Speakup Blog

Residents of Saipan and Tinian, part of the Northern Mariana Islands (a territory of the United States), were severely impacted by Super Typhoon Sinlaku.  Many families faced power outages, displacement, and disruption to essential supports.  Loss of reliable electricity meant that, even for those AAC devices that were not lost or damaged, there was no way to keep them operational.   For individuals who use AAC, access to communication devices is not optional. It is their voice, connection, and access to safety and support.

Local Speech-Language Pathologist Kathy Ruszuka reached out to her former professor, past USSAAC president Wendy Quach.  Kathy was connected with the USSAAC Disaster Relief Committee through our dedicated website https://aacdisasterrelief.recovers.org and filled out a NEEDS request. To date, USSAAC has provided 11 solar power banks, with an additional 22 on the way. In the fall the Disaster Preparedness and Response Committee will continue to work with Kathy to replace the individual AAC devices that, for now, are difficult to secure and ship.  We are thankful to those donors whose generosity continues to allow us to support AAC users and  their families  in the aftermath and recovery phases of disasters throughout the United States and its territories.

Learn more about USSAAC's work at Disaster Prep and Response (USSAAC) and USSAAC's AAC Disaster Relief Work

Donate to continue our work assisting survivors of disasters at Support (USSAAC)

Kathy Ruszuka receiving the first shipment of solar power banks:

 Two school based AAC users receiving their solar power banks at their homes: