This page contains resources, announcements, guest blogs, essays, videos, and other stuff. Come back often!
The federal government has established a new rule that could make it harder for people who need AAC to keep Medicaid. We need your help to fight this! Please send in your comments by July 31, 2026 at 11:59 pm Eastern Time.
The DOJ released a memo stating it will not enforce the Olmstead decision, which protects the right of people with disabilities to choose where to live. Learn about this attack on our community and how to take action via CommunicationFIRST’s explainer.
“Every message already takes attention, motor planning, and time,” says Hari Srinivasan, Neuroscience Ph.D. candidate and AAC user. “When technology adds corrections and guesswork, it compounds that effort.” He explains how engineered exclusion harms AAC users and how designed dignity enhances inclusion.
CommunicationFIRST Program Associate Ren Koloni shares their experience in graduate school as a multiply disabled AAC user. Ren discusses access for our community and their research on ableism in medical settings.
In this guest blog, Glenda Watson Hyatt answers our questions about her recent master’s thesis on the employment (and discrimination) of people with speech disabilities, including those who use AAC.
Every student deserves to be safe at school. House and Senate leaders reintroduced the Keeping All Students Safe Act to protect students from seclusion and dangerous restraint in school. Learn how to help and learn about KASSA’s impact on our community.
Disability advocate, AAC user, and fashionista, Marisa Conners, says her Medicaid HCBS waiver ensures her “needs and preferences are respected,” and it enables her to advocate and create in ways that align with her communication style. Learn how in her guest blog.
The Policy Advocacy 101 Webinar invited a panel of policy experts who are part of our community to discuss the ways they advocate for change.
We’re still processing the crushing news about the passing of CommunicationFIRST friend and Advisory Council member Alice Wong. We were made better by her work. Read about some of her AAC and communication-disability-related activism.