Plenary Speakers:

Sarah W. Blackstone, Ph.D. - President of Augmentative Communication Inc. in Monterey, CA and a partner in NIDRR's AAC-RERC. Author of "Augmentative Communication News and Social Networks: A Communication Inventory for People with Complex Communication Needs."

Linda Burkhart - Nationally known pioneer in the field of simplified technology for children with severe disabilities. Nationally and internationally recognized as a developer, author, teacher and presenter in the field of AAC.

Karen Erickson, Ph.D. - Director of the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an Associate Professor in the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Department of Allied Health Sciences, School of Medicine. Current research efforts involve infants and toddlers with visual impairments, school-aged students who struggle to read and write, school-aged students with complex communication needs, and children, adolescents, and young adults with multiple disabilities including deaf-blindness.

Beth Foley, Ph.D. - Associate Professor, Utah State University. Specialty: Literacy Assessment and Intervention with Persons with Complex Communication Needs.

Deborah Tierney Kreuzer - Director of Education at the California School for the Blind. More than 24 years of experience in the field of visual impairment and blindness working extensively with children and young adolescents with visual impairment and blindness and additional disabilities.

Concurrent Session Speakers:

Marilyn Buzolich, Ph.D. - Co-founder of The Bridge School and founder and Director of A.C.T.S., a non-public agency, serving the needs of infants, children, and adults who require augmentative communication and assistive technology. ACTS, founded in 1980, was named as one of ASHA's Model Sites in 1986.

Michele Caputo - Teacher in the TACLE (Technology and Augmentative Communication for Learning Enhancement) program in the Oakland Unified School District. Currently completing a Masters in Special Education at San Francisco State University (SFSU) with an emphasis in Physical and Health Impairments.

Mary Hunt-Berg, Ph.D., CCC-SLP - Research and Education Program Manager at The Bridge School. Conducts longitudinal research examining outcomes for children who use AAC. Specialty: Language development and evidence-based practices for AAC assessment and intervention.

Jillian King, SLP/AAC - Specialist with 25 years of experience primarily in educational, private school and private practice/consulting settings. Currently a SELPA Program Specialist and Coordinator of an AT Collaborative in Placer County and a private consultant providing AAC/AT Support Services.

Judith Lunger-Bergh, CCC-SLP - Speech Pathologist with extensive experience working with children and adults who use AAC, and with developmental and neurolinguistic disorders of speech and language. Emphasis: Development of tools and processes for people with complex communication needs.

Bonnie Mintun - California Special Education consultant and featured speaker at conferences in the U.S. and abroad. Speaks from the dual perspectives of educator and parent in sharing her daughter's experience with inclusive community and AAC.

Joan Sharp - Special Educator with 15 years of experience as a teacher and program specialist with extensive experience in AAC. Currently serves as a representative for PRC in Northern California and Oregon.

Patti Solomon-Rice, M.A., CCC-SLP - Candidate in the Joint Doctoral Program in Special Education through SFSU and University of California, Berkeley. Serves as the Social Security Administration's speech and language expert for Region IX.

Gloria Soto, Ph.D. - Professor in the Department of Special Education at SFSU. Nationally and internationally recognized expert in AAC. Research areas in AAC include: 1) the impact of collaborative teaming on student participation, 2) language acquisition and use in children and adults, and 3) the effect of intervention on the narrative skills of children who use AAC systems.

Chris Toomey - Research Associate and Transition Program Educator at The Bridge School. Special Educator with over 20 years of experience working with children with complex communication needs. Specialty: Portfolio development for Transition support.

Christine Wright-Ott, MPA, OTR/L - Occupational Therapist in private practice. Areas of interest are early exploration and self-initiated mobility especially for very young children with disabilities. Developer of the TOTWalker, Go-BOT and Mini-BOT through previous research projects at Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. Author of "Mobility" chapter in the 5th Edition of the book, Occupational Therapy for Children, edited by Jane K. Smith.