What are the 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

Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication

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South Africa
Pretoria
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.

16/12/2025

🇿🇦The Day of Reconciliation, established in 1995, promotes unity and healing in South Africa after apartheid. December 16th marks our shared commitment to equality and reconciliation. May this day inspire us to work together to build an inclusive society.

10/12/2025

International Human Rights Day is celebrated annually on 10 December. The 2025 theme reminds us that “Human rights are everyday essentials”.

Human rights are not abstract. In fact, we rely on our human rights constantly even without noticing. They shape the food we eat, the words we speak, the opportunities we pursue, and the protections that keep us safe.

Human rights are attainable in the small, practical choices we make every day. These choices include treating others with respect, challenging unfairness, and creating space for voices that are often excluded. Human rights are essential and recognising them in everyday moments moves us closer to inclusion.

08/12/2025

📢 16 Days of Activism | 25 November - 10 December

This 16 Days of Activism, we shine a light on the invisible victims of gender-based violence.

Children with disabilities face compounded risks, including heightened risk of violence and barriers to reporting.

· Globally, children with disabilities are 3 - 4 times more likely to experience violence compared to children without disabilities.1
· In South Africa, r**e accounts for 38.3% of all reported crimes against children, with common assault and assault with grievous bodily harm making up 45%.2
· Disabled children are often excluded from protection services, face communication barriers and are treated as unreliable witnesses in court.1
· Poverty, isolation, and lack of accessible support increase their vulnerability to abuse and exploitation.1

🔍 What can be done?
· Train frontline workers to recognize and respond to abuse in children with disabilities
· Ensure GBV services physically, linguistically, and emotionally accessible
· Include disability in GBV data collection to make invisible victims visible
· Support children with disabilities through inclusive education and develop safe and reliable reporting channels

This 16 Days of Activism, let us remember: Violence thrives in silence and exclusion. Inclusion is protection. Let’s make every child count.

🧡 From 16 Days of Activism to 365 Days of Action 🧡

1 Bekink, M. (2021). The Protection of Disabled Child Victims within the South African Criminal Justice System: Shining a Light on the Invisible and Forgotten Victims of Crime. Afr. Disability Rts. YB, 9, 23.

2 https://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=17674

05/12/2025

🎉Happy Holidays🎉

The Centre for AAC will be closed from 5th December 2025 to 14th January 2026 for a well-deserved break. We thank all of you who have engaged with us this year. We wish you and your family a safe, blessed and restful holiday season - and we cannot wait to connect with you again in the new year.

05/12/2025

🎥We are pleased to share the links to our AAC Awareness Month webinar series, now available to watch online. The webinars were presented by four international speakers around the theme of AAC and Aphasia. Feel free to watch and share.

Click the youtube links below:

Amber Thiessen
3 October 2025
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khQbDvFpt5U

Anna Caute
10 October 2025
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAOX8OSEyjo

Sarah E. Wallace
17 October 2025
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyCmlHH8odg&feature=youtu.be

Tiffany Chavers
24 October 2025
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7USal_8fWg

03/12/2025

More than 1.3 billion people worldwide live with a significant disability. Disabilities can be physical, cognitive, sensory, psychosocial, developmental or acquired, and people experience them in many different ways.

Disability itself is not the barrier - exclusion is. Inaccessible buildings, discriminatory employment practices, and negative assumptions about disability continue to limit people far more than their disabilities ever could. These barriers must be confronted and dismantled.

On International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2025, we amplify our commitment to inclusion and participation. We stand with persons with disabilities - especially those who face additional marginalisation due to communication disabilities. Let’s raise disability awareness, challenge exclusionary systems, and work towards a world where people with disabilities are included, respected and valued.

01/12/2025

The theme of World AIDS Day 2025 is “Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response,” with the sub-theme: Let Communities Lead

HIV/AIDS do not exist in isolation. They intersect with poverty, disability, stigma, and systemic exclusion. Disrupted services lead to missed diagnoses, delayed interventions, and lost potential, especially for children with disabilities and developmental risks.

