SpeakUp articles
To the Future and Beyond: Can Telepractice be an Effective Treatment Tool for People Who Use AAC?
By Meggin Nunamaker Introduction It is said, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” In this case, the global covid pandemic made “no contact” restrictions necessary, which was the catalyst...
AAC Specialty Certification for Speech-Language Pathologists
by Meredith Gohsman, PhD CCC-SLP Introduction For speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in the United States, meeting the need of individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is one of...
“I Want to Sound Like a REAL Person!”: A Woman’s Discovery of Shortcomings of AAC Devices
by Meggin Nunamaker I use AAC; I have a virtual keyboard on my laptop screen that I mouse-click letters to “type” a message. I also use a text to...
Physical Prompting & AAC
Most clinicians agree that having a system that does not require any prompting by an assistant or family member is the ultimate goal for an AAC system, and providing...
USSAAC Leaders & Legends: David Yoder
Today, we honor legend David Yoder. David worked in what would be considered AAC (before it was called AAC) starting in the 1950s! He mentored pioneers in AAC including...
Higher tech isn’t always better tech
Greg offers a unique perspective that higher tech isn’t always better tech! He values reliability, having a face-to-face conversation with a partner that isn’t blocked by a screen, and...
AAC & Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
blog post by Betts Peters PhD. CCC-SLP Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting the motor neurons that carry signals between the brain, spinal cord, and...
USSAAC AAC Legends Series: The founding of USSAAC
USSAAC’s SpeakUp editorial committee is excited to introduce a new series honoring USSAAC legends! We hope to launch a quarterly post featuring an interview with one legend from USSAAC....
AAC Awareness Spotlight: AAC & Employment
USSAAC’s Vice-President for People Who Uses AAC & Families, Dr. Tracy Rackensberger, explains why awareness for both AAC and the employment for People with disabilities is so important. This...
October 2021 AAC Awareness Month
On behalf of USSAAC, we want to wish you a Happy AAC Awareness month! USSAAC’s campaign for this year is Amplifying AAC Voices Campaign. As part of this campaign,...
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