Category: Communication Boards

Inclusive Playground Communication Boards At Resources at Lakeshore Speech, we believe that communication is a fundamental human right that shouldn’t stop when a child hits the playground. Our collection of playground communication boards is designed by licensed Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) with over 60 years of combined experience to ensure that every child—regardless of their verbal ability—can advocate for their needs, interact with peers, and experience the joy of inclusive play.Expert-Designed for Real-World PlayUnlike generic signs, our boards utilize evidence-based AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) principles. We incorporate high-frequency Core Vocabulary (like go, stop, help, and more) and specialized Fringe Vocabulary tailored specifically to outdoor play environments. By offering symbols from industry-standard libraries like Boardmaker© and SymbolStix©, we provide a consistent “language” that matches what many children already use in their classrooms or on personal devices.Durable, Customizable, and Community-FocusedOur communication boards are engineered to be “park-tough.” Built from high-grade, 3mm marine-grade aluminum composite, they are UV-resistant, waterproof, and designed to withstand everything from coastal humidity to intense sun.100% Customizable: We offer bespoke designs to match your specific playground equipment and can include agency or donor logos at no extra cost.Multilingual Options: Support your local community with bilingual boards in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and more.Integrated Support: Every board features a QR code linking to professional “how-to” modeling videos, providing immediate guidance to parents and caregivers in the moment.Whether you are a park director, a school administrator, or a parent advocate, our resources—including grant proposal templates and funding guides—are here to help you transform your community space into a truly accessible environment where every voice is heard.

Easy Communication Board Installation Guide : The 36″ Rule

The Board Is Funded. Now What?

The grant came through, the sponsor said yes, and production is underway. This is the moment most playground committees, school boards, and park directors finally exhale. Months of fundraising, pitch meetings, and design reviews have paid off. However, the physical arrival of your hardware is not the finish line; it is the beginning of the most critical phase of the project. The ultimate success of your inclusive playground project relies entirely on proper execution during the communication board installation phase.

How your board is placed, anchored, and oriented determines whether it becomes a vibrant, daily tool for connection or a piece of overlooked park background. To ensure your investment delivers on its promise of accessibility, you must approach the communication board installation process with the same rigor you applied to securing your funding.

Maximizing Impact Through Strategic Communication Board Installation

Where you place your board dictates how often it will be used. It is a common mistake to relegate these boards to the perimeter of a park simply because it is easier to dig post holes near an existing fence line. However, accessibility requires centrality. A board placed too far from the action becomes an isolated monument rather than an interactive tool.

The board needs to go where children already naturally congregate—near the main entrance, adjacent to the most popular inclusive play structures, or at a central gathering point where paths converge. This principle applies just as much to aquatic environments, pool areas, and splash park layouts as it does to traditional mulch or poured-in-place rubber playgrounds.

If children have to leave the play zone entirely to express a thought or request a turn on the swings, the board is too far away. During your planning sessions, observe the natural flow of traffic on the playground to identify high-traffic zones where the board will be highly visible but will not obstruct the safe fall zones of adjacent equipment.

The 36-Inch Rule Is Not a Suggestion

When executing a communication board installation, precision matters down to the inch. The single most important guideline we give every customer is this: the top of the board should be no more than 36 inches from the ground line. This specific installation height ensures the entire grid of symbols remains within the physical reach of wheelchair users, toddlers, and individuals of shorter stature.

The U.S. Access Board’s strict guidelines for accessible play areas support this benchmark directly, emphasizing that forward and side reach limits must be respected to accommodate all body types. If a board is mounted too high, the top row of core vocabulary icons—often containing crucial words like “help,” “stop,” or “go”—becomes entirely inaccessible to the very children who need them most.

Freestanding, Fence-Mounted, or Equipment-Mounted

Our heavy-duty boards are engineered to adapt to diverse environments, meaning your communication board installation can be executed in several distinct configurations depending on your site’s infrastructure.

Freestanding Boards: Opting for a freestanding board set inside a ground-mounted aluminum or steel frame offers the highest level of flexibility. It allows you to control the exact location, orientation, and height without relying on existing structures.
Fence-Mounted Boards: If your playground is tightly enclosed, utilizing a secure fence-mounted setup can save valuable square footage while keeping the board at eye level.
Equipment-Mounted Boards: Integrating the board directly into an existing play tower or sensory wall keeps the communication system embedded right in the middle of the action.

