AAC in the Cloud 2026

Transitioning into adulthood means being equipped for leading your own team, dealing with new life situations, and making sure you achieve your goals. Speaking up for ourselves, so we can achieve what we want in life is a skill everyone needs to learn, including those of us who use AAC.

"Digital assistants are increasingly present in homes and communities, yet their potential as tools for AAC users remains underutilized. This session explores how digital assistants can be intentionally integrated into speech-language therapy to promote independence, autonomy, and self-directed communication for AAC users. Beyond simply using the technology, this presentation emphasizes how AAC users can learn to set up digital assistant features, navigate settings, and provide instructions to communication partners, positioning them as active leaders in their own access. Participants will learn how to teach AAC users to interact with digital assistants using a variety of access methods, including voice, direct selection, and eye gaze. Emphasis will be placed on building user trust, supporting generalization across environments, and fostering reduced reliance on communication partners. Practical examples will illustrate how AAC users can independently ask questions, control their environment, manage daily routines, initiate social interactions, and direct others to support setup and troubleshooting when needed. Privacy considerations and simple steps to disable voice recording features will also be reviewed to support ethical and informed implementation. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to position digital assistants as tools for empowerment—supporting AAC users not only in access, but in ownership, instruction, and decision-making."

This session explores hot topics in AAC, including grid size, stimming, gestalt language processing, prompting, and access to real-life vocabulary. AAC users will learn to question common assumptions, advocate for their communication needs, and make choices about how they use AAC in ways that are authentic, flexible, and meaningful.

This paper examines my own first-year PhD presentation, which was shaped by CP-related differences in speech, facial movement, and arm mobility. I created a hands-free accessibility plan using an AI voice agent, Canva, PowerPoint, and AI chatbots, then analysed what worked, what didn't, and how I had an Ableist drive to make it happen under the Disablist Gaze.

Who better to talk about how important literacy is than AAC user Mateo Moreno, whose passion for connection is obvious and unlimited? Joined by his mother, SLP Tina Moreno, this session combines life experience with professional expertise to show how comprehensive literacy instruction empowers students to achieve their full potential.

Why should I program? What do I program? How do I program? We’ll walk through all of this to help you feel confident programming your AAC device.

Mel approached Gemma in 2023 seeking employment and we were determined to make it work. People who use AAC often face barriers including misconceptions, inaccessible hiring processes, and limited workplace supports. From both employer and employee perspectives, we share strategies our Assistive Technology team used to build an inclusive workplace.

We will discuss our research model to support inclusion of individuals with disabilities in our research development and implementation. We will share information gained from interviews and focus groups to discuss impactful first steps we have taken in our work to ensure survivors with disabilities can fully participate in research and have a voice in the criminal justice process.

"This presentation explores the intersection of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), Supported Decision-Making (SDM), and representation for people with disabilities. Too often, AAC users are spoken for rather than listened to, and decisions about their lives are made without recognizing their full capacity to communicate, participate, and lead. Through personal experience, advocacy work, and real-world examples, this talk highlights how AAC users can and do make meaningful decisions when given the right tools, support systems, and opportunities. The presentation also examines how Supported Decision-Making empowers individuals to maintain control over their own lives while receiving guidance from trusted supporters instead of losing their rights through restrictive systems. In addition, the discussion addresses the importance of representation—in leadership, advocacy spaces, media, and professional environments. When AAC users are visible, heard, and included in conversations that affect their lives, it shifts perceptions and expands what people believe is possible. This session challenges outdated assumptions about communication and competence while encouraging audiences to rethink how accessibility, autonomy, and representation work together to create more inclusive communities."

"AAC users are disproportionately prone to abuse. Updates in the robust vocabularies since the ACC in the cloud 2023 will be shared. Trainings conducted with the NY State Justice Center explored what is required for AAC users to be legally swearable witnesses. Considerations for the forensic interview will be explored. "

Assistive Technology professionals who support Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) often develop their consultation and mentoring skills through experience rather than formal training. This session explores how AAC consultants can intentionally mentor teams, build communication capacity, and model effective practices while developing a structured, sustainable approach to AAC consultation and leadership.

We're spilling on how to assemble the next sensation: a unified AAC support team of "secondary language users" ( parents and staff), learn the choreography, adapt to the pressure of the crowd (the classroom), and stay in tune (modeling more than words). Because what’s better than a solo career? An AAC supergroup!