Friday Announcements

1. Smartbox Family Customer Survey 2026
From Olivia Withington, Smartbox:

We’re always working to improve our products and services, making them easier to use and more helpful for people who need AAC. We’ve just launched our Smartbox Family Customer Survey for 2026, and we’d love to hear from you!

Whether you use AAC yourself, support a family member or friend, or work as a professional, your feedback plays an important role in shaping the future of Smartbox. By sharing your experiences, you’ll help us understand what’s working well, where we can improve, and what matters most to our community.

How it works:

• The survey has 28 short, optional, and confidential questions.
• An accessible grid set version is available for Grid 3 users.
• You can share your thoughts until 30 September.

Find out more about the survey and the accessible grid set in our blog: Smartbox Family Customer Survey 2026 – Smartbox 

Complete the survey here: Smartbox Family Customer Survey

2.  What’s New at Tobii Dynavox
From Ishita Umanath, Tobii Dynavox:

Watch our Summer 2026 Update video to get the complete story and discover all the latest updates from Tobii Dynavox. Key updates include:

• Acapela My-Own-Voice 5 is now included at no additional cost with qualifying Tobii Dynavox devices.
• New hardware updates, including a new PC Eye mounting bracket for Surface Pro devices and a redesigned TD I-110 protective case that is stronger, more protective and easier to install.
• TD Snap voice search is now easier, with filters by age and gender, as well as the option to search by voice provider, language, dialect and more.
• TD Snap Express is now available in Ukrainian, including dedicated safety pages to help AAC users communicate about their safety and what they may be experiencing.
• More than 700 new PCS symbols have been added to TD Snap, providing even more ways to communicate about food, activities, sports, culture and more.

Click here to watch the video.

3.  Help Shape the Future of Symboloud
From Russell Smith, Dad in a Shed:

Dad In A Shed is inviting Speech and Language Therapists who use their own Android device to help us shape Symboloud, our symbol-based AAC app.

We want Symboloud to grow through real clinical experience, not assumptions. We are looking for SLTs willing to use the app, challenge it and tell us what works, what does not, and what needs to change. In return, participating therapists will receive a lifetime free Symboloud licence for their Android device.

We would particularly value feedback on the app’s functionality, navigation and vocabulary, including how useful the language is across different ages, settings and communication needs. We are also especially keen to hear from bilingual and multilingual SLTs who would like to help us develop high-quality vocabulary sets in additional languages, making Symboloud useful to a much wider range of AAC users and families.

Symboloud will also be demonstrated at Communication Matters 2026, so this is a chance to help influence what we show and where the app goes next.

Interested in getting involved? Email [email protected] and tell me a little about your AAC work, Android device and, if relevant, the languages you work with.

4.  Makaton International Awareness Day
From Sarah Drew, The Makaton Charity:

The Makaton Charity has collaborated with award-winning charity Electric Umbrella to create a brand-new community song for Makaton International Awareness Day on Friday 28 August 2026 – with Makaton users at the heart of the creative process.

Created around this year’s Makaton International Awareness Day theme, Together, the song celebrates communication, creativity and connection, bringing the Makaton community together through music, signs and shared experiences.

People across the UK and around the world are encouraged to get involved in Makaton International Awareness Day by learning and sharing the Makaton sign for ‘Together’, sharing their own Makaton stories using #MakatonTogether, and joining activities and celebrations throughout the day.

The finished song and music video will be launched as part of Makaton International Awareness Day on 28 August 2026. You can watch the video by clicking here.

5.  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.

6.  CM 40^th Anniversary Dinner – Bookings Close Soon!

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.

The Celebratory Dinner is part of the International AAC Conference programme; however, non-delegates may also join the party. If you do NOT plan to attend the Conference as a delegate, you are welcome to join us at the Celebratory Dinner by buying Dinner Only ticket(s) here.

Any bookings should be received by 28^th August. After that time, any dietary requirements cannot be guaranteed.

7.  CM Conference Posters – Help with Printing

The poster session at CM2026 is going to be a big part of Conference, and we’re delighted to have received so many excellent submissions. If you are presenting a poster, and need help with printing costs, CM can help.

If you would like CM to arrange printing of your poster on your behalf, please send your poster as a PDF to [email protected] and we will arrange for it to be printed at no cost to you, and available for collection at the conference.

Please note, the deadline for submitting your PDF for printing is Tuesday 1 September.

8.  Are You Exhibiting a Poster in the CM Poster Exhibition?

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.

9.  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).

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