CommunicationFIRST

@communicationfirst

Disability-led 501(c)(3) protecting the civil rights of humans who cannot rely on speech alone to be heard and understood.

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CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· 4d

Amicus briefs help us share insights with the legal system. We recently joined one supporting the National Association of the Deaf & its challenge to the federal government’s decision to stop providing #ASL interpretation in official White House briefings. lnk.to/suefed 📸 Photo… 1/2

[Image: A Deaf man standing outdoors smiles and looks at something in the distance while signing.]

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· 9d

Are you worried about #Olmstead? The Bazelon Center made a guide to resisting DOJ’s harmful memo. It includes a statement for your governor and attorney general to sign in support of our right to live in the community: lnk.to/olmbkg. @bazeloncenter.bsky.social 📸 #VisibleAAC photo by Shira Wakschlag

[Image: Photographed from behind, a young AAC user sits at a school desk with her AAC device. A teacher reading a storybook is projected onto a screen at the front of the classroom.]

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· 12d

Push back on the narrative of Medicaid being fraudulent or wasteful! Share your experiences with #Medicaid & #HCBS to inform the upcoming Senate Budget Committee Hearing. Email your statement for the record to Anirudh_Srirangam@budget.senate.gov by Wednesday, August 5 @ 12pm ET. [Image: A close-up…

[Image: A close-up of the palm of a person's hand. "No" is written on their palm in bold letters.]

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· 17d

Our partners at DREDF and AAPD released a new report on barriers to #DisabilityBenefits. They found more barriers came about as the government cut staff and regional offices, replacing some with #AI: lnk.to/barrier. @dredf.bsky.social @aapd.com 📸 Photo Credit: @affecttheverb.com/Disabled and Here…

[Image: While sharing a picnic blanket outside, a young autistic couple uses pens and notepads as AAC tools. On the left, a woman lays on her stomach and writes. On the right, a non-binary person sits and writes.]

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· 21d

We conducted focus groups with #AACUsers to better understand our community’s perspectives on #ArtificialIntelligence. Findings informed the Consumer Technology Association white paper on #AI and #Accessibility: lnk.to/AIwhtppr. [Image: Focus group participant Juan Cobeñas sits at a desk with… 1/2

[Image: Focus group participant Juan Cobeñas sits at a desk with a letter board laying in front of him.]

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· 24d

With George Washington University’s handy new tool, keep track of, and submit your own updates on how federal policy changes are impacting home and community-based services for disabled people: lnk.to/trackHCBS. #HCBS @milkeninstitute.org 📸 Photo Credit: @affecttheverb.com/Disabled and Here 1/2

[Image: A disabled genderfluid person types on a laptop while wearing compression gloves. The hands and keyboard are the focal point.]

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· 28d

“When other people know how to be respectful…they’re much more likely to include us.” Check out a new guide to #allyship by our own Ren Koloni, & learn AAC-related rights & tips for supporting them! Ren is featured in Autism Spectrum News’s Summer Issue. lnk.to/ltpfAAC [Video: Ren Koloni… 1/3

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· Jul 3

We should not have to prove that we deserve #healthcare. The federal government has a new rule that could make it harder for people who need #AAC to keep #Medicaid. Send in your comments to oppose this by July 31 at 11:59pm ET! Use our helpful tips: lnk.to/wrkreq. 📸 Photo credit: Norma Mortenson…

[Image: A small group of people use a laptop outdoors. A closeup shot focuses on their hands.]

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· Jun 29

The #DOJ released a memo stating it will not enforce the #Olmstead decision, which protects the right of people with #disabilities to choose where to live. Learn about this attack on our community & how to take action via the explainer: First In, Last Out. lnk.to/olmmem [Image: “We must not… 1/2

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· Jun 24

Ready to wear the change you want to see in the world? The Jordyn Zimmerman Speech Does Not Make Someone More Human Shirts are back, but only through June 30! Get yours now and support the fight for #CommunicationRights. lnk.to/shpc @jordynbzim.bsky.social [Image: Sitting in front of a… 1/2

[Image: Sitting in front of a microphone, Governor Abigail Spanberger proudly holds up a signed copy of the Virginia Acts of Assembly. Next to her is a young girl wearing a shirt that says: Speech does not make someone more human. Behind them, people are clapping.]

