Their Voice, Their Future: Supporting AAC Users Through the Transition from School to Adulthood
- Apr 24
- 7 min read
Posted by:
Jennifer Wright, M.A., CCC-SLP, Open Access
Casandra Guerrero, M. Ed., M.S., CCC-SLP, Diagnostic Center North
Natalia Silva Sepulveda, M.S., SLP, Hollister High School
“When my students who use AAC leave the public education system, I want them to…”
Pause for a moment and reflect on that sentence.
Whether you are an educator thinking about your students' independence and future employment, or a parent thinking about something more personal, “I want them to be understood”, “I want them to feel confident”, “I want them to be okay”. We are all part of the same team.
No matter how you finish that sentence, it always comes back to the same thing: communication. The ability to communicate, to express needs, share preferences, ask questions, say no, and build relationships is what makes independence possible.
It Starts with Access and a Shift in Perspective
At the center of meaningful transition planning is a foundational belief: when students have access to high-quality instruction, inclusive environments, and robust communication systems, they can actively participate in their lives. Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) is often misunderstood as simply a device or a tool. But AAC is so much more than that. It is everything a person uses to communicate: speech-generating devices, gestures, facial expressions, manual signs, pictures, written words. AAC systems are flexible, dynamic, and deeply personal. When AAC is supported well, something powerful happens. Students are no longer positioned as passive participants in their environments. They become active contributors, people who can show what they know, build relationships, make choices, and influence the world around them.
Self-Advocacy: Teaching the Language of Agency
Self-advocacy is often talked about as an outcome. But in reality, it’s a skill set that must be intentionally developed over time. For students who use AAC, self-advocacy begins with language access that reflects real-life needs. That means ensuring their systems include words and phrases that allow them to say things like, “I don’t understand,” “Can you help me?” “I need more time,” or “I want something different.” These aren’t just phrases. They are tools for autonomy.
There is a moment many educators recognize: the first time a student uses their AAC system to clearly express discomfort, disagreement, or a personal preference. In our work with districts across the state, one SLP shared a story about a student who, after consistent modeling and opportunities to practice, used his device to communicate that something felt uncomfortable and that he didn’t like it. Before that, he didn’t have an efficient way to say it. Moments like that shift everything. This is when we see a mindset shift in our communication partners. These moments remind us that communication isn’t just about participation; it’s about agency. Here’s an important truth that can feel uncomfortable at first: self-advocacy requires access to the full range of language. That includes language for frustration, boundary-setting, and strong emotions. When we limit vocabulary to what feels “appropriate,” we unintentionally limit a student’s ability to protect themselves, express urgency, or be fully human in their communication. Just like any other learner, students who use AAC need guidance for how and when to use different types of language, and they also need access to it.
It's not enough to program words into a device or teach a lesson on asking for help. Self-advocacy grows when students use their communication in the places where life actually happens, not as a rehearsal, but as the real thing. That might be during lunch, when they decide where to sit or whether to join a conversation. It might be in a school club, where they interact with peers around a shared interest. It might be in a work-based learning setting, where they navigate expectations and communicate with supervisors. Sometimes, it is moments that feel small but are actually profound, like ordering food in a restaurant or asking a question at a community event. These are the moments where communication becomes functional, where students begin to see that their voice has an impact beyond the classroom.
Participation in IEP meetings can shift when communication is centered. When students are supported to share their preferences, goals, and ideas, transition planning becomes something they help shape, not something that happens around them. Some tools that can help guide and support participation for our AAC users include the following resources:
Building on My Strengths from High Quality IEPs, a Statewide System of Support Partner
Self-advocacy is strongest when confident communicators are supported by responsive environments. Self-advocacy depends not just on what a student can do, but also on whether the people around them create the conditions for it. When peers don’t pause, or when adults step in too quickly or speak on a student’s behalf, opportunities for self-advocacy can be limited. That’s why supporting AAC users also means supporting the entire community around them. Peers learn that communication may take time and that waiting is an act of respect. Educators begin to model language on AAC systems, showing that these tools are not separate from communication, but a valid and equal part of it. Families and staff learn to step back just enough to allow the student’s voice to come forward.
