ISAAC has, over the course of the past number of years, developed a significant capacity to host informative and well-attended webinars. This has been done in close collaboration with our friends and partners at both ISAAC-US (USSAAC), AAIDD and, more recently, ISAAC-Canada.
Webinars
ISAAC hosts many informative and well-attended webinars each year.
Registration for live webinars is open to everyone.
All webinars, unless otherwise indicated, are recorded and will be made available for later viewing. Most are archived for members only. You can see the members only archive here.
Become a member of ISAAC to watch all of ISAAC’s webinars!
Upcoming webinars
Amplifying Voices: Caregiver Strategies for Supporting AAC Users
April 22, 2026
7:00-8:00 p.m. EDT
Presented by:
Tracy Rackensperger, David McNaughton, Lance McLemore and Hannah Springfield
About the presenters:
Tracy Rackensperger, Ph.D. is a public service faculty member at the Center on Human Development and Disability (IHDD) within the David Ralston Institute on Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities at the University of Georgia (UGA). Dr. Rackensperger is the Employment Initiatives Coordinator and Alternative AAC Outreach Specialist for the Center. She is the Co-Leader of Training and Dissemination for the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Augmentative and Alternative Communication. The center supports a research and development program addressing three areas of rehabilitation science and engineering. Dr.
Rackensperger has been involved in studies related to employment and telework as well as self-determination. She also serves as the UGA Principal Investigator for the Holographic Augmentative and Alternative Communication (HAAC) Library project. Dr. Rackensperger is an instructor in the Disabilities Studies Certificate program. She is the President of USSAAC.
David McNaughton, Ph.D. is a Professor of Special Education at Pennsylvania State University. Dr. McNaughton’s teaching and research focuses on the development of effective educational programs for individuals with significant support needs. He is especially interested in how AAC can be designed and supported to achieve important educational and vocational outcomes. He is a Project Co-Leader of Training and Dissemination for the RERC on AAC.
Lance McLemore, B.A. provides support to the RERC on AAC. He graduated from the University of Alabama in Huntsville with a Bachelor of Arts in studio art and philosophy. He has used AAC since college. He is a recipient of the Prentke AAC Distinguished Lecture Award.
Hannah Springfield is a graduate of the University of Georgia and is currently working for a medical research company. She also provides direct support to Dr. Rackensperger on business and extreme sports trips. She is an aspiring medical student and hopes to become a doctor.
Seminar description:
This webinar builds directly on our 2024 session, which examined the critical roles Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), and Personal Care Attendants (PCAs) play in supporting AAC users’ participation across daily life and community settings. In this follow-up webinar, we extend that conversation by shifting our focus to caregivers’ practical roles in ensuring AAC users are supported, without being spoken for or silenced. We will highlight concrete resources, tools, and strategies caregivers can use to reinforce autonomy, respect communication preferences, and create environments where AAC users’ voices are centered. Drawing on lessons from our earlier findings, we will translate research-informed insights into actionable practices that caregivers can apply across home, community, and support contexts.
Moderated by: Betsy Caporale
Participants will be able to:
1. Describe at least two caregiver communication practices that support autonomy and participation across home and community settings.
2. Differentiate between AAC partner strategies that amplify AAC users’ voices and practices that unintentionally limit or silence communication.
3. Identify at least three evidence-informed strategies or resources caregivers can use to support AAC access and shared decision-making.
Time ordered agenda:
5 minutes: Introduction of Speakers, USSAAC and topic
7 minutes: Brief recap of the 2024 webinar focus on DSPs and PCAs
13 minutes: Translating research into everyday caregiving decisions
20 minutes: Practical strategies to support ongoing learning
10 minutes: Resources to support ongoing learning
5 minutes: Q & A
ASHA CEUs
SLPs who are USSAAC/ISAAC members may have their participation in this webinar reported for ASHA CEUs at no charge. Non-members must pay a $25 reporting fee.
This course is offered for 0.10 ASHA CEUs (Introductory level; Professional area).
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) CEUs in speech-language pathology and audiology are awarded by the ASHA CE Registry upon receipt of the CEU Participant Form from the ASHA Approved CE Provider, USSAAC. CEU Participant Forms are available online at Registration or via the QR Code displayed during the presentation. ASHA CEUs are provided to full registrations. This program is offered for .10 ASHA CEUs (Introductory Level, Professional Area). Participants must stay for the entire presentation and complete the questionnaire at the end of the webinar.
ASHA Disclosures:
Speakers
Financial:
Lance McLemore and Hannah Springfield are paid by the RERC on AAC through Pennsylvania State University.
David McNaughton is a salaried faculty member at Pennsylvania State University, and a portion of his salary is paid by the RERC on AAC.
Tracy Rackensperger is a salaried faculty member at the University of Georgia and is indirectly compensated by the RERC on AAC through Pennsylvania State University.
Nonfinancial:
Tracy Rackensperger is the President of USSAAC
David McNaughton has no nonfinancial disclosures to report Lance McLemore has no nonfinancial disclosures to report Hannah Springfield has not nonfinancial disclosures to report
Moderator
Financial: Betsy Caporale has no financial disclosures to report.
Nonfinancial: Betsy Caporale is a USSAAC board member and chairs the Education Committee.
To register for this webinar please go to the following link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aGz_Qob4ROiMItKafg8Xmw
Please note: Only the first 150 attendees to log into the webinar will be guaranteed spots.