While we do not install the communication boards, we do provide communication board installation suggestions. We also recommend working with your building and grounds departments as they are experts in the structures and materials utilized for your specific playground.

Navigating Sun, Weather, and Vandalism

Outdoor environments are notoriously harsh on public infrastructure, which is why durability must be factored into your communication board installation strategy from day one. Our boards are built for outdoor permanence, manufactured from high-grade, non-glare aluminum protected by UV-resistant, weatherproof finishes and advanced anti-graffiti clear coats.

This same uncompromising durability standard applies across our full product line, including our specialized therapeutic riding center boards, which face extreme outdoor exposure, dust, and moisture daily. By ensuring your mounting hardware is zinc-plated or stainless steel, you prevent rust streaks and structural degradation over years of exposure to rain, snow, and intense summer heat.

Planning for Proper Orientation and Angle

A successful communication board installation accounts for the movement of the sun. A board that faces directly into the blinding afternoon sun becomes unreadable during peak park hours due to glare, casting shadows that obscure the symbols.

Before mixing any concrete or drilling into fences, visit your installation site at multiple points throughout the day—specifically mid-morning and late afternoon. Look at how the light hits the proposed location. Adjusting the angle of the frame by just fifteen or twenty degrees can drastically reduce glare and increase readability. Remember: a board mounted at the perfect physical height but facing an blinding angle still creates an unnecessary barrier to communication.

Training the Adults Who Will Model the Board

The physical communication board installation is only half the battle; the social installation is what gives the board life. A one-hour orientation session for school staff, park rangers, and local parents is a worthwhile investment that we support directly.

Our comprehensive guide to encouraging communication board use covers how adults can model the board naturally during play. Children learn augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) by seeing others use it. When parents, speech-language pathologists, and peers point to the symbols while talking (“Look, I am going to the slide!”), they validate the system and show children how to navigate the grid.

Document the Installation and Celebrate It

Once your communication board installation is complete, document the results thoroughly. Take clear, high-resolution photographs of the board from multiple angles, verify and document the correct installation height for your records, and capture joyful photos of children interacting with the symbols.

These photographs serve multiple purposes. They become the evidence base for your next inclusive community funding application, demonstrating to stakeholders that their money was well spent. Furthermore, they provide excellent promotional content for your official ribbon-cutting celebration, building community awareness and inviting families from neighboring areas to come utilize your newly accessible facility.

If you are ready to take the next step in transforming your community space, request a free quote today. Let our team walk you through every phase of the journey—from custom graphic design and symbol selection to precise communication board installation guidance and long-term maintenance strategies.

Your Back-to-School Checklist: 6 Steps Increasing Inclusion

The Window Is Open Right Now

If you are reading this in July or August, you are sitting in one of the most important funding windows of the year. This back-to-school checklist is built from more than a compbined 60 years of experience helping schools, recreation departments, and advocates turn the idea of inclusive playground boards into reality. We are here to help you along the way to providing your community the necessary steps for obtaining communication board.

When speech-language pathologists (SLPs), parents, and educators approach a new school year, they often focus entirely on classroom materials, seating charts, and individual education programs (IEPs). However, true inclusion does not stop at the classroom door. True inclusion extends to the recess yard, where social-emotional learning actually happens. By utilizing this strategic back-to-school checklist, you can navigate the bureaucratic systems smoothly and ensure that non-verbal, minimally verbal, and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) users have a communication board that gives them a voice on the playground before the autumn leaves begin to fall.

Step One: Identify Your Location This Week

Before anything else on your back-to-school checklist, you must get incredibly specific about where the communication board is going to live. Do not leave this decision to a general contractor or a maintenance crew who may not understand the specific needs of AAC users. You need to physically walk the playground layout yourself. Notice where children naturally gather, where the traffic bottlenecks occur, and where the most popular play structures are located.

Keep the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility guidelines, the standard 36-inch height rule for wheelchair access, and high-traffic placement in mind as you scout locations. The board needs to be highly visible, easily approachable, and positioned so that a child does not have to leave the main play area just to communicate a basic need. These essential physical logistics are covered in much more depth on our dedicated playground communciation board page, which you should review before finalized planning.