Tools That Help Students Be Known
Moving into adulthood involves navigating new spaces where you have the chance to share who you are with others. The right tools can help a student walk into those spaces already understood.
An “About Me” book, for example, becomes more than a project; it becomes a bridge. It allows a student to share how they communicate, what they enjoy, what supports them, and what matters to them. When created thoughtfully, it reflects personality, preferences, and identity.
Similarly, communication passports or small “communication wallets” can travel with a student into community spaces. These tools help unfamiliar communication partners quickly understand how to interact, reminding them to give time, to listen, and to recognize AAC as valid communication.
Other structured supports, like visual frameworks for sharing opinions or preferences, open up opportunities for students to express themselves in ways that feel accessible and meaningful.
Each of these tools helps shift the responsibility from the student to the environment, making it easier to support their needs.
From Participation to Ownership: Shared Decision-Making
As students move closer to adulthood, the goal shifts from participation to ownership. Shared decision-making is a critical part of that shift. It means that students are not just present for discussions about their education and future, they are actively involved in shaping them. This doesn’t happen automatically. It requires intentional support.
Students may need visuals, structured options, modeling, or guided practice to learn how to weigh choices and express preferences. They need opportunities to explore what they like, what they don’t, and what they want their future to look like. Transition Templates provide a structure to support those conversations. Importantly, they need access to real choices, not just simplified yes/no questions, but meaningful options that reflect real decisions. When students are included in this way, they begin to see themselves differently. Not as recipients of services, but as individuals with agency. High Quality IEPs has also developed guidance and tools within their Toolkit for Educators: Special Education Providers Edition. In Key Components Section 4, these resources support pathways to high school graduation and offer another valuable area to explore.
Life Skills as a Context for Communication
Some of the richest opportunities for growth happen when communication is embedded into daily routines and real-world experiences. In many high school programs, this comes to life through student-run businesses, campus jobs, and community-based instruction. A smoothie cart, a coffee station, a recycling program, or a delivery route across campus becomes more than an activity; it becomes a context for communication, problem-solving, and independence.
In these spaces, students are not practicing isolated skills. They are interacting with peers, responding to questions, managing tasks, and navigating real expectations. The same is true in community settings. Ordering food, greeting customers, participating in mock interviews, or working in a gym or local business allows students to apply their communication in authentic ways. These experiences matter because they build confidence. They help students see that their communication system works, not just in school, but in the real world.
Planning Ahead: Communication Doesn’t End at Graduation
One of the most critical and often overlooked parts of transition planning is ensuring continued access to communication supports after high school. For students who use school-provided AAC devices, this requires early and intentional planning. Securing a personal device can take time, and waiting too long can create gaps in access right at the moment when independence matters most. Families and teams may need to explore funding pathways, connect with programs that support access to communication tools, and ensure that students are evaluated and prepared for this transition. But it’s not just about the device. Students and families benefit from ongoing support, training on how to use and maintain the system, easy-to-use reference guides, and connections to communities where they can continue learning and growing. Communication extends beyond school; it is a lifelong need.
Coming Back to the Beginning
If we return to that opening sentence, “When my students who use AAC leave the public education system, I want them to…”, we might realize something important.
The outcomes we hope for don’t start at the end of high school. They are built slowly, intentionally, in everyday moments:
when a student is given time to respond
when their words are honored
when they are invited into decisions
when their communication is seen as valid and meaningful
Transition is not a one-time moment, but a process of becoming. When we prioritize authentic, supported communication, we go beyond preparing students for adulthood.
We are helping them step into lives where their voices matter.
References:
AssistiveWare. (n.d.). Thinking Space. Retrieved from https://www.assistiveware.com/
Communication Passports. (n.d.). Communication Passports. Retrieved
Helen Sanderson Associates. (n.d.). Helen Sanderson Associates. Retrieved
High Quality IEPs. (n.d.). High Quality IEPs. Retrieved from https://www.highqualityieps.com/
Talking Mats Ltd. (n.d.). Talking Mats. Retrieved from https://www.talkingmats.com/
