This summer, the Nika Project is excited about mentoring San Francisco State University graduate students in the speech-language pathology and special-education program where we will be bridging the gap between AAC in the medical and home settings and coordinating with a special education school, Kawila in Northern Thailand.

In Chiang Mai, speech-language pathologists only work in the medical setting. This leaves teachers implementing speech-related services without tools, training, or expertise.

 Our mentors and students meet with key pioneers and stakeholders for AAC in Northern Thailand including Nicole Bender and Worakanok (“Cute”) Ponchan from RICD and Chiang Mai University to learn about the high-tech and light-tech AAC resources they have researched and developed to utilize with patients in the hospital and with families in the outpatient center. This will help empower and support our team in bringing these tools and implementation strategies into special education centers within the public school system in order to help build capacity and use of AAC with teachers, their students, and their families.

Some of the schools, and organizations we will be working with include:

• Kawila Special Needs School

• Chiang Mai University (CMU): Allied Medical Sciences Department

• Dulabhatorn

• RICD (Rajanagarindra Institute of Child Development)

• Hope Home

Join us in our journey of working with our students from San Francisco State University as well as teams from Chiang Mai to expand the use of communication and technology supports in this beautiful area of the world.