Step Two: Build Your One-Paragraph Case

The second phase of this back-to-school checklist focuses on clarity and conciseness. You do not need a massive, fifty-page formal grant proposal to get this project off the ground. In fact, a long document might delay approval during the busy summer months. What you actually need is one tight, high-impact paragraph that answers four essential questions: Who does the board serve? What specific problem does it solve? What tangible playground dynamics will change? What exactly does the project cost?

When administrators review funding requests, they look for immediate clarity. Your paragraph should explain that the board serves all students—including those with autism, speech delays, Down syndrome, and English language learners. It solves the problem of playground isolation and behavioral frustration caused by communication barriers. If you need help refining your narrative, our detailed post on who truly benefits from inclusive playground boards gives you the exact clinical and social language required for the “who” question.

Step Three: Send Three Emails Before the End of This Week

The most common reason an inclusion project stalls is not a lack of available funding—it is a lack of initial momentum. Momentum is the heartbeat of this back-to-school checklist. To beat the summer administrative rush, you must send three specific emails before this week concludes.

Your Director of Special Education: Frame your request around IDEA Part B assistive technology funds. Districts often have unspent or flexible allocations in these accounts that must be utilized for systemic student support.
Your Building Principal or Recreation Director: Frame the communication board explicitly as an ADA improvement and a proactive universal design for learning (UDL) initiative. Principals love turnkey projects that improve school climate.
Your County Board of Developmental Disabilities: Local county boards frequently have community grant cycles, capital improvement funds, or family support dollars designated specifically for community-wide inclusion projects.

Step Four: Line Up Your Sponsor Conversation

While you are waiting on internal administrative responses to drop into your inbox, move directly to the next item on your back-to-school checklist: identifying local corporate partners or civic organizations. Look for community-minded small businesses, local Kiwanis or Lions Clubs, or a regional pediatric dental practice that prides itself on community involvement.

When you approach these potential partners, offer them a permanent logo placement on the bottom of the sign. This turns a simple donation into a long-term marketing and community goodwill asset for their business. To make this conversation an easy win for you, up to four custom sponsor logos are included on every single board we manufacture at no additional cost.

Step Five: Request Your Quote and Justification Language

Do not guess at prices or installation variables. Contact our team to request a formal quote as early in your timeline as possible. Having a real, line-item PDF quote completely changes the nature of your funding conversations; it transforms your idea from a vague concept into an actionable, shovel-ready project.

Additionally, we provide fully customized justification language for grant applications and district purchase orders at no cost. This specialized language links the communication board directly to state educational standards and federal accessibility mandates—a critical detail many advocates miss when trying to navigate their back-to-school checklist without expert support. Furthermore, if your facility project includes pool, splash pad, or aquatic spaces in addition to the traditional playground, mention that during your quote conversation. Funders respond incredibly well to multi-site, multi-environment inclusion requests that maximize their financial impact across an entire community.

Step Six: Plan the Celebration Now

It may sound counterintuitive, but planning the ribbon-cutting ceremony before the board is even fully funded is a vital psychological step on this back-to-school checklist. Visualizing the finish line makes the project feel real to your committee and sustains collective momentum when bureaucratic delays happen.

Set a tentative date on the school calendar for early autumn. Plan to invite your corporate sponsors, your PTO, the school community, and the local press. A public dedication ceremony provides sponsors with the visibility they deserve and shows the community that your school takes equitable play seriously. For creative ideas on invitations, student-led demonstrations, and media outreach, check out our comprehensive guide to boosting community engagement to make that dedication day unforgettable.

The Resources You Need

The new school year is coming quickly, and the playground should be ready to welcome every single child on day one. As you work your way down this back-to-school checklist, remember that you do not have to invent these wheels from scratch. Lean on federal frameworks and local data to support your claims. For instance, the official IDEA Part B overview provided by the U.S. Department of Education is an invaluable legal reference to cite when drafting your initial email to your Director of Special Education.

Do not let another school year slip by with a playground that unintentionally excludes children. Request your free quote today, download our full design catalog, and let our team help you check this vital project off your list before the school bells ring.

A Grant Shortfall – What Do We Do?

