Brian Whitmer: Measuring Progress and Purpose in the AAC Community

This week, we share Chris's interview with Brian Whitmer! Brian is the founder of the AAC app CoughDrop and Open AAC, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the AAC field through collaboration, transparency, and open data initiatives. Whitmer discusses his goal of fostering innovation, sharing community insights, and helping the AAC industry move toward more equitable and effective practices. Key ideas from This Episode: Open AAC’s mission is to improve the AAC field through collaboration and transparency: Whitmer described how Open AAC takes a “bird’s-eye view” of the AAC industry, collecting data from professionals, users, and families to identify trends, challenges, and opportunities for growth — all without being tied to any single product or company . The “State of AAC” survey highlights progress and persistent challenges: The annual Open AAC survey gathers open-ended responses about apps, vocabularies, and practices. Results show that while awareness and resources are growing, issues such as inconsistent education practices, limited partner training, and inequitable funding continue to hinder progress . The new “AAC GPA” aims to measure industry progress and accountability: Open AAC introduced an “AAC GPA” to grade different aspects of the field (education, advocacy, community, openness, etc.). The 2024 average was 1.9 out of 4.0, signaling that while some areas (like family engagement) are improving, education and systemic adoption remain major areas for development. Visit talkingwithtech.org for weekly episodes, transcripts, and resources to help speech-language pathologists, caregivers, and communication partners tailor technology for people with complex communication needs! Join the Talking With Tech Patreon to get exclusive benefits like bonus guest‐interview episodes, behind-the-scenes videos, giveaways, and priority answers to your AAC questions to help you sharpen your skills and confidence in AAC!

You can listen to Brian Whitmer: Measuring Progress and Purpose in the AAC Community online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Brian Whitmer: Measuring Progress and Purpose in the AAC Community is an episode from Talking With Tech AAC Podcast by Rachel Madel and Chris Bugaj.

This episode is 74:52 long.

This episode was published on Oct 11, 2025.

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