AAC Speaker Connection

People who use AAC deserve to have their voices heard and to be reimbursed for their unique contributions. USSAAC's AAC Speaker Connection is here to connect people who use AAC of all ages with universities and schools, conference organizers, media outlets, families, industry and advocates across the United States. People who use AAC can now more easily share their remarkable stories, skills, knowledge and insights. USSAAC's AAC Speaker Connection makes it easier to amplify the voices of AAC.

*Listing in USSAAC's Speaker Connection is not an endorsement. Views and opinions expressed by members of USSAAC's Speaker Connection are their own and do not reflect official views and opinions of USSAAC.

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Browse Speakers

Precious Zimbwa

Crowley, TX

Amanda Forry

Williamsburg, VA

Maricor Pagsanjan

Fremont, CA

Testimonials

Event Organizers

India Ochs is a powerful speaker. She passionately presents on a wide array of topics including: justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. India draws on her experience as an advocate, lawyer, parent and user of AAC to empower others to think from other perspectives. If you want a "mic drop" presenter, India will not disappoint.

Brandi Wentland M.A., CCC-SLP

Stasia was a wonderful presenter! She joined our group incredibly well-prepared and shared such an impactful message.

Beth Frick Semmler, PhD, CCC-SLP
AAC Research and Outreach Coordinator
RERC on AAC, Penn State University

Hannah presented to our group about AAC etiquette. She had such an engaging presentation! Hannah came very prepared and sent slides in advance of her presentation. She also shared great information while fielding questions from our group!

Beth Frick Semmler, PhD, CCC-SLP
AAC Research and Outreach Coordinator
RERC on AAC, Penn State University

Graduate students noted how important it was to hear Mateo's perspectives on their role and the dos and don'ts of communicating. He's versatile enough to present his views to any age group. His personality lights up any room, in person or virtually.

Kathryn Dorney, PhD, CCC-SLP
Clinical Instructor
Western Carolina University

We had Sara Young come visit our colloquium, and she was an excellent speaker and advocate for AAC users. I enjoyed her personal experiences and descriptions of her life.

Rebecca DeLaMare Wood, MS Ed
Vice President I The Graduate Special Education Research Collaborative
Penn State University

The impact of hearing Anastasia's story first-hand was incredibly meaningful.

Joanna Holzman
AAC Implementation Coach
Chicago Public Schools

The students loved learning about Mark's experiences as an AAC user, and their overall perspectives on life.

Lauramarie Pope, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Assistant Professor, Auburn University

Donnie presented to our group about consent as it relates to AAC and AAC users. Donnie was incredibly well-prepared and even sent our group readings and resources ahead of time. Donnie's presentation challenged our group to consider how we teach, encourage, and support consent in our research and clinical practice. It was a wonderful presentation!

Beth Frick Semmler, PhD, CCC-SLP
AAC Research and Outreach Coordinator
RERC on AAC, Penn State University

Mateo spoke with my undergraduate class over Zoom at the end of the semester. The course was intended for future speech-language pathologists and focused on AAC in the context of developmental communication disorders. Mateo graciously shared his experiences with us - including his journey with AAC, how AAC has impacted his life, what advice he would give to speech-language pathologists and communication partners more generally, and more. As an instructor, I really appreciated hearing his story, but perhaps more importantly, the students really benefited from Mateo speaking with the class. In their reflections, the students shared things such as how Mateo's story reinforced many of the concepts we discussed in class, how they didn't truly understand the barriers many AAC users face, and how he helped them to realize the importance of making AAC interventions fun and functional for children. I highly recommend Mateo. Working with Mateo from start to finish was a very straightforward process. I definitely plan on inviting him back in future semesters!

Emily Lorang, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Lingo Lab, Communicative Sciences and Disorders, Michigan State University
She/Her

Hannah was a fantastic guest lecturer for my graduate course on AAC. She was easy to communicate with, quick to respond, and very professional throughout the process. She created an informative and well-organized presentation and promptly shared the slides with me so I could distribute them to my students. Her insights were incredibly valuable, and she effectively answered all questions. My students especially appreciated hearing directly from an AAC user, which added a meaningful perspective to our discussion. I would highly recommend Hannah as a guest lecturer for any course on AAC, particularly when covering the assessment of AAC users.

