Uncategorized 2 | CommunicationFIRST

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.

Bob Williams on the Power of Free Speech

December 15, 2024 Communication FIRST

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.

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.

Communicating in Times of Stress

December 5, 2024 Communication FIRST

Our resource guides people with speech-related disabilities and mental health conditions, allies, and lifeline workers.

Lateef McLeod, a Black man wearing a black fleece top sits in his power wheelchair smiling at the camera.

Dr. Lateef McLeod on “How Ableism Impacts People Who Use AAC”

November 20, 2024 Communication FIRST

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.

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.

Connecting on AAC Research Opportunities

October 29, 2024 Communication FIRST

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!

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.

Tips for Online Meetings with AAC Users, by AAC Users

August 30, 2024 Communication FIRST

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

Bob Williams and Jordyn Zimmerman sit on a dais chatting with one another. They both have AAC devices in front of them.

Bob Williams on Literacy and AAC

August 23, 2024 Communication FIRST

Bob Williams’s Literacy and AAC presentation was first given at the Future of AAC Research Summit on May 14, 2024, in Arlington, Virginia.

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.

Technology for Equitable Communication: AAC Users Weigh In

July 25, 2024 Communication FIRST

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.

AUCD Leadership Award

April 24, 2023 Communication FIRST

On April 19, 2023, CommunicationFIRST was honored to be given an award from the Association of University Centers on Disabilities…

The Power and Art of AAC: Disrupting Racism, Ableism, and Oppression

April 4, 2023 Communication FIRST

On June 20, 2022, the evening after Juneteenth, CommunicationFIRST Policy Director Bob Williams, and CommunicationFIRST Advisory Council member Devva Kasnitz…

Bob Williams, an older white man sitting in a wheelchair and wearing a yarmulke looks at the audience while presenting in front of a microphone. A speech generating device is in front of him. Two women rabbis sit behind him looking on.

Bob Williams Eulogy for Judy Heumann

March 8, 2023 Communication FIRST

Bob Williams delivering a eulogy at Judy Heumann’s memorial service at the Adas Israel Congregation synagogue in Washington, DC, on…

Two Black men kneeling on a stage facing the audience. One is behind the other and his hands are on the biceps of the man in front, who is wearing a grey tanktop and white trousers. Both men have serious looks on their faces. The man in back has long hair and a short beard, and his face is partially obscured by the man in front. The man in front is Lateef McLeod and he has very short hair with a hint of a beard. His hands are balled into relaxed fists and are laying on top of each other at the wrist. They are bathed in a warm light, and the background is bathed in an electric blue light.

So Much

February 14, 2023 Communication FIRST

I hear their painful cries jut up from cracks on the street.

The block is a scorching frying pan,

frying my brothers on the pavement.

Category: Uncategorized