Communication is such an integral part of life. It is key to connecting with others and building relationships. Every day students are connecting and interacting in classes and on the playground. Some of these students are impacted by communication impairments and face barriers to connecting and interacting. This impacts the inclusive community that we are striving to embody here at the Richmond School District. One way to mitigate communication impairments is with the use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) which supports an individual's ability to express themselves with friends, family, teachers, and others.
Some students use communication books and devices in classrooms throughout the district. However, carrying an AAC system onto the playground presents challenges in being able to use both hands to play freely. The Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP) and Inclusive Support Team (IST) teams worked together with John T. Errington school to reduce this barrier for students.
On February 17, a Community Communication Board was installed on the playground at Errington Elementary to allow students with limited verbal skills to more easily communicate without the use of AAC devices.
Students point to pictures on the communication board, which mimic the displays on personal AAC tools, to express their thoughts, feelings, needs, and choices. By using this board, students have access to another means of communicating and interacting for social purposes. The board was designed to encourage a sense of community as well as an inclusive, more equitable play environment.
The playground Community Communication Board will not only bring awareness to AAC, but also increase equity for those children with learning and communication differences. The board helps foster a sense of community and an inclusive, equitable environment while exposing all students who use the elementary school playground to AAC technology. With the installation of the Errington Community Playground Board, staff and students received training on how to model language and interact with students using the communication board. Each class participated in an interactive information session and was guided to have a hands-on turn at the board.
The Errington Community Playground Communication Board is an innovative approach for creating more inclusive experiences for students with unique abilities and represents a promising step toward building a stronger sense of inclusive community within the Richmond School District
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