The Call Nobody Wants to Make

You did everything right. You built the case, you wrote the application, you waited. And then the letter came back with a number lower than what you asked for. This grant shortfall problem happens more often than most people realize, and it does not have to be the end of the story.

At Resources at Lakeshore Speech, we have been in this conversation more times than we can count. A school district receives a partial grant. A recreation department gets approved for less than the full project scope. In every one of these situations, the question is the same: now what?

First things first, do not abandon your idea. Creating a community of compassion and acceptance IS something to fight for and work towards. Consider this momentary letdown as fuel to propel you forward to reaching your goal.

What We Do When there’s a Grant Shortfall?

Our mission is to ensure that everyone has a voice on the playground. We view communication as a fundamental human right, an idea anchored in the ASHA Communication Bill of Rights. That belief does not pause when a grant comes in short.

When a customer comes to us with a grant shortfall, we sit down and look at the project together. Sometimes the flexibility is in the design elements, the size of the boards or custom color background, for example. Sometimes it is in the scope of the project itself, and we work with the customer to identify which board or which location will have the greatest immediate impact.

It is easy for us to adjusted project timelines to allow a community to apply for a second funding source to cover the gap. We have reviewed application language and offered assistance in rewriting or adding information that may lead to increase funding opportunities. We have worked creatively within tight constraints to deliver a board that still meets the clinical and accessibility standards we hold ourselves to, at a price the community can actually afford.

What to Do If Your Funding Falls Short

If you are in the middle of a funding effort and facing a grant shortfall, here are the steps we recommend.

Do not stop at one funding source. Our six ways to fund communication boards post covers the stacking strategy that gets most projects to full funding.
Come back to us with the real number. We will look at the project with you and tell you honestly what is possible within that budget.
Consider a phased approach, starting with the highest-traffic location and using documented impact to apply for the next round of funding.
Look at sponsor logo opportunities with fresh eyes. Up to 4 logos can be added to our communication boards at no additional cost. This is a great way to promot businesses and provide them lifetime advertisement.
Work with your maintenace or building and grounds departments in creatively developing in-house options for installation. Installation costs are often modest and can be very flexible.

This applies whether the project is a playground installation, a pool or aquatic center, or a therapeutic riding center , a grant shortfall does not have to end any of these projects.

A Note on Honest Conversations

When you contact Resources at Lakeshore Speech, you are talking to licensed Speech-Language Pathologists who understand the clinical need for this product and the community impact that follows when it is installed. If your experience a grant shortfall, call us. If your grant gets denied entirely, call us.

Request a free quote and let us help you build the strongest possible case for your community.

What to Expect From Our Design Consultation: 6 Easy Steps

The Call That Changes Everything

Most people who contact Resources at Lakeshore Speech for the first time are not starting from zero. They have already decided they want signage for their playground. What they do not know is what happens next — what our design consultation actually looks like.

The process is simpler than most people expect. Here is exactly what the conversation looks like, from first contact to finished board.

Step One: Understanding Your Space and Your Community

The first thing we want to know in any design consultation is where the board is going and who is going to use it. What kind of space is it — a school, a public park, a pool or splash park, a clinic? What does the surrounding community look like? What languages are spoken by the families who use this space?

These questions matter because our communication boards arenot one-size-fits-all. It is designed around the community it serves.

Step Two: The Science Behind the Layout

One of the first things we tell every new customer during their design consultation is this: you do not need to worry about which icons go where.

The layout of our boards is built on a scientific, evidence-based foundation developed by licensed Speech-Language Pathologists with deep expertise in AAC. Our standard board contains 35 cells, each holding an icon paired with a word or phrase covering the most functional concepts for a playground or recreational environment.

Step Three: Custom Icons for Your Specific Space

Every playground, pool, clinic or public space has something unique about it. We create custom icons for any element that is not covered by our standard vocabulary set, as part of our standard design consultation process.

This is also where the conversation about languages happens. Our boards can include up to three additional languages beyond English, each with a one-time setup fee per language. Every cell on the board can carry up to four languages simultaneously.

Step Four: Sponsor Logos at No Additional Cost

Here is something that surprises almost every customer: we can include up to four sponsor logos across the bottom of the board at no additional cost. For a Rotary Club, a Lions Club, or a local business with a genuine commitment to community inclusion, that is a meaningful offer — and one we discuss in depth in our community engagement guide.

