Friday Announcements

1. Join Us for Success is a Journey with TD Snap & Tobii Dynavox
From Ishita Umanath, Tobii Dynavox:

Join us for an interactive, hands-on training course designed to help you get the most out of TD Snap, regardless of the page set you use. From initial setup through to successful implementation, our expert AAC professionals will guide you every step of the way.

These live, in-person events will take place in:
Exeter – Wednesday 7 October
Darlington – Tuesday 13 October
Edinburgh – Wednesday 14 October

During the session, you’ll gain practical experience with TD Snap, including setup, editing, customisation, and implementation strategies to support communication, engagement, and literacy development. You’ll also have the opportunity to explore different access methods, including touch and eye gaze, and learn how to use the Dynamic AAC Goals Grid (DAGG 3) to support assessment and goal setting.

To learn more and register, click here.



2.  Catch Smartbox talks at Communication Matters 2026
From Olivia Withington, Smartbox:

With just over a week to go until the CM Annual AAC Conference in Leeds, we wanted to share some information about our presentations at the event.

Monday:

• Introducing Evo – Intelligent eye tracking designed around real-world AAC use 
  Clothworkers South, G11a&b | 13:20 – 14:05 

• Creating custom AI-powered tools in Grid with Smart Prompt
  Clothworkers South, G11a&b | 15:30 – 16:15
  
  

Tuesday:

• Developing AI Features with AAC Users – A Participatory Approach [Lightning talk]  
  Michael Sadler, LG10 | 11:40 – 12:25  

• Taboo or not Taboo, that is the question: Empowering AAC users with unrestricted vocabulary
  Stage@Leeds, Stage 1 | 13:35 – 14:20

You will also find our team on the Smartbox stand in the exhibition hall – come and say hello, try our devices, and spin the wheel to see if you can win some Smartbox goodies.

More information about our talks is available on our blog: Connect with us at Communication Matters 2026 – Smartbox



3.  Let’s chat! ISAAC Informal Chats
From Marcia Gemler, ISAAC:

Please join moderator Kevin Williams for the next AAC chat:

Date: Monday 7 September
Time: 7:00PM – 8:00PM (UK time)

We’d love to have participants from the UK!  You do not have to be an ISAAC member to participate in the chats. 

The chat questions:  

1. Now that summer is ending, what part of your routine are you looking forward to getting back to?
2. Do you have a new goal you want to share?
3. What is your favourite part of Fall or Autumn?

ISAAC, the International Society for AAC, invites AAC users to meet online for informal chats every two weeks.  

More information can be found by clicking here:
https://isaac-online.org/english/news/pwuaac-online-chats/

4. 
   
   
   Annual Meeting of CM Members

All current members of Communication Matters are invited to attend the Annual Meeting of Members. The meeting will take place online via Teams at the start of our International Conference at the University of Leeds.

Date: Sunday 13 September 2026
Time: 1:00PM – 2:00PM

Members have been sent a link to the meeting by email, so please do check your junk folders if you haven’t seen this communication. If you have not received the email and would like to attend, please contact [email protected]

The 2026 Agenda, minutes of the 2025 meeting and the current financial statement are all available on the members portal. Please contact us if you have any difficulty accessing this.

If you are an AAC user and will already be at the University of Leeds, and would like to attend in person, please contact [email protected]



5.  CM Poster PDF Submissions – Deadline Today

If you would like a PDF of your poster to be included in the conference app, along with the abstract for your poster, please send your poster as a PDF to [email protected]

Please note the deadline for submitting your PDF for inclusion in the conference app is Friday 4 September.



6.  CM Conference 2026

Around 450 delegates will be heading to Leeds on 13-15 September 2026 for an exciting event packed full of informative presentations, inspiring stories and insight into the advancing world of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). 
 
Bookings for CM2026 have now closed.

The programme features a keynote speech from Jeff Higginbotham on ‘Looking at AAC Through Time and Interaction’, and a plenary speech from Gavin Clifton, The Disabled Writer: Children’s author, inspirational speaker, disability advocate, lyricist.
 
Click here to view the full programme and plan your visit.



7.  CM 40^th Anniversary Dinner

We are celebrating Communication Matters’ 40th anniversary at the Royal Armouries on Monday 14 September, and we look forward to seeing many members, AAC users, families, friends and AAC professionals joining us for a fabulously fun and friendly evening.

Our after-dinner speaker is Lee Ridley, who combines stand-up comedy and writing, with advocacy for the AAC community in his role as patron for Communication Matters, The Sequal Trust, Smile and The Scott-Morgan Foundation.

Bookings for the celebratory dinner have now closed.



8.  About Friday Announcements

These ‘Friday Announcements’ comprise weekly product updates, upcoming courses, and supplier news. Please email [email protected] with the item you want to be included by Thursday at 5pm – no more than 200 words (one entry per organisation per week) – and include contact email and/or link so readers can find out further information (no file attachments please).

This newsletter may include links to external websites or third-party content. While these are checked for quality and working links at the time of publication, Communication Matters is not responsible for the content, accuracy, or availability of external sites.