The NWACS Theme for 2026

We are thrilled to announce our theme for 2026: Joy and Connection through AAC. When board member Morgan Scherer proposed this topic, it immediately resonated with many of us. This is WHY we do what we do - to bring together people in order to uplift and celebrate AAC as a valid, meaningful communication strategy. To give voice. To build relationships. To promote positive change.

So, each month, we will feature a theme that shines a light on people exploring what AAC means to them in the context of:

Play
Relationships
Inclusion
Teamwork
Celebrations

And many more. We will give you resources to share, and AAC vocabulary ideas to add, and ways to connect with others on the same journey as you.

An Important Note

“In the face of horrors visited upon our world daily, in the struggle to protect our loved ones, choosing to let in joy is a revolutionary act. Joy returns us to everything that is good and beautiful and worth fighting for." -Valarie Kaur

We did not pick this topic without acknowledging that for many disabled people, this is a time full of fear, pain and loneliness.

We did not pick this topic to avoid talking about the hard things that come with being or caring about people who use AAC. So we will talk about that too.

Going Deeper into Why We Chose This Theme

We will begin with the words of Morgan Scherer. They are an NWACS board member and esteemed AAC researcher. They are also physically disabled, autistic/ADHD/PDA, and an AAC user dealing with many chronic illnesses. In an upcoming article, they eloquently lay out the complex implications of “joy and connection” on their lived experience.

Importantly, they talk about how they often hide their own joy because it “shows” their disability. That leads to others treating them like they do not deserve basic human respect due to their disability. So, joy and connection can actually be quite scary.

But, the payoff is worth it. As they say, “When we cultivate joy, we learn that we are not the problem. That who we are and how we naturally exist in the world is ok. We learn that we are valuable for who we are, as we are.”

Call to Action

Morgan ends with a call to action - to reach for JOY even when the world seems to push it farther away. We echo that and add: a bridge that leads from shame and isolation to joy and connection is hope. But, hope not as a passive concept but as an action, a drive, and a call to use whatever we can to make good change. With hope, we can hold out our hands to connect and reach for joy, whatever barriers we may encounter.

“Hope is not a lottery ticket you can sit on the sofa and clutch, feeling lucky. It is an axe you break down doors with…” - Rebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark

We are together with you in this joy, this connection, as well as this struggle and resistance.