Leadership Team: endever corbin*, Erik Jakobs, Lance McLemore, David McNaughton, Tracy Rackensperger, & Cayla Solis
The Online Seminar & Working Group on “Collaborative and Inclusive Research and Teaching (CIRT) in AAC” is a year-long program designed to develop research and teaching collaborations among the 2026-2027 Fellows and Associates.
The 2026-27 Online Seminar & Working Group on CIRT in AAC will be held as a series of 16 virtual meetings. Eight seminars will be held in Fall 2026, eight working group sessions will be held in Spring 2027. Meetings will be held at a regularly scheduled time (the first and third Tuesday of the month from 3 pm to 4:30 pm, Eastern Time) using Google Classroom and Zoom.
Online Seminar Fellows will include doctoral students (both AAC users and not) who are currently studying issues related to AAC, and AAC users (who aren’t doctoral students) who have experience in CIRT. Online Seminar Associates will include AAC users who are interested in gaining initial or additional experience in collaborative and inclusive research and teaching (CIRT) in AAC.
Seminar Fellows will participate in meetings in both fall and spring semesters. Seminar Associates will primarily participate in the 8 spring workgroup sessions.
Fellows who are doctoral students are encouraged to speak with their doctoral advisor about the use of Seminar & Working Group Activities as independent study credits at their home institutions.
Fellows who are AAC users and Associates will be compensated for their participation.
This year-long seminar will be based on the instructional principles of “listen, learn, grow, and act”
Fall Activities (Listen, Learn, and Grow)
In Fall 2026, there will be eight seminars, two each month in September to December. In each month, one of four research/teaching teams will meet two times with the seminar participants. The research/teaching teams will be selected based on their experience and ongoing commitment to the principles of CIRT.
The first seminar each month will be a formal presentation by the research/teaching team. It is expected that there will be 1-2 short readings that will accompany the presentation.
The second seminar in that month will be an opportunity to discuss the presentation in small groups, ask questions of the presenters, and discuss strategies to support and promote the use of CIRT in AAC. Additional opportunities for contributing thoughts and questions between sessions will be available for AAC users and any other Fellows for whom synchronous participation is a barrier.
As of June 20, the following research presentation teams are confirmed
- endever* corbin, Amy Donaldson, Brandon Eddy, & Alyssa Hillary Zisk (Portland State University)
- Mitchell Case, Lynn Elko, Dawn Sowers, Krista Wilkinson, Kevin Williams (Penn State University)
- Lance McLemore, David McNaughton, Tracy Rackensperger ( AAC Learning Center)
- Lateef McLeod, Emily Quinn, Tracy Rackensperger ( AAC Peer Support Network)
Spring Activities (Act)
In Spring 2027, there will again be eight meetings, two each month in January to April. In these months, Fellows will divide into CIRT teams organized by topics of interest to the Fellows. The goal is that the teams gain experience in the use of CIRT methods to complete a small project that will (a) illustrate the use of CIRT methods and (b) build capacity in the AAC field (e.g., result in a presentation at ATIA or ASHA, a module at the AAC Learning Center, etc). Associates will be asked to join and interact with the CIRT team (and topic) of greatest interest to them.
Application and Registration Information
- There is no registration fee for the Online Seminar and Working Group activity.
- Because some of the costs for the Online Seminar and Working Group are supported by a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant # 90REGE0029) to the RERC on AAC, registration for the 2026-2027 Online Seminar & Working Group is limited to individuals living in the United States and US Territories.
- In order to support small group interactions and one-to-one conversations, space is limited to 24 Fellows and 6 Associates. For doctoral student applications, priority will be given to current doctoral students who are actively involved in AAC research. For AAC users, priority for registration as a Fellow will be given to AAC users who have experience in CIRT methods. We encourage AAC users who have not had formal experience with CIRT to apply for the Associate Program.
- Based on the interests and availability of Fellows and Associates, there may be opportunities for “meet-ups” at conferences (e.g., ASHA, ATIA) during 2026 and 2027. This is not a formal expectation of the Seminar and Working Group Program.
- Individuals interested in participating as Fellows or Associates are encouraged to complete this application (opens in a new link). Please apply by July 17, 2026. Acceptance information will be provided by July 24, 2026.
| September ’26 | October ’26 | November ’26 | December ’26 | January ’27 | February ’27 | March ’27 | April ’27 | |
| Presentation | 9/1 | 10/6 | 11/3 | 12/1 | 1/5 | 2/2 | 3/2 | 4/1 |
| Discussion | 9/15 | 10/20 | 11/17 | 12/15 | 1/19 | 2/16 | 3/16 | 4/15 |