AAC Resources and Products

Links to companies, agencies and foundations that either sell products relating to AAC or provide information and supports about AAC. (This perma post updated July 2, 2008.)

• 1 Voice
• AAC at RERC
• AAC at UNL (Messaging and Vocab)
• AAC Intervention
• AAC Therapy Materials
• AAC Tutorials
• Aimee Company
• Angel Speak Company
• Ashley's Mom, Inc. Company
• Aug Resources
• AugComm
• Communication 4 All
• Compic Company
• Connsense Bulletin
• Creative Communicating Company
• Enouncer Dynamic Display Emulator
• Gateway to Language and Learning
• ISAAC
• Ispeek Company
• Kid Access Company
• Let's Chat AAC News
• Lingraphica Company
• Makaton Company
• Mayer-Johnson Company
• Orin Company
• P Voice
• Picto World Company
• Picture Planner
• Portacom Company
• Sentence Shaper Company
• Speaking of Speech
• Speech Teach
• Speech TX
• Speechville
• Taking (Symbol) Dice Company
• Talking Mats
• Technology and Language Center
• Traxsys Company
• USSAAC
• Voice for Living
• YAACK

Funding Sources for AAC

First and foremost you probably need to know that when seeking funding AAC stops being called AAC and starts being called a SGD or Speech Generating Device.

Here are some funding sources for students with severe or multiple disabilities:

• medicaid/medicare and private health insurance (you usually need patient information form, SLP evaluation, prescription, letter of medical necessity)
  
• visit "An Overview of Health Based Funding of SGD" and
  
• "Medicare Funding of AAC" for more
  
• school system (mandated by IDEA)
• charitable organizations
  
• Muscular Dystrophy Association will fund AAC for student's who have a condition covered by MDA (such as muscular dystrophy or mitochondrial disease), an evaluation recommending a device from an SLP, a prescription from a doctor at an MDA clinic and have been denied coverage by health insurance or have no insurance), the amount changes annually - this year it is 2,000 dollars
• NOCK accepts applications from children who need AAC devices or wheelchairs and have exhausted all other means of funding
• The Disabled Children's Relief Fund accepts grant applications to provide goods and services need for children with disabilities who cannot otherwise afford them or attain them
• try local churches, synagogues, ELKs, Knights of Columbus, Shriners, Ladies Aid groups,
  
• depending on the state Easter Seals or ATA may have funding or a lending library
• local United Cerebral Palsy Chapters have access to the Bellows Fund for assistive technology which may be used for AAC

Here are some links for funding information:

• AAC Funding Help
  
• AAC Institute
  
• AAC RERC
  

Many of the top AAC companies have funding assistance and/or funding guides, such as Dynavox, just go to the website and look or call and ask

Finally parents or families may choose to take out a loan to purchase on their own (not recommended, if the student is in public school the school is legally required to purchase an AAC device if it is needed to make educational progress). Here is the RESNA listing of state AT loan programs.

Website of the Day: AAC Funding Help

I have been very fortunate over the past five years to work with one of the most skilled SLPs (Speech Language Pathologists) in the field. In addition she is an expert at getting AAC devices funded by medicare/medicaid, insurance (and on rare occassions school systems). (We believe AAC devices should belong to the user, not the school system.)

However, that has not always been the case. Earlier in my career I was placed in situations where either a student would not be able to get AAC or I needed to do the leg work (get rentals, arrange and collect data, create the funding applications and write the supporting letters - with an SLP signing them).

With that in mind I offer other intensive special needs teachers out there a link to a great new website, AAC Funding Help.

The name pretty much explains it all. The site includes information, FAQs a report coach and more.