Name: AAC Across Cultures: SLPs Making It Work
Start: 2025-11-06T12:15:00-0500
End: 2025-11-06T13:30:00-0500

Registration Overview

Act now! We reach capacity and sell out every year.
Registration closes Friday, October 24, 2025 — or sooner if capacity is reached.

Ticket Options

#TalkingAAC: Pre-Conference Workshop
Wednesday, November 5, 2025 | 12:00–4:00 PM
Kellogg Center, East Lansing, MI
- Choose one 4-hour workshop
- Cost: $100
- Full details: talkingaac.org/preconference.html
#TalkingAAC: Two-Day Conference
Thursday & Friday, November 6–7, 2025
- Build your schedule for this two-day event
- Cost: $275
- Price includes breakfast, lunch, & parking

NOTE: To attend all 3 days, you must purchase both a Pre-Conference Workshop ticket and a Two-Day Conference ticket.

Registration & Session Planning

All registration and session planning will be handled via Sched:

Click the green Log In or Sign Up button below to access Sched.
Then proceed to purchase your ticket(s).
After you’ve purchased your ticket(s), you can plan which sessions you’d like to attend.

Meals, Parking, & Lodging Meals (Included with Two-Day Conference)

Continental Breakfast – Thursday & Friday
Lunch & Drink – Thursday & Friday

Parking (Included)

Overnight Guests:
Get your parking pass at hotel check-in and display it on your dashboard.
Non-Overnight Guests:
- Register your vehicle on-site via QR code (posted near registration).
- Bring your license plate number.
- Do not register your vehicle more than once per day.

Note: Please consider carpooling to reduce on-campus traffic.

Lodging

View the 2025 Lodging Options for hotel blocks and discount codes.
Reminder: Pre-Conference Workshops begin at 12:00 PM on Nov. 5 to allow extra travel time.

Terms & Conditions

#TalkingAAC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established for continued education.

Refunds & Ticket Transfers

Refunds available up to 10 days before the event (Sched & Stripe fees are non-refundable).
Ticket transfers (e.g., to a coworker) may be approved before October 24, 2025.

Continuing Education

All attendees will receive a Certificate of Attendance.
Note for 2025: SCECH hours will not be offered this year.
ASHA CEUs are not provided. SLPs will receive a Verification of Attendance form to self-report professional learning hours to ASHA.

Networking & Swag

Networking Event – Details coming soon!
Merchandise – #TalkingAAC gear available for purchase on-site.

Stay Informed

Watch for updates from #TalkingAAC and Sched with session details and reminders as the event approaches.

Questions?

www.talkingaac.org
info@talkingaac.org

517-299-5200

Thursday November 6, 2025 12:15pm - 1:30pm EST

While English is the primary language spoken in schools in the United States, for many of our students, it is not the primary or only language spoken in their homes. The National Joint Commission Communication Bill of Rights 3rd Ed. states that individuals have “The right to meaningful communication that is culturally and linguistically appropriate.” If we only provide English on AAC devices, then our multilingual students will struggle to communicate with their families, however, robust AAC in a student’s home language is not always readily available. While the ability to provide AAC in languages other than English is growing, there are many linguistic and cultural considerations that still need to be accounted for when using these low to high tech tools. For example, English words that are considered "core" vocabulary may not have an exact translation in another language, and may not have the same flexibility to accommodate different meanings. This session is designed to help those who support multilingual AAC communicators to reflect on specific aspects of structural, semantic, and pragmatic linguistic variation that impact the design and usage of AAC tools. We will discuss modifying existing materials and creating new materials. We will explore core vocabulary across languages, some of the differences that exist, and why translating a core board from English to another language isn’t as simple as it seems. We will discuss culturally relevant symbols and where to find them, communication styles and differences across cultures, and how to reflect on our own cultural competence. This session is geared towards SLPs and educators of all backgrounds. While we may not have all of the answers, or a perfect AAC system available in every language, we can start by asking the right questions and working with families to best meet the needs of students.

Presenters

Kimberli Kearney, MS CCC-SLP

CASE

Kimberli Kearney is a speech-language pathologist with a special interest in working with individuals with complex communication needs. Ms Kearney has been a speech-language pathologist for nearly 20 years and currently works for CASE, a special education cooperative, in the western... Read More →

Melanie Mazur, CCC-SLP

Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist, CASE

Melanie Mazur is a bilingual (Spanish-English) speech-language pathologist with over 20 years of experience working with children in clinic and school settings. She provides speech-language services to children from a wide variety of home language backgrounds. Ms. Mazur is passionate... Read More →

Thursday November 6, 2025 12:15pm - 1:30pm EST

General Session

Tickets

#TalkingAAC 2025

Kimberli Kearney, MS CCC-SLP

Melanie Mazur, CCC-SLP

Get help with the event

#TalkingAAC 2025

Kimberli Kearney, MS CCC-SLP

Melanie Mazur, CCC-SLP

Sign up or log in to save this to your schedule, view media, leave feedback and see who's attending!

Get help with the event