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Karen Erickson

Karen Erickson

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Karen Erickson, Ph.D., David E. and Dolores “Dee” Yoder Distinguished Professor, Department of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Karen is also the Director of the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies and a Professor in the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences. A former special education teacher, Karen focuses her research on literacy and communication for individuals with extensive support needs. Recent projects have focused on creating open-source professional development and implementation supports such as those available in Project Core (project-core.com), Project VC (projectvc.org), and Building Bridges (buildingbridges-ela.com), and Tar Heel Shared Reader (sharedreader.org).

Speaker Events

October 19, 2026 @ 9:00 am – 4:00 pm EDT

Comprehensive Literacy Instruction for Multi-Level Groups of Learners Using AAC

Important note: The content across the two sessions with Karen Erickson and Lori Geist is designed to be complementary and participants are invited to attend one or both. Participation in […]
October 20, 2026 @ 8:00 am – 5:00 pm EDT

Starting with the Basics: A Universal Approach to Augmentative and Alternative Communication Intervention in Schools

Around the world, there are learners who cannot rely solely on speech to be heard and understood who need access to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Unfortunately, access to AAC […]