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Category: Uncategorized

"We are working way harder to be heard than we get credit for." - Grant Blasko. Image of a serious looking young white man with brown hair standing outside in front of a natural background. CommunicationFIRST logo at bottom

Autism Acceptance … of Communication Stress?

April 14, 2022 Communication FIRST

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Grant Blasko is a member of CommunicationFIRST’s Advisory Council. He is 19 years old, autistic, a full-time user of…

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Comments to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee

April 11, 2022 Communication FIRST

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On April 14, 2022, from 1:00-5:00 pm Eastern US time, the US Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) will be…

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Lateef McLeod, a black man looking serious at the camera while sitting in what appears to be a wheelchair

Running From the Ecological Wave

Communication FIRST

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The poem “Running from the Ecological Wave” was written by CommunicationFIRST Board member Lateef McLeod, who lives in Oakland,…

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Black and white high school photo of a smiling Bob Williams wearing glasses next to a quote that reads "It is a vast understatement to say that the publication of the 504 rules transformed my life." - Bob Williams. The blue and white Communication First logo is at the bottom.

Section 504 Needs to be Strengthened

March 28, 2022 Communication FIRST

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High school picture of Bob Williams in 1977. On February 22, 2022, CommunicationFIRST was invited to provide comments at…

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Image of a smiling black woman with short black hair wearing a suit and smiling at the camera. A tracheostomy scar is visible at her throat.

Reflection of a Black Immigrant Woman with a Speech Disability

February 23, 2022 Communication First

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Guest Blog by Laka Mitiku Negassa As a Black, immigrant woman with an acquired disability, I celebrate monumental events…

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Flyer in yellow and green with the words "Running for Office with a Speech Disability: A live webinar: December 15, 2021, 2:30-4:00 pm ET." Circular headshots of Coleman Watson, 2022 US Senate Candidate (a smiling, dark-haired Black man wearing a suit); India Ochs, 2020 School Board Candidate (a smiling, brown-haired White woman wearing a colorful top); Sascha Bittner, Guest Moderator (a smiling, auburn-haired White-appearing woman wearing a red and black top); and Angelica Vega, Guest Moderator (a smiling, black-haired Afro-Latina woman wearing a black and white top), with the green, black and white CommunicationFIRST logo at the bottom

Running for Office with a Speech Disability

December 8, 2021 Communication First

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Have you ever thought about running for political office? Here’s your chance to hear from four people with speech-related…

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image of US Supreme Court

Restraint and Seclusion Litigation Against Fairfax County Public Schools Is Resolved

November 24, 2021 Communication First

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We are pleased to announce that CommunicationFIRST, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), the Council of Parent Attorneys and…

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A black and white sketch line drawing of the face and shoulders of a Latinx-appearing man wearing glasses, a baseball cap, a moustache and goatee, wearing headphones and a head mouse with a slight smile on his face

Meet Pancho Ramirez, CommunicationFIRST’s Newest Board Member!

November 22, 2021 Communication First

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Pancho Ramirez is CommunicationFIRST’s newest Board member. As a Mexican immigrant farmworker, he acquired his speech disability in 2003…

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Image has text that reads "Request for Public Comment: The IACC invites public comment to inform the development of the 2021-2022 IACC Strategic Plan" with images with the covers of former strategic plans and the logo of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee

Tell the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee to Support Nonspeaking People and Communication Access!

November 21, 2021 Communication First

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The U.S. Government’s Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) helps determine how federal government money related to autism is spent.…

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partial image of an AAC device with the words "taking access and choice away is terrorizing"

Guest Blog: Communication Barriers Faced by AAC Users in Accessing Health Care

November 19, 2021 Communication First

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by endever* corbin This guest blog is adapted from a presentation given at the August 2021 Reinventing Quality conference.…

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abstract image of the back of a male-appearing black person with short black curly hair wearing a peach colored shirt who appears to be sitting at a desk in the back of a classroom

CommunicationFIRST to DC Council: Eliminate IQ Requirement to Qualify for Services

November 15, 2021 Communication First

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On November 5, 2021, CommunicationFIRST’s Policy Director, Bob Williams, submitted written testimony to urge the DC Council (Washington, DC’s…

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Text says "AAC Users Interview Jordyn Zimmerman - November 10, 2021 - 7:00 pm ET" Image of Jordyn, a young white adult woman with long brown hair sitting on a stage typing on an augmentative communication device, next to a flyer of the documentary film "This Is Not About Me"

AAC Users Interview Jordyn Zimmerman (Updated with Recordings)

October 29, 2021 Communication First

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On November 10, 2021, CommunicationFIRST hosted an opportunity for AAC users to interview Jordyn Zimmerman about the new documentary…

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Film laurels "Winner Astoria Film Festival 2021" LISTEN #ListenToNonspeakers on black white lettering and CommunicationFIRST logo in green and blue

LISTEN wins Film Festival Award!

October 7, 2021 Communication First

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We are thrilled and humbled to share that our film LISTEN: Made by and with Nonspeaking Autistics won the…

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Film poster with yellow background for This Is Not About Me documentary with images of a penguin, a small dog, and the upper body of a woman with a daisy super-imposed on her head. Bottom of the poster days "With the support of" and the logos for the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, AssistiveWare, CommunicationFIRST, and Thinking Person's Guide to Autism

This Is Not About Jordyn

October 6, 2021 Communication First

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On October 13, 2021, CommunicationFIRST is excited to join with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Thinking Person’s Guide to…

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A photo of five witnesses wearing suits seated before a long wooden table with papers in front of them in a US Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing room. One of the witnesses is Dr. Clarissa Kripke, wearing a red jacket. Four of the five witnesses are wearing masks. Four of the five witnesses are looking at the camera and appear to be smiling underneath their masks.

Three CommunicationFIRST Board Members Testify Before Senate Judiciary Subcommittee

Communication First

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Clarissa Kripke with Senate Judiciary Constitution Subcommittee Chair Senator Richard Blumenthal. Photo credit: Tauna Szymanski On September 28, 2021,…

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