Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication

Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication We focus on research, education and advocacy in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) What do we do?

The Centre for AAC at the University of Pretoria aims to provide research and training to improve the lives of persons with severe communication disabilities and their families. The Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication was founded in 1990 by Prof Erna Alant in conjunction with Prof Lyle Lloyd from the USA. The impetus to start the Centre came from concerned parents requesting better and more coordinated service delivery for their children with severe disabilities and little or no functional speech. The activities of the Centre quickly expanded from direct service delivery to training and education through degree and non-degree courses. Research was also added to provide evidence-based services appropriate to the South African context, and to mobilise support for persons with little or no functional speech by providing credible evidence of the challenges they face. Today the Centre functions as a postgraduate educational entity at the University of Pretoria, while also maintaining the status of a non-profit organisation, owing to various community projects and commitments. Most of the CAAC main activities are focussed on research, teaching and training is the fields of Augmentative and Alternative Communication and Early Childhood Intervention. The training are conducted in various settings including preschool, primary and secondary levels as well as other institutions and health care settings to support inclusion of children and adults with severe disabilities into the educational, health and employment context. Activities focus on training as well as material and technology development to support inclusion of children and adults with severe communication disabilities into communities. Training

In the over 30 years of the existence of the CAAC, staff has trained over 10 000 persons who use AAC, parents, teachers, and therapists in enhancing communication with individuals with severe disabilities. Follow-up visits to contexts confirmed that the CAAC has reached over eight thousand children, youth, and adults through training of families, community leaders and other professionals. Activities include training in communities as well as five post-graduate programs in the fields of early childhood intervention, severe disabilities and AAC. Leadership and advocacy

The CAAC recently embarked on a national project to assist youth with severe disabilities in getting access to communication and information technology, called the Fofa Project. This project assists young people to "speak for themselves" and facilitate their access to employment. Research

The CAAC staff and students are engaged on an ongoing basis in research in the fields of AAC, severe disabilities and early childhood intervention.

🎓✏️Adapting the curriculum for learners who use AAC📏🍎Participants in our recent training with speech therapists from the...
13/10/2025

🎓✏️Adapting the curriculum for learners who use AAC📏🍎

Participants in our recent training with speech therapists from the Department of Education gained hands-on experience in adapting the curriculum to guide educators in implementing AAC strategies that align with the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement.

Learners who use AAC have the same right to participate in education as their peers. Adapting the curriculum ensures that communication differences don’t become barriers to learning. Without adaptation, AAC users may be sidelined in classroom discussions, group work, or assessments. Inclusive curriculum design brings them into the center of learning.

Adapted activities enable learners who use AAC to engage meaningfully with their peers, fostering friendships and reducing isolation. When lessons are AAC-friendly, they offer rich opportunities to practice using core and fringe vocabulary in meaningful contexts.

📑📕Adapted books📘📚During our recent training with speech therapists from the Department of Education, participants partic...
10/10/2025

📑📕Adapted books📘📚

During our recent training with speech therapists from the Department of Education, participants particularly enjoyed learning how to adapt books to reinforce the use of core vocabulary and encourage literacy development. Adapting books for learners who use AAC is not just helpful—it is essential for equitable access to literacy, language development, and joyful participation in storytelling.

Traditional books often rely on spoken or written language that may be inaccessible to AAC users. Adaptations, such as simplified text, visual supports, or symbol-based vocabulary, make stories more understandable and engaging. With adapted books, learners who use AAC can actively take part in reading activities, whether by selecting symbols, turning pages, or contributing to discussions.

Books can be tailored to include core and target vocabulary from a child’s AAC system, encouraging them to comment, ask questions, or make choices. Adapted books can be tactile, digital, symbol-supported, or interactive, meeting a wide range of sensory and cognitive needs.

World Mental Health Day reminds us that caring for our mind is just as important as caring for our body. To mark this da...
10/10/2025

World Mental Health Day reminds us that caring for our mind is just as important as caring for our body. To mark this day, we have created simple visual reminders as affirmations to be kind to yourself and practice self-care. When we prioritise mental health, everyone has a better chance to thrive.