Step Five: The Aha Moment

There is almost always a moment in a design consultation where something shifts — where the person on the other side of the table stops thinking about the board as an accommodation for a specific child and starts seeing it as something the whole community has been missing. Sometimes it happens when we talk about cost. Our boards are priced at approximately 50 percent less than comparable products on the market.

Step Six: Installation Guidance Without the Contractor Bill

We do not install the boards ourselves, and we are transparent about that from the start. What we do provide is detailed installation guidance for your building manager, grounds crew, or facilities department, including two non-negotiables: the top of the board should be no more than 36 inches from the ground, and it should be placed in a high-traffic area where it is easy to see and easy to reach. The U.S. Access Board’s accessibility guidelines for play areas support both of these recommendations.

What You Walk Away With

By the end of your design consultation, you will have a clear picture of what your board will look like, what it will cost, who it will serve, and how to get it funded and installed.

If you are ready to see what a board could look like for your space, request a free quote today.

The North Olmsted Story: A Full Grant Win

A Vision Without a Budget Is Still a Vision Worth Having

When the City of North Olmsted Recreation Department first reached out to Resources at Lakeshore Speech, they already knew what they wanted. They had a new playground going in, existing playgrounds that needed to be retrofitted, and a genuine commitment to making their spaces inclusive and accessible for every child in their community. What they did not have was a clear path to paying for it.

This is the most common place communities find themselves. The vision is there. The will is there. The budget is not — at least not yet. Our community engagement guide covers how to build that vision into a case for stakeholders, but North Olmsted‘s story shows what happens once that case is built.

The Conversation That Changed the Scope

When we sat down with the director of the North Olmsted Recreation Department, the conversation quickly expanded beyond a single board on a single playground sign installation. As we talked through the populations they served — the children with communication differences, the families who spoke languages other than English at home, the summer campers who came with a wide range of needs — it became clear that one board was not going to be enough.

It also became clear that their summer camp program had a specific and underserved need. Counselors were working with children who were multilingual, non-verbal, or both, and there was no consistent visual communication system in place to support either group.

Out of that conversation came an idea we had not originally planned for: a dual-sided camp communication board. One side was designed for campers — giving children a way to express themselves, make requests, indicate needs, and interact with peers. The other side was designed for counselors — providing a visual system for giving directions, managing group transitions, and communicating clearly with children who could not reliably process rapid verbal instructions.

This is the kind of customization that comes from a real conversation, not a catalog order. And it is the kind of solution that funders find compelling, because it solves multiple problems with a single investment.

Where the Money Came From

The North Olmsted Recreation Department staff did the hard work of researching their funding options, and they found it in a place that surprises many of our customers: the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities.

County Boards of Developmental Disabilities exist in every county in Ohio, and similar agencies exist in some form in most states across the country. Their mission is to support individuals with developmental disabilities and to fund initiatives that improve access, inclusion, and quality of life in the community. The National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors is a useful starting point if you want to find your own county’s equivalent agency.

The grant covered the full cost of all the boards North Olmsted needed — the new playground installation, the retrofits on the existing playgrounds, and the camp boards. What began as a budget problem became a fully funded, multi-site project.

What North Olmsted Got Right

There are a few things the North Olmsted team did that made their funding effort successful, and they are worth noting for any community that wants to follow a similar path.

They started with a clear vision of what they wanted and where they wanted it, which made the scope of the project easy to communicate to a funder.
They expanded their thinking beyond a single board when the conversation revealed a broader need, which made the project more impactful and more fundable.
They identified a funding source that was specifically aligned with the population their project served, rather than applying broadly and hoping for a match.
They leaned on the expertise of the Resources at Lakeshore Speech team to provide the documentation, specifications, and justification language that grant applications require.

If your project also includes a pool, splash pad, or aquatic center, the same funder logic applies just as well — our pool communication boards have been funded through nearly identical county and foundation grants.

What Your Community Can Learn from This

The North Olmsted story is not unique to North Olmsted. It is repeatable. The elements that made it work — a clear need, an expanded vision, a well-matched funding source, and a committed staff — are available in communities across the country.

