Rural communities face significant challenges in supporting diverse learners who need access to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), including geographic isolation, limited access to trained professionals, and minimal opportunities for families to connect with others who share similar lived experiences. At the same time, small, tightly knit communities offer unique opportunities—such as schools where all learners attend together and where relationships can be sustained over time.
This interactive seminar presents a capacity-building model designed to strengthen inclusive practices among educators, educational assistants, and families supporting students who use AAC and have extensive learning requirements. Grounded in interdisciplinary collaboration and practice-oriented learning, the model is delivered by a mobile team of specialists—including speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists, and teachers of the visually and hearing impaired. The team operates under the guidance of a regional board representing multiple school divisions and is coordinated by a dedicated manager.
The model focuses on co-constructing individualized student profiles through collaborative consultation with school teams, families, and—where applicable—their home therapy network. These profiles form the foundation for customized instructional and support plans. A 3-step approach to building tools and learning activities, which teases apart Participation, Access, and Language (PAL), will be discussed (Elliott & Luse, 2018). Regular school visits and hands-on professional development sessions enable educators and educational assistants—many of whom have no formal AAC training—to build confidence and competence in inclusive strategies and multimodal communication supports.
A central feature of the session is a case study of a learner with autism. The presenter will describe how the student profile was developed, how it informed planning and implementation, and how the team addressed the school’s specific needs through targeted professional development, coaching, and team-based support. The roles of teachers, educational assistants, and inclusive education coaches will be explored in detail.
The session concludes with reflections on lessons learned, emerging themes from implementation across multiple school sites, and the model’s observed impact on learner engagement, staff confidence, and inclusive school culture. Ongoing challenges—such as high staff turnover, limited system capacity, and the complexity of supporting high-needs students in low-density regions—will be discussed transparently.
Participants will be invited to reflect on how this model might inform their own work and how elements could be adapted to other regional or international contexts. Time will be provided for discussion, with a focus on service delivery innovation, cross-sector collaboration, and sustainable AAC practices in under-resourced settings. Through shared dialogue, this seminar aims to foster a global exchange of ideas about what it takes to build capacity for AAC—especially in places where access is often the most limited, but where community commitment and creativity can thrive.
