Norwalk staff say bilingual playground communication boards are boosting access for students who use AAC devices

Norwalk School District staff presented a new initiative aimed at keeping students who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) connected during play, unveiling 10 bilingual playground communication boards and plans to expand the program.

Assistant Superintendent Rob Pennington introduced the presentation and turned the floor over to Angela Rinaldi, the district’s assistive‑technology specialist, who said the boards “promote inclusive play by providing students with communication delays immediate access to language in both English and Spanish” and include QR codes that open a PDF version on personal devices.

Rinaldi said the district chose SymbolStix symbols under its existing license and designed boards so they mirror students’ AAC layouts, supporting motor planning and faster word access. Ten boards have been installed so far, Rinaldi said, with one still awaiting a playground completion; the district plans to add three more boards next school year at Silvermine, CMS and Jefferson and ultimately hopes to place one at each of the district’s 13 elementary schools.

“Every child deserves a voice no matter where they are,” Rinaldi said, describing how the boards give students a way to communicate during high‑language, high‑emotion playground moments without exposing fragile devices to sand, weather or impact.

The boards are bilingual — English on one side and Spanish on the other — and include embedded QR codes that link to PDF copies of the board so staff, families or aides can pull the board up on a phone or tablet. The district opted for PDFs rather than video to reduce the risk of broken links, Rinaldi told the committee during a live demo that showed the PDF loading on members’ phones.

Committee members asked about training and eligibility. Rinaldi said device eligibility is determined through an AAC evaluation; boards are meant to extend existing AAC support, not replace individualized devices. The district will provide a roughly 30‑minute training video for speech‑language pathologists (SLPs), develop social stories for classrooms, and make printable and digital copies available to families.

Rob Pennington highlighted outreach and family engagement, noting a recent parent‑advisory meeting drew about 50 participants with roughly 27 joining online, and staff are sharing summer opportunity information and parent resources. Committee members also raised the possibility of extending similar boards to municipal parks to create consistent, city‑wide access.

Rinaldi described the boards’ construction as durable — with metal interiors and vandal‑resistant outer materials — and said they are installed approximately 4 feet into the ground to ensure longevity and visibility of both faces. The district also plans targeted placement so both sides of each board are visible during play.

The subcommittee approved the meeting minutes from Oct. 21, 2025 by motion and second before moving to the presentation, and later a motion by Jasmine Prezzi, seconded by Marcus Jaime, adjourned the meeting.

Next steps: district staff will circulate the QR‑linked PDFs and training materials to committee members and SLPs, develop the family video and social stories, and bring back progress on the three additional boards planned for the coming year.