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· Jun 17

We helped create plain-language versions of articles published in the Journal of #AAC. Articles drew from the Future of AAC Research Summit we organized in May 2024 with the RERC on AAC. Authors include #AliceWong: lnk.to/nwacs. Thanks to NWACS for leading this effort! [Video: Alice Wong with… 1/3

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· Jun 13

Enter our Jordyn Zimmerman Shirt giveaway! Think of someone who's new to CommunicationFIRST & tag them in a comment. You could win a Jordyn Shirt (of your choice), which supports the fight for #CommunicationRights. A winner will be randomly chosen on 6/18. lnk.to/shpc @jordynbzim.bsky.social 1/2

[Image: Mr. C, The Autistic Teacher, wears a green sweatshirt that says, "Speech does not make someone more human." He holds hands with his kid, who wears a purple sweatshirt and noise cancelling headphones. They both smile.]

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· Jun 9

Congrats to our friends Samuel & Dan Habib on winning the Emmy Award for Outstanding #SocialIssue Documentary! Watch their film #TheRideAhead on 6/30 at 1pm PT/4pm ET. CommunicationFIRST Board Member Judy Heumann & co-founder Bob Williams are interviewed! lnk.to/rascreen [Image: Co-directors… 1/2

[Image: Co-directors Samuel & Dan Habib & co-producer Erica Lupinacci smile while Dan holds up an Emmy statue.]

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· Jun 1

Our Director of Policy & Legal Advocacy Sam Crane spoke at Healthier Together! Sam, Henry Claypool (Brandeis’s Community Living Policy Center) & Michelle Meade (Univ. of MI Center for Disability Health & Wellness) discussed #HealthCare best practices for people with disabilities. 1/4

[Image 1: Sam Crane, Michelle A. Meade & discussion moderator Andrew Jager sit on a stage below a screen that says, “American Hospital Association Healthier Together Conference. Stronger Communities. Better Health Outcomes. May 12 - 14, 2026. Dallas.” An audience sits in front of them, & a sign language interpreter stands to the side of the stage.]

[Image 2: A slide with a collage of words with small icons representing some of them: “Improving Care Experience For People With Disabilities. Healthier Together Conference welcomes Sam Crane, Michelle A. Meade, & Henry Claypool, with Andrew Jager.” The word collage promotes understanding how to support people with disabilities through supported decision making & centering patients’ needs & experiences.]

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· May 25

“Every message already takes attention, motor planning, & time,” says Hari Srinivasan, Neuroscience Ph.D. candidate & #AACUser. “When technology adds corrections & guesswork, it compounds that effort.” He explains how engineered exclusion harms #AACUsers: lnk.to/desdig. @neuroscientist.bsky.social

[Image: Wearing a dark cap and light brown jacket, Hari Srinivasan stands inside stone castle ruins along the coast of Northern Ireland.]

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· May 21

Father’s Day will be here sooner than you think. Be ready to show the father figures in your life some love. Get them (and the whole family!) CommunicationFIRST gear to help us win the fight for #CommunicationRights and #access: lnkfi.re/c1shp. [Image 1: A grandpa wearing a CommunicationFIRST… 1/3

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· May 14

Want to learn more about advocacy by & for people with speech-related disabilities? Subscribe to our newsletter! A few times each month, get updates on calls to action, programming, & the latest from our colleagues. lnkfi.re/nc1st 📸: #VisibleAAC photo from DJ Reinhardt [Image: A person sits… 1/2

[Image: A person sits in a powerchair with an AAC device in front of them, looking up at a teenager who looks back at them.]

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· May 9

Welcome our new Board Treasurer, Shubha Balabaer! They are a #DisabilityAdvocate, social & racial justice activist, & parent to a #nonspeaker. They help other parents connect to a broader #DisabilityJustice movement & ways of disability-centered parenting. lnk.to/shubha [Image: Shubha… 1/2

[Image: Shubha Balabaer wears big, fashionable sunglasses and a Disability Culture Lab T-shirt that says, “cure ableism” five times, each in a different color to make a rainbow.]