USSAAC Education Committee:
Amy Bereiter, Betsy Caporale, Kate DeJarnette, Nicole Gallagher, Richard Hurtig, Michelle Phillipy, Wendy Quach, Sharon Redmon
Using Picture Books to Enhance Communication Skills for Students who use AAC
May 27, 2026
7:00-8:00 p.m. EDT
Presented by: Jane L. Gebers and Betsy Corporale
About the presenters:
Jane L. Gebers, M.A., SLP has been a practicing speech-language pathologist for over 50 years, working primarily with the pediatric population. Her first book, Books Are for Talking, Too! A Sourcebook for Using Children’s Literature in Speech-Language Remediation, was published in 1990. As research expanded and continued to validate the uses of children’s literature in speech, language, and literacy, she authored three updated editions. She has been an adjunct professor at St. Mary’s College Moraga, where she taught courses in Language Development, Assessment and Intervention, and a visiting lecturer and presenter at other Bay Area colleges. She has a private practice in Northern California and continues to update her website page, Book Talk, where she provides a lesson plan with a Picture Book Selection of the Month. This page provides viewers with multiple possibilities to support children’s literacy and communication skills using a popular, low-text picture book.
Betsy Caporale, M.S., CCC-SLP has worked in the field of AAC/AT for over 30 years. She earned her Competency Certificate in Communication Assistive Technology Applications from The National Association of State Directors of Special Education and an Assistive Technology Specialty Certificate in Communication Services from the University of South Florida. While working for the California Department of Education she developed and taught an AAC Assessment and Services Certification Course, certifying over 200 SLPs in educational settings. Betsy is the owner of Augmentative Communication Solutions, LLC, which supports students with complex communication and learning needs in school districts throughout California. She currently serves as the Director of Professional Affairs for USSAAC.
Seminar description:
Picture books are an excellent tool for promoting interaction and facilitating communication, particularly for individuals who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). This session will focus on using classic picture books to enhance communication and literacy skills for students with complex communication needs, incorporating the use of AAC tools and strategies to target key areas such as phonological awareness, vocabulary development, sentence formulation, problem-solving, and pragmatic language. During the webinar, presenters will demonstrate joint reading techniques with AAC users across various ages and skill levels. Practical resources to guide in the implementation of these strategies will be provided and research supporting the use of picture books to develop communication skills will be shared.
Moderated by: Nicole Gallagher
Participants will be able to:
- Describe 3 ways picture books can be used to enhance communication skills.
- Identify 3 features to look for when selecting a picture book to support communication skills.
- Cite relevant research regarding the use of picture books to enhance communication for students of all ages.
- Explain how picture books can be implemented with students who use AAC.
- Define specific communication skill sets that can be targeted using picture books.
Time ordered agenda:
5 minutes: Introduction of speakers, USSAAC and topic
5 minutes: The power of picture books
10 minutes: Research supporting the use of picture books
10 minutes: Picture books and AAC
15 minutes: Demonstration of joint reading techniques using picture books, implementing AAC
10 minutes: Q & A
ASHA CEUs
SLPs who are USSAAC/ISAAC members may have their participation in this webinar reported for ASHA CEUs at no charge. Non-members must pay a $25 reporting fee.
This course is offered for 0.10 ASHA CEUs (Introductory level; Professional area).
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) CEUs in speech-language pathology and audiology are awarded by the ASHA CE Registry upon receipt of the CEU Participant Form from the ASHA Approved CE Provider, USSAAC. CEU Participant Forms are available online at Registration or via the QR Code displayed during the presentation. ASHA CEUs are provided to full registrations. This program is offered for .10 ASHA CEUs (Introductory Level, Professional Area). Participants must stay for the entire presentation and complete the questionnaire at the end of the webinar.
ASHA Disclosures:
Speakers:
Financial:
Jane L. Gebers is the author of Books are Talking Too and the owner of SoundingYourBest.com, her website for Speech and Voice Therapy, including special pages entitled Book Talk.
Betsy Caporale is the owner of Augmentative Communication Solutions, LLC.
Nonfinancial:
Betsy Caporale is a USSAAC board member and chairs the Education Committee. Jane L. Gebers has no nonfinancial disclosures to report.
Moderator:
Financial:
Nicole Gallagher is a full-time salaried employee for the state of CT in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Connecticut.
Nonfinancial:
Nicole Gallagher is a member of the USSAAC Education Committee.
To register for this webinar please go to the following link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_23DJff2aQeO2R2ATscltLQ#/registration
Please note: Only the first 150 attendees to log into the webinar will be guaranteed spots.
USSAAC Education Committee:
Amy Bereiter, Betsy Caporale, Kate DeJarnette, Nicole Gallagher, Richard Hurtig, Michelle Phillipy, Wendy Quach, Sharon Redmon
Information about ISAAC webinars
Important Update:
Beginning in January 2021, the majority of archived webinars will be moved to a new location in the Members Only area portion of our website. (A number of webinars will continue to be publicly available here.)
What this change means is that now only members will be able to access the majority of our archived webinar recordings.
Registration for the majority of upcoming new webinars will be available from within the Members Only area, and a valid ISAAC member ID number will need to be entered at time of registration.
It is our hope that many of the people who have benefited from attending or viewing our webinars will become members of ISAAC in order to continue to enjoy this significant membership benefit.
For information on becoming a member of ISAAC, click here.
Thank you!
Information on ASHA CEUs for USSAAC webinars can be found on the USSAAC website, here
To request from ISAAC International a hosted or sponsored webinar, please return this form-fillable PDF with details of your proposed webinar and preferred time slot, to franklin@isaac-online.org.
Please note: A copy of the form MUST first be downloaded and saved to your local computer prior to completing.