👁️🌍 World Sight Day 👁️🌍 Today we honour the power of sight—and the many ways people communicate beyond it.For individual...
09/10/2025

👁️🌍 World Sight Day 👁️🌍
Today we honour the power of sight—and the many ways people communicate beyond it.

For individuals who use AAC, vision can shape how they access their voice. Inclusive design ensures that communication is accessible to everyone, regardless of visual ability.

Thoughtful adaptations make AAC more inclusive for people with visual impairments:
• Use bold colour contrasts and prominent, uncluttered symbols to support users with low vision.
• Adjust font size, spacing, and colour schemes to suit visual needs.
• Incorporate raised or textured elements for users who rely on touch.
• Use sound to guide users through menus or confirm selections.
• Use sound to reinforce actions, such as button presses or navigation changes.
• Enable control via single or multiple switches, especially for users with combined sensory and motor challenges.
• Explore hands-free options for users who cannot rely on visual scanning.

Let’s design AAC that’s accessible for those with visual differences and make inclusion visible.

The Centre for AAC’s Ms. Maureen Casey and Prof. Shakila Dada recently engaged with speech-language therapists from the ...
08/10/2025

The Centre for AAC’s Ms. Maureen Casey and Prof. Shakila Dada recently engaged with speech-language therapists from the Gauteng Department of Education on integrating AAC into the classroom in a three-day training from 29 September to 1 October.

Ms. Constance Ntuli, Disability advocate at the Centre for AAC, shared a presentation on the challenges she faced with her schooling in her younger years and answered questions from the participants.

The training was interactive, hands-on, and practical, featuring numerous small-group activities and displays of example resources. Topics included the importance of communication, a team approach to AAC service delivery, adaptation of lesson plans, adapting curriculum materials, promoting literacy using adapted books, and integrating core vocabulary in various forms of AAC. The participants enthusiastically engaged with the content and appreciated the insights gained from Ms. Casey’s extensive experience in the classroom and with AAC.

📣The Centre for AAC is very pleased to host an online engagement for AAC users with Ms India Ochs, an attorney, AAC user...
07/10/2025

📣The Centre for AAC is very pleased to host an online engagement for AAC users with Ms India Ochs, an attorney, AAC user and social justice advocate.

Ms Ochs has been active in the field of disability advocacy for many years, and will share her experiences in order to mentor and inspire other AAC users to become advocates and self-advocates.

If you are supporting someone who uses AAC and you feel that they would benefit, please encourage and support them to join.

🗓Date: Monday, 20 October 2025
⏰Time: 15:30-17:00 (South African Standard Time)
Free!

🔗Please use this link to register https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd7xWlnKgMe4GgcLhBnkeWchvF9KEAib_tXmv3MutOmRdcxXQ/viewform

Registration closes on 16 October 2025.




🎉💍 Exciting News! 💍🎉 We are thrilled to share that Prof Kerstin Tonsing has added a new title to her name – Mrs! – as sh...
07/10/2025

🎉💍 Exciting News! 💍🎉 We are thrilled to share that Prof Kerstin Tonsing has added a new title to her name – Mrs! – as she recently tied the knot.

Please join us in congratulating her on this joyful new chapter.
We wish the newlyweds a lifetime of love, laughter, and shared adventures.

🌏Today is World Cerebral Palsy Day. There are more than 50 million people with CP worldwide and each person has their o...
06/10/2025

🌏Today is World Cerebral Palsy Day. There are more than 50 million people with CP worldwide and each person has their own talents, strengths and abilities. Through the use of AAC, people with CP can share their stories, connect with others and take part in every aspect of life.

✨This year’s theme celebrates their individuality and by standing united - we raise CP awareness and show why inclusion matters for all.




✏️💬 World Teachers’ Day 💬📚Today, we honour the educators who go beyond the curriculum- those who teach with heart, adapt...
05/10/2025

✏️💬 World Teachers’ Day 💬📚

Today, we honour the educators who go beyond the curriculum- those who teach with heart, adapt with creativity, and advocate for every learner’s voice.

