AAC users, disability organizations, advocates, therapists and researchers have been working on a project in the U.S. to develop a national plan for AAC peer support models.

We present results from a national survey of AAC users about the peer supports they have used previously and would like to see in the future. We share a protocol that we developed to find and evaluate peer support models, projects, approaches and activities within and outside the AAC field.

This project is a collaboration between the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) in Oregon, CommunicationFIRST, many AAC users and self advocates, and professionals within the AAC, disabilities, independent living and peer support fields who formed a working Consortium in the U.S. It is our goal to recommend an innovative model that can be used to increase participation and peer support for AAC use in any community.