We can transform the response by:

- Ensuring early childhood services include HIV screening and support
- Training health workers to recognize developmental risks in HIV-exposed children
- Supporting inclusive programs that reach all families, including those of children with disabilities and developmental delay
- Letting the voices of those affected guide the way to reduce stigma and foster inclusion
- Inclusion is the foundation of an effective HIV/AIDS response

📢 Join the movement. Advocate for inclusive care.

29/11/2025

📢 16 Days of Activism | 25 November - 10 December

Women with disabilities face layered discrimination related to heightened risk of violence and barriers to reporting.

This 16 Days of Activism, we shine a light on the invisible victims of gender-based violence.

· More than 31% of women with disabilities in South Africa have experienced sexual or physical violence.1
· They are twice as likely to face sexual violence from a partner compared to non-disabled women.1
· Communication barriers, dependence on caregivers, and inaccessible services make it harder to escape or seek help

🔍 What can we do?
· Challenge ableism and gender bias in your community
· Share accessible resources and support services
· Advocate for disability-inclusive GBV policies
· Listen to survivors, especially those whose voices are often unheard
· Include disability in GBV data collection to make invisible victims visible

This 16 Days of Activism, let us remember: Violence thrives in silence and exclusion. Inclusion is protection. Let’s make every person count.

🧡 From 16 Days of Activism to 365 Days of Action 🧡

1 https://www.thisability.co.za/2024/11/25/16-days-of-activism-a-call-for-inclusive-action-to-combat-gbv-against-women-and-children-with-disabilities/

25/11/2025

📢 16 Days of Activism | 25 November - 10 December

Let’s break the silence on violence against women and children with disabilities. Inclusion means protection. And it starts with us.

💬 Disability inclusion isn’t just about ramps and braille, it’s about safety, dignity, and justice (Marc Lubner, Afrika Tikkun).

People with disabilities are often:

- Unable to communicate abuse with adequate detail or their communication attempts are ignored
- Excluded from mainstream GBV campaigns, leaving them invisible in prevention efforts
- Denied justice, as police and courts may dismiss their testimony
- Dependent on others for personal care needs, which can increase risk if the carer is abusive

🧡 Together, we must move from awareness to accountability
🧡 Together, we must move from 16 Days of Activism to 365 Days of Action

20/11/2025

🌍✨ Today, we celebrate the power, potential, and rights of every child.

From joyful play to bold dreams, children show us what truly matters - and what still needs to change.

Too many children continue to face barriers to education, healthcare, safety, and belonging. For children with disabilities, these challenges are often compounded by exclusion and stigma.

World Children’s Day reminds us why we do what we do. 💙 Because every child deserves to be seen, heard, and supported to thrive.

Let’s keep working to build inclusive, nurturing environments where all children, regardless of ability, background, or circumstance, can grow, learn and lead their lives with dignity.

Inclusion is a right. Let’s challenge what holds children back, embrace what makes them unique, and support every child to meet their full potential.

📣 Every child. Every right. Every day.

17/11/2025

💜👶 Every baby born before the completion of 37 weeks is considered preterm, with those born before 28 weeks considered extremely preterm. Many babies who survive face health complications or permanent disability.

The World Health Organisation's theme for is “Give preterm babies a strong start for a brighter future”. This important message reminds us that a strong start means more that survival.

By prioritising early intervention, family-centered care and ensuring equitable access to healthcare, we can create the conditions for preterm babies to do more than survive – we give them the chance to thrive and flourish.

14/11/2025

Prof Kerstin Tönsing recently had the opportunity to give a presentation at the German AAC conference in Leipzig, hosted by the German Society for AAC (“Gesellschaft für Unterstützte Kommunikation”). Besides many interesting presentations and exhibitions, the conference is always noted for a strong representation of persons using AAC, who actively contribute, leading discussion groups and giving presentations.

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

Website

http://www.caac.up.ac.za/

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