The Fairfax County School Board on July 17 voted unanimously to proclaim July 2025 as Disability Pride Month and extended formal appreciation to advisory committees that support students and staff. During public comment, parents urged the board to turn the proclamation into concrete action by addressing inequities facing students who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices.
Why it matters: Parents said access to AAC device usage data and stronger language supports for AAC users are necessary for equitable instruction and to allow families and teams to monitor progress and deliver tailored supports.
Toby Latham, a parent of two elementary-age FCPS students, thanked the board for the Disability Pride Month proclamation but said families had experienced "multiple stalled attempts" to obtain data from school‑issued AAC devices. Latham described using his son’s privately owned AAC data to track instruction and get needed services and asked the board and the chair to meet with him to learn more about the inequity he described.
Lindsay Latham said Deaf/Language Immersion (DLI) programs give students deep language opportunities, and she asked the division to develop an analogous immersion approach for AAC users so they are not excluded from language and cultural learning opportunities. "Imagine being trapped in your own mind with a piece of technology that could allow you to unlock your wants and needs — that would allow you to engage with your teachers and your peers," she said.
Proclamation details: In the proclamation read by Board Member Stella Sizemore Heizer, the board noted that about 20 percent of FCPS students have identified disabilities or learning differences and affirmed a commitment to inclusive instruction and universal design. The proclamation was seconded and adopted unanimously.
Board response and next steps: The public commenters asked staff and board members to follow up; the superintendent and staff noted they had been contacted and that some inquiries about specific device-data access were under review, and the board asked to be briefed further to determine steps the division can take to ensure data access or policy changes when appropriate.
Ending: The proclamation was a symbolic recognition adopted unanimously; parents asked the board to convert the recognition into specific administrative remedies for AAC users, including access to device data and programmatic language supports.