DELTA TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A new program at Waverly schools is teaching elementary students how to communicate with peers who have different abilities, creating new friendships and breaking down barriers.
- A new program at Waverly Elementary School teaches all students to use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) technology, fostering connections and friendships across different communication abilities.
- In the past, students relying on AAC were primarily limited to communicating with adults, resulting in reduced social interactions with other students.
- Watch the video below to see how AAC is being implemented in classes at Waverly.
At Waverly Elementary School, third-grade students in Mrs. Hill's classes are playing games designed to help them make connections with classmates who communicate differently.
"They're really making these bonds that I haven't seen before," said Lori Hill, a speech language pathologist who has been in the field for nearly 30 years.
WATCH VIDEO:
The program focuses on teaching all students to use Augmentative and/or Alternative Communication (AAC), which is technology that supports children who are non-verbal or minimally speaking.
"It's not a scary or bad thing to have a disability; what's difficult is when there aren't tools in place to support that person with a disability," Hill said.
AAC allows students who face communication challenges to use an iPad with specialized software to better communicate with their peers. What makes this program unique is that every student, regardless of ability, is learning how to use the technology.
"Historically, kids who communicate differently have been relegated to just being able to communicate with their families or the adults in their environment who know how to use AAC. This is opening the door to talk to their peers," Hill said.
While AAC technology isn't new, the effort to teach general education students how to use it is innovative.
"Schools can't really afford to buy this expensive equipment for kids who don't need it," Hill said.
Through a grant from the Waverly Education Foundation and TechSmith, Hill has been able to purchase equipment and software to run a class teaching more students how to communicate using AAC.
"We learn better from people who are like us, so kids learn better from kids," Hill said.
For the 50 students in Waverly schools who use AAC as their primary means of communication, the program is already making a difference.
"The student with a disability will see the gen ed students, and they're greeting each other and hugging. They feel a sense of warmth in seeing each other, like friends do, because they are forming friendships," Hill said.
Hill emphasized an important message about students who use alternative communication methods: "Not being able to speak doesn't mean you don't have anything to say."
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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