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Nonspeaking advocate urges Little Hoover Commission: "Put communication access first"
Summary
At the Little Hoover Commission hearing, William Del Rosario and his mother detailed six-year waits for communication-trained staff and called for funded AAC training, vendor accountability, transparent wait lists and enforceable timelines from regional centers and DDS.
William Del Rosario, a 25-year-old nonspeaking adult who communicates via typing on an iPad, told the Little Hoover Commission on Jan. 22 that delays in getting augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) supports have blocked his access to education, employment and community life.
"Put communication access first," William said, describing years of efforts by his family to obtain trained staff and vendors after a school-provided aid and pandemic disruptions left him without consistent supports. He said the regional center offered a "free national park pass" rather than the AAC training and staffing his team requested.
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