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· May 2

People with speech-related disabilities are a diverse community with a lot to say. We communicate with #AAC, including low-tech & high-tech tools & with support people like revoicers. Learn from us in our own words: watch All Our Voices. lnk.to/allvces [Video: First wearing a sweatshirt that says,…

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· Apr 26

In our series about AAC users in higher ed, Ren Koloni discusses their work on #disability & racial justice, Glenda Watson Hyatt discusses her thesis on employment discrimination of AAC users, & Lateef McLeod shares about his dissertation on peer supports. lnk.to/aachred @glendalwh.bsky.social 1/2

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· Apr 22

We attended the National Federation of the Blind’s tenBroek Disability Law Symposium. Our Director of Policy & Legal Advocacy Sam Crane presented on #SupportedDecisionMaking alongside #AACUser & SDM advocate Otto Lana, DREDF’s Ayesha Elaine Lewis, & ACLU’s Britt Belwine. @dredf.bsky.social @aclu.org

[Image: At the tenBroek Disability Law Symposium, Sam Crane, Ayesha Elaine Lewis, and Britt Belwine stand by fellow presenter Otto Lana who is seated at a conference table with his AAC device in front of him.]

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· Apr 18

CommunicationFIRST Program Associate Ren Koloni shares their experience in graduate school as a multiply #disabled #AACUser. Ren discusses #access for our community and their research on #ableism in medical settings: lnk.to/RenGrad. [Image: Headshot of Ren Koloni accompanied by a quote. It says,...

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· Apr 13

It's not too early to start shopping for Mother’s Day. With some new #CommunicationRights gear, moms (and their sidekicks!) will look great and support our mission. Browse CommunicationFIRST shirts and accessories: lnkfi.re/c1shp. [Image: A woman holds a baby, both smiling broadly. The baby,… 1/2

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· Apr 2

#TheTruthAboutAutism is folks have a lot to say about it, but they are not listening to #nonspeakers. CommunicationFIRST firmly believes in the motto #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs. To learn about communication rights & access from autistic people, watch LISTEN: lnkfi.re/listenfilm. @autisticadvocacy.org

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· Mar 29

CommunicationFIRST has endorsed the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the once-controversial statue of former President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his wheelchair at the #FDR Memorial. Our co-founder Bob Williams attended 2001’s statue dedication with fellow #disability leaders. 📸 Image... 1/2

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· Mar 25

#Volunteer opening alert! If you’re experienced with #FinancialManagement, please apply to CommunicationFIRST’s Board as our Treasurer. We are seeking someone who is passionate about our mission and knowledgeable about #accounting and budget functions. lnk.to/treasurer [Image: Bold black… 1/2

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· Mar 18

#AliceWong would have been 52 this month. We feel Alice’s continued presence as we honor her legacy. Join us by taking action on a #DisabilityRights issue important to you and attending her memorial, which will be streamed on 3/25 at 2pm ET. lnk.to/alicemem @sfdirewolf.bsky.social #AliceIsLove 1/2

[Image: A 2020 pencil sketch by Riva Lehrer called “Zoom Portraits: Alice Wong (Study)” in The Struggle for Justice exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery. In the portrait, Alice wears a ventilator with her hair pulled back and has a neutral expression on her face.]

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· Mar 13

Are you attending this year’s #HealthierTogether Conference? CommunicationFIRST Director of Policy & Legal Advocacy Sam Crane is part of a panel of experts presenting on 5/13 & discussing #HealthCare best practices for people with #disabilities: lnk.to/hlthtog. @samanticka.bsky.social [Image:… 1/3

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· Mar 9

Our colleagues at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network created a toolkit to teach Medicaid 1115 waiver #advocacy. 1115 waivers let state governments make some changes, such as who gets #Medicaid, what Medicaid pays for, and what rules there are. Learn more: lnk.to/1115wat. @autisticadvocacy.org 1/2

[Image: A closeup of a tablet held by a person in a white lab coat with a stethoscope hanging from their neck. A second person, wearing scrubs, stands behind the tablet.]

CommunicationFIRST@communicationfirst· Mar 3

#JudyHeumann, one of our founding Board members, used this bridge for decades. DC’s Connecticut Ave Bridge was renamed Judith E. Heumann Memorial Bridge to honor her incredible commitment to #DisabilityRights. Sharing as we remember her on the 3-year anniversary of her passing 💙 … 1/2