What We Think

Presuming competence was never meant to be conditional. Yet some approaches in our field are quietly recreating the same barriers we set out to dismantle. Families and educators are being told “not yet” when students seek new tools or pathways. This piece calls us back to our foundation: access first, always, and learning environments that adapt to the student—not the other way around.

A group of our REV students walked into a room full of strangers and communicated with them. Not with the partners who know their rhythms, but with people they had never met. Then we gave them the floor. They taught a room of parents how to become better communication partners. And every time, it came back to the same place: presume competence. Believe that I am here. Believe that I am capable.

Progress for nonspeaking autistic students isn't linear. Learn how regulation, trust, and environment shape AAC communication and what that means for educators and families.

Presuming competence was never meant to be conditional. Yet some approaches in our field are quietly recreating the same barriers we set out to dismantle. Families and educators are being told “not yet” when students seek new tools or pathways. This piece calls us back to our foundation: access first, always, and learning environments that adapt to the student—not the other way around.

Thirty years ago, a new teacher met a quiet sixth-grader named Jeremy, one of her first students with autism. Back then, silence was often mistaken for a lack of understanding. Decades later, Jeremy returned—now an adult learning to communicate through AAC at Reach Every Voice. Their full-circle story shows how presuming competence and listening differently can transform teaching, connection, and what it means to truly be understood.

I always believed the limitations my school put on me. They were the experts. I didn’t know to question their judgement.

Discover how listening to nonspeakers transformed a teacher's perspective. Learn about the power of listening, understanding, and embracing

Explore the podcast "My Words Are My Voice," showcasing writings from nonspeaking individuals in the autism community. Listen and learn!