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Systemic social isolation of AAC users (Blasko, 2024)

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Grant Blasko

Grant Blasko is a young adult nonspeaking autistic student and part of the Summit’s Organizing Committee. He is a University of Washington DO-IT Scholar, an active member of TASH’s National Communication Access Workgroup, and a CommunicationFIRST Advisory Council member. He has served as a stakeholder on panels guiding autism professionals at the American Occupational Therapy Association, CAST, and the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR).

Webcast Description

This presentation was first made at the Future of AAC Research Summit on May 13, 2024.

Please cite as
Blasko, G. (2024, May 13). Systemic social isolation of AAC users. [Conference session]. Future of AAC Research Summit, Arlington, VA. https://tinyurl.com/AAC-Blasko-2024

Video production by Rylie Mueller (Penn State University)

Additional Resources

Blasko, G. (2025). Unveiling underlying systemic isolation challenges for AAC users. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/07434618.2025.2515279

Blasko, G. (2022). Thoughts from an Autistic AAC User After the April 2022 Meeting of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. https://communicationfirst.org/thoughts-from-an-autistic-aac-user-after-the-april-2022-meeting-of-the-interagency-autism-coordinating-committee/

Blasko, G. (2022). Autism Acceptance … of Communication Stress? https://communicationfirst.org/autism-acceptance–of-communication-stress/

Speech is Simpy Exhausting (corbin, 2024)

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endever* corbin

endever* corbin is a multiply disabled semispeaking autistic self-advocate. Their life has improved so markedly since getting access to AAC that they now spend a lot of their time on research, presentations, consulting, and mentoring related to it.

Webcast Description

This presentation was first made at the Future of AAC Research Summit on May 13, 2024.

Please cite as
corbin, e. (2024, May 13). Speech is simply exhausting. [Webinar]. Future of AAC Research Summit, Arlington, VA. https://tinyurl.com/AAC-speech-2024

Transcript as pdf

Video production by Rylie Mueller (Penn State University)

Additional Resources

Donaldson, A. L., corbin, e., Zisk, A. H., & Eddy, B. (2023). Promotion of communication access, choice, and agency for autistic students. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 54(1), 140-155.

Donaldson, A. L., corbin, e., & McCoy, J. (2021). “Everyone deserves AAC”: Preliminary study of the experiences of speaking autistic adults who use augmentative and alternative communication. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 6(2), 315-326.

Supporting individuals who need AAC in learning language & literacy (Holyfield et al, 2024)

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Presentation Team

Christine Holyfield, Janice Light, David McNaughton, Dana Nieder, and Jamie Preece

Webcast Description

This presentation was first made at the Future of AAC Research Summit on May 14, 2024.

Cite as
Holyfield, C., Light, J., McNaughton, D., Nieder, D., & Preece, J. (2024, May 14). Supporting individuals who need AAC in learning language & literacy: State of the science, emerging technologies, and future research directions [Conference session]. Future of AAC Research Summit, Arlington, VA. https://tinyurl.com/AAC-Holyfield-et-al-2024

(Transcript as pdf)

Video production by Rebecca Wood (Penn State University)

Additional Resources

Light, J., Barwise, A., Gardner, A. M., & Flynn, M. (2021). Personalized early AAC intervention to build language and literacy skills: A case study of a 3-year-old with complex communication needs. Topics in Language Disorders, 41(3), 209-231.

Patenaude, D., McNaughton, D., & Liang, Z. (2024). Using visual scene displays with young children: An evidence-based practice synthesis. Journal of Special Education Technology, Early on-line.

Bridging Research to Practice with Visual Scene Displays (VSDs)

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6 presentersSix AAC scholars describe the results of research examining creative uses of a visual scene display (VSD) approach to supporting communication. The webcast was sponsored by the Attainment Company and hosted by the International Society of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC). Please click on a link below to watch a specific topic.

 

Christine Holyfield (University of Arkansas) 
Introduction to Visual Scene Displays (VSDs)

Michelle Therrien (Florida State University) 
Using VSDs to support peer interaction during book reading 

Emily Laubscher (Penn State University) 
Using Video VSDs to support communication during play 

Nimisha Muttiah (University of Kelaniya) 
Training paraprofessionals to use low-tech VSDs  

Jessica Caron (Penn State University) 
Using the Transition to Literacy feature in VSDs to support single word reading 

Salena Babb (Messiah University) 
Using Video VSDs to support work skills 

All
Questions and answers with audience

Successful employment for individuals who use AAC

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Dr. David McNaughton (Penn State University) & Anthony Arnold  (Prentke-Romich)

Webcast Description

David McNaughton (Penn State University) and Anthony Arnold (Prentke-Romich Company) describe strategies to support employment for individuals who use AAC. All strategies are illustrated with “success stories” of people who use AAC and who are employed.

Key components of successful employment include

  1. Developing employee knowledge and skills that are valued in the workplace
  2. Identifying and developing jobs that are a good match for the skills and interests of the AAC user
  3. Ensuing that needed supports are available to maintain employment success

Additional Resources

Alternatively Speaking – Augmented Communicators on Work (1998)
This issue focuses on the work experiences of persons who use AAC, and strategies (for use at any age) to prepare for employment.

A 10-item quiz based on the content of this webcast is available at the AAC Learning Center Moodle. You will need to register at the AAC Learning Center Moodle in order to complete the quiz. Upon successful completion of the quiz, you will be able to download a Certificate of Completion.

This webcast was produced as part of the work of the AAC-RERC under grant #H133E080011 from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS)

 

The contents of this website are a joint offering of Penn State University and the RERC on AAC. They were developed, in part, under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90REGE0014) to the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (RERC on AAC). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this website do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, or HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.