October is National Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Awareness Month! AAC includes all the ways people communicate without using spoken words, from high-tech speech-generating devices and communication apps to picture boards, gestures, and sign language.

At Cornwall-Lebanon School District, AAC empowers many of our students to share their thoughts, learn alongside their peers, answer questions, make choices, and build meaningful friendships every day.

“At Ebenezer, we strive to ensure every student feels a sense of belonging, is included in our school community, and has opportunities to learn and grow every day,” shared Ebenezer Principal Greg Fulkerson. “AAC helps make that possible by giving every student a voice.”

To celebrate the month, some staff at Ebenezer Elementary School wore special T-shirts featuring core communication symbols. Just like a great sports team relies on diverse plays and strong communication to win a game, our students use AAC to score their own daily communication wins.

“Our staff is awesome,” said Fulkerson. “They go above and beyond to ensure our students are understood, supported, and included. Their efforts bring different parts of the school together and help create one welcoming community where everyone belongs.”

Sarah Sands, a speech therapist at Ebenezer, shared these helpful tips to encourage students to connect with their peers who use communication devices:

• Give them time to answer. It can take a little extra time for students to share their thoughts using communication devices. Be patient and give them time to express themselves.

• Speak to them directly. Talk to your peers, not their devices or the people assisting them.

• Always say hello! Everyone enjoys making friends and feeling included

Watch these devices in action through a video below that was shared on Ebenezer’s morning announcements.