health care | CommunicationFIRST

Marisa Conners wears a sparkling pink formal dress and poses in front of a background filled with golden lights, stars, and orbs.

Medicaid: The Quiet Force Behind My Independence

January 28, 2026 Communication FIRST

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.

[Image: Bob Williams wears a plaid cap and glasses. He sits in a powerchair with a microphone near his speech-generating device. Behind him is the US Capitol building. Image credit: Alison Chandra.]

“We Take Care of Our Own:” Protecting Medicaid

September 26, 2025 Communication FIRST

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During the last week of July 2025, Caring Across Generations, CommunicationFIRST, and other partners held a 60-Hour Protect Medicaid Vigil. This vigil showed Congress the huge importance of Medicaid to many constituents with disabilities and their allies. During the vigil, CommunicationFIRST’s Co-Founder Bob Williams gave the following personal remarks.

A smiling child wearing a gold crown sits in a mobility chair outside while looking at an AAC device.

Virginia Legislature To Require AAC Training in Schools

March 28, 2025 Communication FIRST

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Earlier this week, Virginia adopted its first law expressly addressing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Read our summary and statement of the law here.

Multiple white marble columns on a bright day.

CommunicationFIRST Statement Opposing Attack on the Administration for Community Living

March 27, 2025 Communication FIRST

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Read CommunicationFIRST’s statement in response to the planned elimination of the Administration for Community Living.

Black words over a white background read: “The most powerful way to advocate is to tell your story.” Blue quotes surround the text.

Advocating for Policy Change

March 19, 2025 Communication FIRST

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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.

Alongside their aides, AAC users eat boxed lunches at a table in a hotel atrium.

What Would You Do Without Your Aide?

January 31, 2025 Communication FIRST

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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!

CommunicationFIRST Welcomes Long-Overdue Disability Rights Rule Proposal

September 7, 2023 Communication FIRST

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 7, 2023 Contact: Tauna Szymanski & Bob Williams at info@communicationfirst.org, 202-556-0573 WASHINGTON, D.C. —…

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CommunicationFIRST Joins Complaint Against MedStar for Violating Communication Rights of DC Patient

September 17, 2020 Communication First

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Yesterday, CommunicationFIRST joined Disability Rights DC and other disability rights groups in filing a complaint against MedStar, a private hospital in the District of Columbia, for violating the communication rights of a patient for failing to provide him the in-person supports he requires to communicate with health care personnel and to provide informed consent.

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CommunicationFIRST Joins Amicus Brief Challenging Rollback of Communication Protections in Health Care Settings

August 11, 2020 Communication First

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Yesterday, CommunicationFIRST joined an amicus brief in federal court in support of Washington state’s Attorney General to seek a preliminary injunction to prevent a regulatory rollback of communication protections in health care settings.