Adrianna Noyes, PhD, CCC-SLP
Assistant Professor
University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Attendees

I'm very grateful to Mateo for taking time out of his day to speak with us. I personally have never talked with an AAC user, so I was excited to hear Mateo speak and didn't know exactly what to expect. Throughout his answers, I noted how much our lessons in 470 were reflected in his life experience. Of course, having lectures discuss important aspects of AAC learning and advocacy is essential, but hearing firsthand from an AAC user reaffirming our lessons was validating.

Excerpts from student reflections

This was my first time hearing directly from an AAC user about their experience, and it really, really touched me. Although I have always had this perspective toward people who use AAC, Mateo deepened my understanding.

Ryan Albuck
Graduate Student, Salus at Drexel University

Good morning. I just wanted to jot down for you just how impressive your performance was last night. You absolutely crushed it. Your answers were well thought out, and engaging. You were very approachable and polished in your delivery and language. [Your opponent] came off as another former school official that's not plugged into the realities (economic, racial, neuro specific) that many families face in AA county. Her resume is impressive, but you are much more impressive as a voice of empathy and for social change. Yours is much needed in the debate over which direction to take schools in the midst of social change, justice system overhauls and a worldwide pandemic. Equity and equality for all!

Rick C.

Hearing directly from Mateo deepened my understanding of communication and inclusion by reminding me that individuals who use AAC are not defined by their communication method but that they are whole people with unique personalities, dreams, hobbies, and preferences.

Briana Tomlinson
Graduate Student, Salus at Drexel University

Learning tips for SLPs regarding intervention strategies with our clients who use AAC from Mateo was so important. I will make sure to always keep in mind making sessions fun and social for them when working with children who use AAC. I'd also like to make it my goal to go beyond their communication needs and also focus on quality of life aspects like making social relationships within the AAC community.

Excerpts from student reflections

During my first year as a doctoral student at Penn State University. Our team of faculty and graduate level students interested in AAC research met weekly for colloquium. The meetings provided the chance to share our latest research and to hear from experts in the field of AAC. This past year we had the opportunity to speak with a few individuals who use AAC during our colloquiums. Their use of high-tech speech generating devices and unaided alternative communication was robust and made a lasting impact on my future pursuits of furthering my AAC related research. I was amazed at the combination of prerecorded messages and language used on the spot over Zoom. These individuals were skillful, patient and flexible in the moment. Listening to these individuals allowed me to glimpse a possible future filled with rich language use for the students in the MDS classroom I previously supported.

Hearing from the people who use AAC is essential for other stakeholders in the field to help build a greater understanding about their unique needs and perspectives. I valued the interactions I had with these individuals during our colloquium meetings. I can only hope that the students I used to work with become competent and confident communicators with the assistance of AAC in their futures.

Tara McCarty, M.A., CCC-SLP
Pennsylvania State University
State College, PA

Learning about AAC via Zoom was challenging as we were deprived of the benefits of attending class in person. However, little did we know we would have gained so much more than we thought we lost. We had the pleasure of having a guest speaker come to class one day - a man who uses an AAC device as his primary method of communication. Not only was this speaker one of the most adventurous people I've ever met, but he was one of the most inspiring. He came to our class to discuss his day-to-day routines as well as his hobbies, interests, and past experiences. Meeting the speaker was my favorite class of the summer semester because we were able to ask him personal questions along with getting to know how great he was!

Cheyna Mulligan
Graduate Student at Pace University
New York, NY

As a first year graduate student, my exposure to AAC is limited. We were lucky enough to have Endever* prepare a powerful presentation discussing their personal experience with AAC and how their communication has evolved over the years. Endever* touches on topics such as inclusivity and accessibility to motivate others to delve deeper into the world of AAC. I learned so much from today's discussion and am grateful that Endever* took the time to come speak to our class!

Madison Gluck
Graduate Student, Pace University