Black History is not only about honoring the past, it is about shaping a more equitable future. Michelle Rocconi, M.H.S., CCC--SLP shares that for Black individuals with communication needs, access to AAC is closely tied to representation, equity and the right to be heard.
As part of the Smartbox family, Talk To Me Technologies’ commitment to bringing AAC everywhere calls us to raise the bar by moving from awareness to action. Supporting all AAC users requires recognizing how racism and ableism intersect and influence access, expectations and outcomes.
By prioritizing culturally responsive practices, intentional listening and actionable steps, we can elevate all Black voices in our community. When we presume potential and utilize inclusive technology, we can create communication systems and deliver services that appropriately reflect identity, expand access and empower every voice.
Michelle Rocconi, M.H.S., CCC-SLP
Culturally Responsive Practices
Visuals & Voice
Ensure AAC symbols, images and device voices reflect the user's cultural background (e.g., hair, skin tone, language).
Family-Centered Approach
Involve the user and family as active decision makers in goal setting and strategy development, respecting family communication styles.
Bias reflection and ongoing learning
Engage in continuous self-reflection and professional development to identify implicit biases that may influence expectations, interpretations of behavior, or access recommendations.
Empower & Listen
Why?
Identify Barriers: Learn about the specific challenges Black AAC users face in accessing appropriate assessments and tools. Recognizing these barriers helps dismantle biased assumptions about intelligence, behavior, or competence that disproportionately affect this community. It also ensures that advocacy, services and policies are designed in ways that truly reflect lived experiences rather than one-size-fits-all approaches. Listening intentionally and adapting to communication practices affirms dignity, autonomy and cultural identity. Ultimately, addressing these barriers creates pathways for meaningful participation, shared power and sustainable change driven by the community itself.
How?
Center Black Voices: Learn directly from Black AAC users and advocates. An individual can center Black voices by intentionally creating space for disabled Black community members to speak for themselves, while listening without interruption, defensiveness, or assumptions. This includes seeking out their leadership, valuing lived experience as expertise and adapting communication methods to meet access needs. Acting on what is shared,through accountability, advocacy and resource sharing, ensures learning leads to real change.
Connect with influential members in the community
Shannon Voss
Become inspired by the powerful story of Shannon as he shares his remarkable journey of recovery via AAC.
Kayla Smith
Learn more about neurodiversity from the Black Autistic Disability Rights Advocate, Kayla.
Kevin Williams & Lateef McLeod
Discuss racism and ableism from Kevin & Lateef's unique perspectives as Black AAC users.
Talila Lewis
Learn more about how disability is a natural part of the human experience while discussing how to undo ableism.
Intersectionality in Practice
Acknowledge that Black individuals with communication needs often experience both racial bias and ableism, which can negatively impact early intervention and the quality of services they receive. Putting intersectionality into practice requires intentional actions that purposefully disrupt both racism and ableism.
Presuming comptence/potential
Assume that all individuals, regardless of how they communicate, are capable of learning, understanding and expressing themselves.
Culturally responsive and anti-ableist practice
Individuals should examine their own biases, understand cultural and linguistic diversity and avoid “one-size-fits-all” approaches.
Academic Partnerships
Academics and academic institutions continue to explore the intersection of racism and ableism by advancing interdisciplinary research, elevating the scholarship of disabled Black thinkers and critically examining how systems such as education, healthcare and criminal justice reproduce overlapping forms of exclusion and inequality.
Project Elevate Black Voices
"Project Elevate Black Voices," a major initiative to collect 600 hours of vocal data across various AAE dialects. This data will be used to improve AI speech recognition (ASR) technology and facilitate the development of more inclusive voices across tech platforms, with the dataset owned and managed by Howard University to ensure responsible use.
Actionable Steps for Providers & Allies
Provide Equitable Access
- Advocate for early identification and implementation of AAC for Black children, reducing disproportionate delays.
- SLPs and other allied health providers can learn about ethnographic interviewing to support users in having culturally affirming language options
- Allies can practice cultural humility and cultural competence.
Karina Saechao, M.A., CCC-SLP, interivews with The National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NNLHA) on Language, Culture, and AAC.
Your voice is more than sound
Grid is here to support you
Grid AAC software supports personal expression by allowing individuals to shape how they communicate - not just what they say. Through AI-generated voices, created in partnership with ElevenLabs, and symbol customization, Grid helps people represent themselves in ways that feel authentic, affirming, and personal.
Your voice is more than sound - it’s connection, personality, culture, and identity. With Grid, you can customize symbols, images, and layouts to reflect your lived experiences, language, and environment. This flexibility allows communication systems to grow with you, supporting self-expression that feels relevant and respectful.
Voice choice is just as personal. Whether using a personalized AI voice, or selecting from a wide range of child and adult voices, Grid enables you to communicate in a way that feels natural and true to who you are. When your voice reflects you, communication becomes more confident, comfortable, and meaningful.
Additional Resources
Podcasts
Apple Podcasts - The Autism in Black Podcast is hosted by Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC and focuses on all things autism and the black parent experience.
Apple Podcasts - Black Disabled Men Talk is a podcast where four black men discuss precinct social and political issues of the today.
Tiffany Hammond is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and disability advocate. She is the author of A Day with No Words, a picture book about a Black mother and son who use a tablet to communicate with each other and the world around them.
Books
This book is a resource for practicing speech-language pathologists and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) specialists working with culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) populations.
This book investigates the history of medical exploitation and systemic racism affecting Black Americans, relevant for ethical, culturally safe practice.
This book explores how disability has been central to Black activism and how Black disability politics differs from mainstream disability movements, highlighting race-centered praxis and history.