Let’s Talk at the Park: AAC in Public Spaces

Welcome back to another episode of the Take AACtion Podcast! This week, Lauren is joined by Ashley, a speech-language pathologist, mom of three, and owner of Speech at the Beach. With over 13 years of experience, she’s passionate about making communication accessible for all kids. Today, she’s sharing the journey of completing her project — bringing 11 AAC communication boards to parks and playgrounds around Virginia Beach — and how small changes can make a big difference for AAC users and their families.

Ashley kicks things off by describing what AAC evaluations look like within her private practice, including supports and resources that have increased success (2:02). This leads into a discussion about the playground communication boards and the ways they support communication and inclusion (8:11). Ashley then describes how she went about getting communication boards into her local play areas (12:45), and shares her biggest takeaway lesson from working to get the boards installed in her community (21:47).

✨ Take AACtion: Try out the Take AACTion step and let us know how it went—send a DM or drop a comment on @inspireconnections.aac! (28:56)

Follow Along with Ashley:

• 📸 @speechinvabeach on Instagram
• 📰 News Feature: Ashley's Mission to Bring Inclusion to Playgrounds
• 🏞️ Smarty Symbols – Board Resource

Take AACtion with Lauren:

• 📸 @inspireconnections.aac on Instagram
• 🎧 Previous AAC Evaluation Episode
• 📚 Podcast Resource Library
• 🤝 AAC Support Network
• ✍️ Join the AAC Assessment Guide Waitlist
• 🎓 Free AAC Consistency Training
• 🎙️ Share Your Story on the Podcast