Task Force Chair's Letter on ISAAC's Inaugural International AAC Awareness Month - 2007

In October 2007, the world experienced a global celebration of the spirit and personality of children who are non-verbal. The International Society for Alternative Communication (ISAAC) held its inaugural AAC Awareness Month. In 2006, ISAAC was awarded NGO with consultative status to the United Nations. This means that the United Nations accepted ISAAC’s application to serve as technical experts, advisors and consultants to governments and the UN Secretariat. With such an auspicious role, ISAAC leadership determined that an annual world-wide event was needed to promote AAC. The national chapters of ISAAC joined together and led a first-time-ever worldwide event to bring attention to children who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).

ISAAC’s vision is that AAC will be acknowledged, valued and used throughout the world.  Achieving the vision of a world in which everyone has a way to communicate, takes more than a village. It takes people who use AAC and their families, friends, therapists, researchers, manufacturers, and the government. We all have to work together to make augmentative communication known and accessible to everyone who can not speak. 

ISAAC actually began implementing the vision years ago.  In 1998, ISAAC began to apply its vision to the organizations internal practices and changed its bylaws to include members using augmentative communication in decision making roles. Leadership opportunities in committees, as a member or chair, and board and officer roles at the international and national levels, were mandated in the bylaws and guidelines. This commitment noticeably increased participation by people using AAC in the Society’s activities, in committees, conferences, workshops and research projects over these years. Such success is however only a beginning and has highlighted the need for a process to develop leadership skills in order to truly pioneer inclusive governance practices in an environment where communicating is not an equal ability.

It has become clear that for the long term future it is not sufficient to draw on the very few people using AAC who already have the ability and background to fill leadership roles. It is incumbent on ISAAC to harness the aspirations and talent of the many young people who use AAC and coach them for the future. When you rely on AAC to communicate, the ladder of participation needs a first rung at an early stage in life. ISAAC is developing tools and a framework for leadership development that will reach those who want to lead and those who may do so in their future. The President of ISAAC named me as Chairman of a committee whose mission is to create a leadership development program for young people who use AAC. This project is near completion and will be announced in August at ISAAC’s biennial conference, Leading the Way.

       While the leadership development program was being developed, I was asked to lead a task force to create an International annual event to provide a leadership experience to the participants who use AAC and raise public awareness of AAC. The first event was in October 2007. Determined to keep the inaugural event easy to implement, the task force focused on classrooms around the globe.  Online support documents and suggestions were provided to interested ISAAC members including a main lesson during which the class teacher asks the students to discuss a topic using any means other than their voices for 20 minutes. The topic would be described by the teacher in words and in AAC symbols. Any child using AAC in the class would experience the leader’s role in this event providing one of those ‘first rung of the ladder’ experiences that leave a lasting impression in life.

Many thanks to everyone who participated in 2007!

Sarah Lever
ISAAC Task Force Chair