation was first given at the Future of AAC Research Summit on May 14, 2024, in Arlington, Virginia.
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Technology for Equitable Communication: AAC Users Weigh In

By Communication FIRST | Jul 25, 2024
Three different speech generating devices are on a round table among drinking glasses and dinner plates. An AAC user's hand is in view as they type on one of the devices.

CommunicationFIRST held a brainstorming session to begin to identify some of the “good, bad, and ugly” ways technologies can uniquely impact people with speech-related disabilities.
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New Film, 13 AAC Users: Priorities for Future Research

By Communication FIRST | Jul 11, 2024
Pancho Ramirez, a Latino AAC user, uses his AAC device.

CommunicationFIRST publicly recruited a diverse group of AAC users who were willing to be interviewed on camera about their priorities for AAC research.
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AAC Research Summit: Select AAC Users on Research Priorities

By Communication FIRST | Jun 21, 2024
Screenshot of Alice Wong from her video presentation

In a first-of-its-kind event held May 13-14, 2024, people with speech-related disabilities from around the U.S. told senior federal officials and researchers how future research dollars should be prioritized.
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