SCSD Associate Professors Andrea Barton-Hulsey and Michelle Therrien, along with their research team, received a 5-year $5 million grant from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to fund the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). The RERC on AAC is dedicated to disseminating knowledge and creating innovative engineering solutions that improve outcomes for children and adults with developmental and acquired disabilities.

“Receiving this grant is incredibly meaningful. I am so excited to be a part of this group and look forward to seeing how our projects continue to effect positive changes in people’s lives,” Therrien said.

Barton-Hulsey and Therrien’s research focuses on improving technologies to enhance the quality of life for young individuals with disabilities who use AAC. With this grant funded by the HHS through the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation (NIDILRR), Barton-Hulsey and Therrien plan to extend their current research projects in specialized ways.

“With greater access to tools to understand children’s abilities, it is my hope that children who use AAC will also have greater access to quality literacy instruction so they can develop reading skills to their fullest potential,” Barton-Hulsey said.

Barton-Hulsey plans to collaborate with teachers, family members, and people who use AAC to understand ongoing literacy assessment and instruction barriers to produce new supportive technologies. Therrien will continue investigating the social experiences of children with disabilities in community playgrounds to develop technologies that enhance their social participation.

“The biggest hope I have for this work is that it makes a real difference in the lives of children who use AAC, and if this technology supports children to engage with other children, participate in community activities, and make friends, I will be thrilled,” Therrien said.