October is AAC Awareness Month!
The ISAAC theme for 2025 is “Innovation, Inclusion and Advocacy in AAC”. It is a chance to help raise awareness of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and to inform the public about the many different ways in which people communicate using a range of communication devices.
Everyone is encouraged to celebrate with social events such as a morning or afternoon tea, reading stories, watching videos, making music and other community events to help promote AAC awareness.
You can help to spread awareness and show how you are supporting AAC awareness by sharing your events and activities using #AACaware25.
Get some inspiration by finding out about some amazing AAC role models below. We have also complied some useful resources to help support AAC awareness.
AAC Role Models
Abdi Omar’s Keynote Speech
Abdi Omar is CENMAC’s AAC Consultant. Abdi has cerebral palsy and uses power based AAC to support his communication.
Abdi is an amazing role model and mentor for many children and young people who are learning to use power based devices to support their communication.
Abdi gave an inspirational speech about AAC at our annual event Communication Works earlier this year. We encourage everyone to watch it and gain some valuable insight into the life of an amazing power based AAC user.
Abdi Omar’s Top Tips for AAC Awareness
Abdi shares his Top Tips for AAC Awareness in a video and a series of posters that you can print and put up on classroom walls.
Beth Moulam
Beth Moulam is a Paralympian, AAC Advocate and lives life to the full celebrating cerebral palsy, speech and hearing impairments and using AAC.
Lee Ridley
Lee Ridley is an English stand-up comedian known as the Lost Voice Guy. Lee uses AAC to communicate. He became a household name when he competed in and won the 12th series of Britain’s Got Talent.
Lee has also written a book called ‘I’m Only In It for the Parking’ published in 2021.
Ellise Hollie Hayward
Ellise Hollie Hayward, is a motivational Speaker, Disabilities Correspondent and General Reporter at Jill Dando News, and AAC Ambassador and Inclusion Advocate for The Priory Learning Trust.
FUNctional Switching
FUNctional Switching is an approach to developing switch skills developed by Charlie Danger in collaboration with CENMAC and Kezia Hesketh at Ace Centre.
The focus of FUNctional Switching is the use of fun activities that encourage engagement with peers and family members while developing switch skills.
The five stages to FUNctional Switching are clear and easy to follow.
Global Symbols
Global Symbols is a useful website where you can create boards to aid communication using thousands of free images from their library. Symbols on this website represent cultures both internationally and closer to home.
Find out more about Global Symbols: Supporting AAC to reflect Language and Culture in Schools at our free Thursday Thirty online training and information session on Thursday 28 November 2024 from 15.30 to 16.00 (GMT).
AAC Literacy
There are some great books written by AAC users including ‘I’m Only In It For the Parking’ by stand-up comedian Lee Ridley (aka Lost Voice Guy) and ‘Eye Can Write: A memoir of a child’s silent soul emerging’ by Jonathan Bryan.
There are also a number of children’s books with characters who use AAC to communicate including ‘Something to Say About My Communication Device’ by Eden Molineux and ‘Artie is Awesome’ by Diedra Darst.
PrAACtical AAC Activities
PraAAtical AAC have a range of free AAC activities to try in a group including familiar board or card games that help to take the focus off the AAC and let the participants focus on communicating and having fun. You can download the activities from their website.
