#TalkingAAC 2026: Full Schedule

Act now! We reach capacity and sell out every year. Registration closes Wednesday, October 28, 2026 — or sooner if capacity is reached.

Ticket Options

#TalkingAAC: Pre-Conference Workshop
Wednesday, November 4, 2026 | 12:00–4:00 PM
Kellogg Center, East Lansing, MI
- Choose one 4-hour workshop
- Cost: $100
- Full details click here
#TalkingAAC: Two-Day Conference
Thursday & Friday, November 5-6, 2026
- Build your schedule for this two-day event
- Cost: $300
- Price includes breakfast, lunch, & parking
- Full details click here

NOTE: To attend all 3 days, you must purchase both a Pre-Conference Workshop ticket and a Two-Day Conference ticket.

Registration & Session Planning

All registration and session planning will be handled via Sched:

Click the green Log In or Sign Up button below to access Sched.
Then proceed to purchase your ticket(s).
After you’ve purchased your ticket(s), you can plan which sessions you’d like to attend.
New to using the Sched app? To take a tour click here
Need to update your app to this year’s conference? In the Sched app, go to My Account > Change Events> type in the name of the event #TalkingAAC 2026
A new Guest Buyer option lets you purchase tickets for others without creating a SCHED account. Once ticket(s) are selected, choose Continue as Guest.

Ticket Purchase - Error Message

If you receive an error message when purchasing your ticket, please contact TalkingAAC at [email protected] or 517-299-5200 for assistance.

⚠️ Please do not attempt to purchase again, as this may result in duplicate tickets.

Refunds & Ticket Transfers

Refunds available up to 10 days before the event. Sched & Stripe fees are non-refundable.
Ticket transfers (e.g., to a coworker) may be approved before October 28, 2026.

Stay Informed

Watch for updates from #TalkingAAC and Sched with session details and reminders as the event approaches.

Questions?

www.talkingaac.org

[email protected]

517-299-5200

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8:30am EST

Become a Keyguard Creator: A Beginner's Walk Through of 3D Printing

Friday November 6, 2026 8:30am - 9:45am EST

Auditorium

Limited Capacity seats available

Let’s design a keyguard in real time!! Many learners are not able to access more robust vocabularies due to current motoric & visual abilities. Keyguards are a tool that sustains direct access instead of deviating to alternative access methods when fine motor and visual motor coordination are interfering. They support learners to have fewer mis-hits, better confidence, reduced cognitive load, and overall communication success. They allow us to keep a larger vocabulary with a sustained motor plan. 3D designs can even be created for temporary button masking for explicit motor plan teaching within direct instruction moments. These tools have become easier to obtain and trial due to 3D printing. Customizations and individualizations are now easier to design and print on your own. You don’t have to be super techy or know how to code to realize a 3D print keyguard solution

This session will take you from a keyguard idea to a downloadable file for 3D printing. We will walk through using screenshots and measurements to create a design that best fits an AAC user’s needs. A clear introduction to powerful, free tools like Volkswitch, InkScape, OpenSCAD, and MakerWorld will be presented. Follow along to learn the method to print your design on paper before you send it to the printer. We will also consider when to use Gemini AI as a creative partner to co-create and troubleshoot designs and printing.

Don’t have a local 3D or laser printer? No problem - we will end with specific resources for taking your files to get them generated and in student hands. Leave with additional resources to continue advancing your 3D creation and printing skills.

Whether a permanent solution or try before you buy, 3D printing a custom keyguard is a readily available AAC accessory that can dramatically improve an individual’s independent access to a robust dynamic communication system.

Presenters

Tracie Schanen, OTR/L, ATP

Assistive Technology Consultant, Livingston Educational Service Agency and #TalkingAAC Board Member

Tracie is an Assistive Technology Consultant with Livingston ESA in Howell, Michigan. She supports both center-based and county-wide district teams with the AT and AAC consideration process and implementation across ages 0 - 26. She is a registered Occupational Therapist and RESNA... Read More →

Makenzi Farmer, M.A., CCC-SLP

Augmentative & Alternative Communication Consultant, Eaton Regional Education Service Agency

Makenzi Farmer is an AAC Consultant with Eaton RESA in Charlotte, Michigan. She supports local districts and the center-based programs with AAC considerations, tool implementation, training, coaching, and more. As a Speech Language Pathologist she has experience with ECSE, K-12, and... Read More →

