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.
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.
With mixed feelings, we share the news that CommunicationFIRST’s co-founder Bob Williams is retiring.
This webinar first aired on October 15, 2024, and begins with a screening of CommunicationFIRST’s latest See Us, Hear Us film featuring Bob Williams. It is followed by a discussion among CommunicationFIRST Policy Director Bob Williams, Forest Haven Institution survivors Ricardo Thornton and Donna Thornton, and advocate and ally Rebecca Salon.
Earlier this week, Virginia adopted its first law expressly addressing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Read our summary and statement of the law here.
Read CommunicationFIRST’s statement in response to the planned elimination of the Administration for Community Living.
Medicaid is at risk! Your elected representatives need to hear how losing your Medicaid waiver would change your life. This Policy Advocacy for AAC Users toolkit provides some tips.
Share how Medicaid cuts would hurt you or those around you who need Medicaid to stay in the community. We put together some resources from our amazing partners to make this easy!
Sophie Bohnen navigates the world with a whisper. When Sophie developed Laryngeal Dystonia, she adopted a voice amplification device and found her voice in advocacy. Sophie is creating a platform for people who go unheard to share their stories.