Name: You, Me, & My AAC: Reimagining Equitable AAC Service Delivery in Multiply Marginalized Communities
Start: 2025-11-07T09:45:00-0500
End: 2025-11-07T11:00:00-0500

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

Friday November 7, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am EST

Research continues to show that access to AAC-based intervention and instruction in preschool and early elementary school is crucial when supporting children’s participation in communication, social development, school, and overall outcomes throughout their lives. However, children of the global majority face persisting barriers in the provision of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) services and systems. Barriers may be present system-wide, at the individual, institutional, or structural level and may lead to discrimination, impacting service provision. "Children with developmental disabilities and complex communication needs (CCN) often have the most extensive service delivery needs and thus may be at the greatest risk from inequities in services" (Pope, 2022). Additionally, without access to—and sufficient instruction in AAC, children with developmental disabilities and CCN encounter significant barriers in education, language acquisition, and social development (Light & McNaughton, 2012) that persist into adulthood (Howlin et al., 2000). This is exacerbated for Black and Brown children.

Each of our life experiences are informed by our own cultural and linguistic background. Thus, some barriers can be reduced by intentional planning. AAC assessment and interventions must be appropriately planned for and delivered based on the individual’s (and their family’s/community’s) cultural and linguistic background. Additionally, "AAC teams must demonstrate cultural competence if they are to provide effective AAC services to individuals and families from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds." Language is a part of our culture and identity and connects us to our community. However, even if Black and Brown children gain access to tangible AAC, their systems may not reflect their language, culture, or likeness. Barriers may be persistent at each stage in the AAC process: from pre-referral all the way to recommendations.

When practitioners follow evidence-based and best practices, these disadvantages can be mitigated. This talk will educate and empower clinicians to identify the barriers to AAC service delivery for multiply marginalized children. We will outline actionable steps to overcome disproportionate and persisting hurdles that these children and their families face. Additionally, we will discuss the different forms of AAC and how & why centering and understanding an individual's cultural heritage and language experiences inform our practices. Lastly, this session will discuss solutions, equipping attendees with strategies on how to implement a culturally responsive approach to AAC assessments, device selection, service delivery, and implementation of tools.

Presenters

Karina Saechao

Yay Language, LLC

Karina Saechao, M.A., CCC-SLP, ATACP is a speech-language pathologist and AAC/multimodal communication specialist for school-aged children with complex communication needs. She is the owner of Yay Language!, LLC. and Golden Oak Speech Therapy. Karina’s clinical practice and scholarship... Read More →

Friday November 7, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am EST

General Session

Tickets

#TalkingAAC 2025

Karina Saechao

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#TalkingAAC 2025

Karina Saechao

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