Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Peer Support Project

Members of the AAC Peer Support Project Steering Committee and Consortium met at the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) event on January 30, 2025, to present our work on AAC peer support models.
Members of the AAC Peer Support Project Steering Committee and Consortium met at the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) event on January 30, 2025, to present our work on AAC peer support models. Pictured from left to right: Kirk Behnke, Tracy Rackensperger, Yonit Hagoel-Karnieli, Jill Tullman, Lateef McLeod, Amy Goldman.
A screenshot from the February 2025 AAC User Meeting on Zoom featuring members of our consortium and steering committee.
A screenshot from the February 2025 AAC User Meeting on Zoom. Pictured from left to right: Patrick Regan, Tracy Rackensperger, Jordyn Zimmerman, Michale Fondacaro, Alyssa Zisk, Jan Staehely, Kevin Williams, Lateef McLeod, Grant Blasko, Mateo Moreno.

Who we are

The AAC Peer Support Project formed a Consortium of AAC users, researchers, providers, and representatives from disability and self-advocacy organizations located across the U.S. Our goal was to develop recommendations for a national plan about peer supports for people who need or use AAC.

A Message from the Project Director:

Welcome to the webpage for the Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Peer Support Project.  

This group worked together from March 2024-March 2025 to develop recommendations for a national plan for enhancing peer supports for people who need or use AAC. I often say that this project is magical within the field of AAC. 

We invite you to explore our webpage and examine our findings and recommendations on peer supports and activities to support everyone who needs or uses AAC.  

~Dr. Melanie Fried-Oken

When you finish reading about our work, we would appreciate your feedback so we can improve this webpage. Please take a short webpage survey.

Melanie Fried-Oken, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, UCEDD co-Director
Melanie Fried-Oken, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, UCEDD co-Director

Partners:

Communication First logo

Full Report: Findings and recommendations of the AAC Peer Support Project

The Written Report which outlines the findings and recommendations for a national plan about peer supports for people who need or use AAC is coming soon.

What was the goal of the AAC Peer Support Project?

Our goal was to advance the use of peer support models for people who use or need Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) through the creation of a nationwide, comprehensive, consensus-based approach. We sought to answer:

  1. What peer supports exist for AAC users now?
  2. What peer support models exist outside the field of AAC that may be applicable to AAC?
  3. Can we create a nationwide resource for developing peer support models for people who use or need AAC?

What did we do?

  1. Conduct a survey of AAC users and peer supports 
  2. Identify and present different peer support models and discuss their outcomes 
  3. Conduct a systematic literature review 
  4. Identify barriers and opportunities, with attention to multiply marginalized communities 
  5. Examine models, approaches and activities for AAC advancement 
  6. Build consensus on initial findings and recommendations 
  7. Draft a final report on our findings and recommendations for a national plan 

Survey of AAC users

To AAC Users within the U.S., we asked:

  1. What tools and techniques do you rely on for expression?
    View a poster of the tools and techniques results
    View the plain text version of the tools and techniques poster
     
  2. What are your experiences with peer supports? 
    View a poster of the experiences results
    View the plain text version of the experiences poster
    View the full written report

To national AAC community members, we requested:

  1. Descriptions of peer support models that you have experience with, inside and outside the AAC field
    View the models results
     
  2. Scoping review of publications and presentations about AAC peer supports
    View the scoping review

Word cloud results from a survey asking: "What words come to mind when you think of peer support?"

A word cloud showing a graphical display of word frequency giving a greater emphasis to words that appeared more frequently in the survey.
A graphical display of word frequency that emphasizes words that appeared more times in the survey. Some of the words that were submitted most frequently include trust, respect, friendship, empowerment, community, honoring everyone, no judgement, shared experience, having each other's backs, reciprocal, camaraderie, and learning from each other.

What is AAC?

AAC stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. This means all the ways people communicate without talking. AAC is ways people who can't speak all the time or can't speak at all can communicate.