In South Africa, many teachers face overcrowded classrooms, limited resources, and systemic challenges. Yet they persist. Especially those championing inclusive education, finding ways to support learners with disabilities, navigating the complexities of AAC, and making space to value communication and inclusion for all.

💙 To the teachers who learn new tools so their learners can speak
💚 To those who see potential where others see limitation
💛 To those who believe inclusion is not optional- it is essential

You are the quiet revolutionaries of our education system.

Thank you for showing up, speaking up, and lifting others.

If you are an educator interested in learning new ways to include students in your classroom, have a look at our study programmes: https://www.up.ac.za/caac-study-programmes or email saak@up.ac.za for more information.

Our flexible, blended learning programs are ideally suited to working professionals. A strong focus on the local context ensures that learning is relevant to practitioners working in the field of AAC.

📚✨ Book Launch! ✨📚To kick off AAC awareness month this October, the CAAC is thrilled to introduce ‘My mommy uses AAC,’ a...
01/10/2025

📚✨ Book Launch! ✨📚

To kick off AAC awareness month this October, the CAAC is thrilled to introduce ‘My mommy uses AAC,’ a heartwarming children’s book that celebrates communication in all its forms. 💬💙

This story was inspired by our Disability Advocate, Ms. Constance Ntuli, and her daughters. It shares everyday moments with their mom, who uses Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) to connect, laugh, love, and live life to the fullest. This story helps children understand AAC as a natural part of life and shows that communication is for everyone.

You can download the book here:https://www.up.ac.za/media/shared/212/ZP_Resources/my-mommy-uses-aac-book.zp273063.pdf or Visit our website download it via the Resources and Downloads tab.

Let’s build inclusive classrooms and conversations - one story at a time.

🗣️ The Centre for AAC is very excited about our 5th Annual AAC Awareness Webinar Series to commemorate AAC awareness mon...
26/09/2025

🗣️ The Centre for AAC is very excited about our 5th Annual AAC Awareness Webinar Series to commemorate AAC awareness month this October.

🧠📚 We invite you to join us for a series of webinars by international speakers. The theme of this year's webinar series relates to AAC for Persons with Aphasia.

Topics:
See attached Abstract booklet for more information:

03 October 2025 - Designing Effective AAC Displays for People with Aphasia by Dr Amber Thiessen
10 October 2025 - Assistive Technology and Aphasia Therapy: Exploring the use of smart-cameras apps to enhance communication skills in aphasia by Dr Anna Caute
17 October 2025 - AAC & Aphasia: Strategies to Support Reading by Prof Sarah Wallace
24 October 2025 - Mapping the Impact of AAC with Speech Output on Communication in Aphasia by Dr Tiffany Chavers-Edgar

Time: 14:50 - 16:15 SAST (South African Standard Time)
CPD: Health Practitioners registered with the HPCSA can earn 2 CPD points per webinar.
Link: The Zoom link will be sent out a day before the webinar.

Register: Please register for the events here: https://forms.gle/pgobexWix6zn9U6u8.
Registration closes on October 1, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. Spaces are limited.

✨Congratulations to alumna Dr Alex Stipinovich, who was awarded a UP Post-doctoral fellowship, working under the mentors...
26/09/2025

✨Congratulations to alumna Dr Alex Stipinovich, who was awarded a UP Post-doctoral fellowship, working under the mentorship of Prof Kerstin Tönsing. During her fellowship Alex will expand upon her doctoral work that culminated in the development of clinical practice guidelines to help speech-language therapists support persons with aphasia make end-of-life decisions.

Her postdoctoral work will focus on guideline implementation – investigating barriers and facilitator and co-developing material to support guideline implementation. We wish her the best of success with her endeavours.



Address

University Of Pretoria, 2 Lynnwood Road
Pretoria
0020

Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 16:00
Tuesday 08:00 - 16:00
Wednesday 08:00 - 16:00
Thursday 08:00 - 16:00
Friday 08:00 - 16:00

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