The research projects of the RERC on AAC (2025-2030) will investigate innovative engineering solutions to address the communication barriers faced by individuals with complex communication needs.
R1: Communication and Social Behavior on the Playground: This project will investigate the feasibility of using observation and mapping technology to identify locations in a high interaction environment to document common words or phrases used in those “social zones,”. The results of this project will inform D1: Environmental Embedding and Communication Supports.
Project Leaders: Therrien, Dragut, Raley, Jakobs, Constituent Board
R2: Immersive Text Environments: The goal is to investigate the effects of emerging and novel approaches to responsive prediction that leverages AI on communication, expressive language, and social validity from individuals with developmental disabilities and communication partners to improve the design of prediction in AAC technologies and thereby enhance quality of communication life.
Project Leaders: Pope, Dragut, Jakobs, Constituent Board