AAC users discuss AAC peer support

AAC Peer Support Consortium Presentation Bob Williams - August 28, 2024
AAC Peer Support Consortium Panel Discussion: Barriers to Organic AAC Peer Support - January 8, 2025
AAC Peer Support Project: Overcoming Barrers to AAC Peer Support - February 12, 2025

Watch more videos on the AAC Peer Support Project YouTube Channel:

AAC peer support is a community where AAC users come together in a safe space to share their positive and negative experiences. It is built on trust and respect, fostering open and honest communication, and involves sharing ideas, activities, and frustrations to manage life’s challenges and validate all forms of communication. Key elements are: 

Reciprocity: Mutual exchange of support and understanding.
Connection: Building friendships and a sense of belonging.
Empowerment: Encouraging independence and interdependence. 

USSAAC Blog: AAC Peer Support Models

Core values of peer support

The core values of peer support are the foundation of this project. Peer support:

  • can be offered, received, and is reciprocal 
  • is about being seen, heard, and valued 
  • can be one-time, episodic, or ongoing 
  • can be brief or comprehensive, depending on the availability and expectations of the persons needing the support and the skills and responsibilities of the persons offering support 
  • disrupts oppression 
  • recognizes and sustains community as comprised of acts of belonging and sharing, not mere coordinates on a map 
  • spurs pride and a sense of resilience in ourselves, our community, spelling it out, and taking action 
  • can include membership to many different and diverse peer groups for each person
Peer support tree graphic
This graphic shows peer support components modeled in the shape of a tree. The trunk is AAC peer support. The roots are the core values of peer support. The branches are the different peer support models, approaches, activities, and projects. The leaves are the different experiences that happen in peer support. The seeds (or fruit) are the outcomes of peer support, which are planted and spread more peer support. The forest with many other trees is like our communities, which include all different kinds of support. The environment around the tree is like our society.

How to prioritize AAC users in discussions during virtual meetings

The Consortium developed guidelines for virtual meetings between AAC users and people who can rely on speech. These guidelines prioritize AAC user perspectives in discussions and the consortium agreed this empowered people who use AAC. A member told us, “I can honestly say that this consortium has been the most accessible meeting I have attended, and it is not even close." We are pleased to share the guidelines for others to use or adapt for their meetings. 

Download the Consortium Discussion Guidelines

Who was involved?

The Steering Committee

The roles of the Steering Committee were:  

  • To ensure that AAC users were integrally involved in the work this project is doing 
  • To review the products and deliverables from each workgroup and the national plan

Members:

A professionally dressed person with short blonde hair, light skin, glasses, and a big smile.
Tracy Rackensperger
A parson with dark tan skin and dark short hair wearing a black quarter-zip sweater and sitting in a power wheelchair.
Lateef McLeod
Jordyn Zimmerman AAC Peer Support headshot
Jordyn Zimmerman

The AAC Peer Support Consortium 

This project was led by a consortium made up of AAC users, researchers, providers, and representatives from disability and self-advocacy organizations located across the U.S.

Organizations represented in the AAC Peer Support Consortium

Quotes from Consortium members

"I look forward to this meeting every week. I learn from my peers, especially those who use AAC. I never lose my excitement for the project when we are together. I hope we can keep this group going after the grant ends."

"I love how we all work together! I want our group to go on after the grant wraps up. We're just starting our work, and there is more to do."

"It feels like we have gotten a lot done, and also this is just the beginning of a movement across the U.S. and probably further to open doors for AAC users to get more than language supports."

"So proud to attend a meeting that was about the experiences and opinions of AAC users rather than talkies. Moved the power where it should be for the final product."

"So happy to move this agenda forward, taking back our power, we are fully AAC-tivated!"

"I always feel empowered to make big changes in society after I meet with this dynamic group!!"

"There are times when it feels like I lucked out and was in the right place at the right time. I feel like that with this consortium. I feel very honored and humbled to have had the experience to work with all of you."

Connect with us about this project

Work on this project spanned from March 2024-March 2025. If you would like to receive more information about the AAC Peer Support Project, email us at ucedd@ohsu.edu.

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