Kate Ahern, M.S.Ed. Educational Specialist Certified teacher of learners with complex disabilities focusing, on children and adults who use multi-modal communication including Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Kate Ahern is an educational specialist in complex communication needs in private practice. She is certified as an intensive special needs teacher, for ages birth through adult in Massachusetts. Kate has vast experience in the field of assistive technology with children and young adults.
Kate has spent twenty years plus working with children and young adults who have complex communication needs. She is also the author of a popular special education blog and moderates several social media groups about augmentative and alternative communication. Kate is often asked to guest speak or provide training about many issues in the field of complex communication needs. Kate holds a Masters of Science in Special Education from Simmons College. She has also been a Proloquo2Go Trainer and has completed the advanced Pragmatic Organization of Dynamic Display (PODD) course. She is the recipient of the Federation for Children with Special Needs Inclusive Teacher Award and a Fighting Angels from the Fighting Angels Foundation. |
Maggie Wurm Assistive TechnologisT family support Assistive Technology Specialist, who also has twenty years of experience in supporting families to support their child complex disabilities. Maggie Wurm has been inspired by her daughter which led her in this field. She has a background as a direct service provider from Early Intervention to adults. She has worked in schools and in private practice with a variety individuals who face challenges from Autism to complex disabilities. She is fluent in English and Spanish and is an Assistive Technology (AT) Specialist having completed the AT program at California State University, Northridge. She has completed a 5 day course with Gayle Porter that included Alternative Access and Teaching Movement for Communication. Maggie currently is contracted in the schools as an AT/AAC Specialist. Her clients typically use; switches, Proloquo2Go, PECS, PODD and Eyegaze.
Working in family support services under the Federation for Children with Special Needs has given her a vast knowledge of resources. State grant management service experience for families of children, skilled at organization of educational and medical information. Maggie is a trained special educational advocate and Co-President of Rett Syndrome Angels Nonprofit Organization. As a parent of young lady who has Rett Syndrome, Maggie brings the unique experience and compassion of being a parent to all her clients. |
Aliza Chagpar Administrator Coordinates scheduling, contracts and billing. Manages the mailing list and newsletter. Aliza Chagpar has over 15 years of project management, change management and process improvement experience. Aliza is passionate about human rights and spends much of her free time advocating for families with children who are excluded for their differences instead of accepted and included. A mother to a little boy with Angelman Syndrome, Aliza works to make the caregiver experience of working with AAC Voices as smooth as possible.
Financial and non-financial disclosures: various members of the AAC Voices team receive income from private clients, school districts and government agencies for providing educational services for AAC users, speaking fees, honorarium and expenses from speaking engagements for charities, school districts, and government agencies, and copies of apps and books in return for development recommendations from companies including AssistiveWare. We have memberships in ISAAC and USAAAC.
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