![[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.]](https://communicationfirst.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Bob-Williams-Protect-Medicaid-Remarks-by-Alison-Chandra-1-1600x2133.jpg)
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.
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!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 7, 2023 Contact: Tauna Szymanski & Bob Williams at info@communicationfirst.org, 202-556-0573 WASHINGTON, D.C. — CommunicationFIRST,…
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.
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.