Friday November 6, 2026 8:30am - 9:45am EST
Auditorium

General Session

10:00am EST

United for AAC: Law, Advocacy, and Action

Friday November 6, 2026 10:00am - 11:15am EST

Auditorium

Limited Capacity seats available

The saying, “It takes a village” is a fundamental truth for professionals who are dedicated to supporting individuals with complex communication needs. They must work within multidisciplinary teams, navigate complicated systems, and use advanced clinical expertise to ensure individuals have a voice. Professionals and caregivers bear the full weight of assessing and implementing AAC while also addressing the many advocacy needs around AAC. They are tasked with constantly championing AAC representation in schools, health systems, and in the community. Professionals who support individuals with AAC are constantly faced with systemic barriers that affect access to care, cause ethical dilemmas, and can impact interprofessional care. Hurdles include battling with insurance after multiple denials to have devices approved, facing limitations for funding and staffing within their organizations, and supporting complex family systems. Often, these barriers are related to national and state laws that govern systems that AAC users interact with daily.

This session will empower professionals in understanding the specific special education and health care laws that impact AAC care delivery. Participants will examine common barriers across settings, including schools and medical arenas, and discuss current legal frameworks that should guide decision making regarding access to AAC devices and services. Avenues for advocacy and systems change will be explored during the session. Moving beyond identification, participants will explore collaborative strategies to support interprofessional practice within education, health care, and administration. Finally, participants will evaluate their current service delivery models to identify "friction points" and ways to address these barriers to ensure that, despite different approaches and professional limitations, the advocacy efforts are re-centered on the individual AAC user. The ultimate objective of this presentation is for participants to generate a concrete, actionable roadmap that is informed by current laws and policies to support the provision of best practices in AAC.

Presenters

Ashley Robinson, M.S., CCC-SLP

Speech Language Pathologist, AAC Consultant, ABility Consulting

Ashley is a speech language pathologist with 15 years of dedicated clinical experience in AAC. Her career has spanned multiple states and the full developmental spectrum—from early intervention through young adulthood—with a specialized focus on supporting students with complex... Read More →

Brittany Shupe-Sawyer, LMSW

Social Worker, Advocate, ABility Consulting

Brittany is a clinical social worker with over a decade of experience with children, adults, and families with disabilities in a variety of settings. She began her career as a medical social worker, where she supported pediatric and adult patients and joined forces with rehabilitation... Read More →

Friday November 6, 2026 10:00am - 11:15am EST
Auditorium

General Session

12:15pm EST

Rethinking Our Role and Response to Communicative Behaviors

Friday November 6, 2026 12:15pm - 1:30pm EST

Auditorium

Limited Capacity seats available

When a student "acts out," what are they truly telling us? For students with complex communication needs, behavior is often the most powerful—and sometimes only—tool available to express unmet needs. This interactive session challenges educators to shift their perspective from seeking compliance to fostering connection and understanding.

Participants will begin by reflecting on how their own beliefs, biases, and reactions shape their responses to student behavior. We will explore the neuroscientific link between anxiety and regulation and introduce the concept of interoception—the "eighth sense" that helps students recognize internal body signals like hunger, pain, or distress. By moving toward an interoceptive approach, educators can support a student’s unique inner experience rather than forcing them to mask it.

To support this shift, we will discuss a variety of strategies to utilize Augmentative and Alternative Communication to support student regulation, autonomy, and communication needs, especially in moments of communication breakdown. We will explore how robust modeling provides students with the essential vocabulary for self-advocacy and emotional expression before an escalation occurs. Furthermore, we will examine how to use AAC to validate a student's autonomy—honoring "no" or "stop" through their device to reduce the need for physical resistance. By providing a reliable voice during high-stress moments, we can decrease the communicative breakdown that often leads to dysregulation.

Through hands-on practice, attendees will learn to use a Communicative Behavior Inventory framework to attribute meaning to specific behaviors and plan adult responses that prioritize co-regulation over control. Together, we will walk away with concrete strategies to support students in communicating even in their toughest moments.

Presenters

Megan Hojnacki, MA, CCC-SLP

AT/AAC Specialist, Alt+Shift

Megan Hojnacki is an SLP by training and currently an AT/AAC specialist for Alt+Shift. After a transformative experience at Camp Alec (as seen on Disney+) and 20 years of experience in public education, Megan is a firm believer that literacy and AAC are inseparable rights for all... Read More →

Kelsey Brewer, MA

AT/AAC Specialist, Alt+Shift

Kelsey Brewer, M.A. is an assistive technology and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) specialist with over nine years of experience in special education. Her primary expertise lies in Early Childhood Special Education, specifically supporting students ages 3–5. Kelsey’s... Read More →

Friday November 6, 2026 12:15pm - 1:30pm EST
Auditorium

General Session