If you are a recreation director, a special education coordinator, or a parent advocate wondering how your community could fund inclusive playground boards, start by asking one question: who in our county or region has a mission that aligns with communication access for children with disabilities? We help our customers ask and answer exactly these questions, and our guide to boosting community engagement covers how to keep that momentum going once the boards go up.

The Board That Went Up

North Olmsted now has communication boards on their new playground, retrofitted onto their existing playgrounds, and a dual-sided camp board that serves both campers and counselors across languages and communication styles. Every child who comes to those spaces has a voice. Every counselor has a tool.

That is what a funded vision looks like.

If you are ready to start building yours, request a free quote and let’s talk about what your community needs.

Can Communication Boards Help With Behavior?

The tantrum didn’t come out of nowhere.

It started with a whimper. Then stomping feet. By the time the caregiver realized something was wrong, the child had thrown herself to the ground, the caregiver’s voice had risen several decibels, and what began as a perfectly good afternoon at the playground ended with everyone — child and adult alike — in tears.

Sound familiar?

Here’s what most people get wrong about that moment: the behavior was not the problem. The behavior was the message.

This is one of the most common questions we hear from parents, teachers, school administrators, and park and recreation directors: can communication boards help with behavior? After a combined 60+ years working as ASHA-certified Speech-Language Pathologists, our answer is an unequivocal yes — and in this post, we’ll show you exactly why, using a real before-and-after scenario, the clinical reasoning behind it, and what you can do about it starting today.

All Behavior Is Communication

As Speech-Language Pathologists, we hold one belief above all others: communication is a human right. And when that right is compromised — when a person cannot clearly express what they need, want, or feel — behavior fills the gap.

This is the most common misconception we encounter among parents, school administrators, and park and recreation directors: that a child’s difficult behavior is the result of bad parenting, poor discipline, or a behavioral problem that needs to be managed. In our clinical experience, the vast majority of challenging behaviors trace back to a single root cause — an unmet communication need.

The child who screams at the pool isn’t being difficult. She may be overwhelmed and have no way to say I need a break.

The child who kicks and throws objects in the classroom isn’t defiant. He may not be able to say I don’t understand what you’re asking me to do.

The child who has a full meltdown at the park? He may simply have been trying to say I want a snack — and had no tools to do it.

This isn’t just our clinical opinion — it’s backed by a growing body of research. According to ASHA’s own guidance on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) in early intervention, AAC plays a crucial role in supporting early language development, and there are no prerequisites for considering or introducing it — including with very young children. In other words: you don’t have to wait for a behavior to become a crisis before giving a child a tool to communicate. The tool comes first. The behavior change follows.

What Happened When We Introduced a Communication Board

Let us walk you through a real scenario we see play out, before and after the introduction of a playground communication board.

Before:

A child on the playground begins to whimper and stomp her feet. The caregiver tries to figure out what’s wrong, but the child cannot explain. The behavior escalates — she throws her body to the ground in a full tantrum. The caregiver’s voice rises. Eventually, the child is scooped up and removed from the playground. Everyone leaves upset. The child’s need was never identified. The underlying cause was never addressed.

Notice what’s happening here from a clinical standpoint: this isn’t a “behavior problem” in the traditional sense. It’s a communication breakdown. The child has a need — and very likely knows what that need is — but has no reliable way to express it to the adult standing right next to her. The caregiver, doing the best she can, starts guessing. Guessing takes time. Time without resolution increases dysregulation. Dysregulation becomes a tantrum. By the time the meltdown is in full swing, the original need (a snack, a turn on the slide, relief from the heat) has been buried under a wave of frustration that has nothing to do with parenting skill and everything to do with access.

After:

The same early warning signs appear — the whimpering, the stomping feet. This time, the caregiver leads the child to a communication board nearby. The caregiver gently models the interaction, touching icons to form the message: “I want slide” or “I am hot” — and asks the child what she needs. The child scans the board. She points to the icon for snack. The caregiver models the full message: “I want snack.” The child imitates, touching the icons herself. The caregiver brings her to a bench, gives her a snack. The child eats, and returns to play without incident.

Same child. Same environment. Completely different outcome — because she had a way to communicate.

What changed wasn’t the child’s temperament, her parenting, or her “compliance.” What changed was access. The board gave her a visual, low-pressure way to scan options and land on the right one, instead of relying on speech she may not have had readily available in a moment of rising frustration. The caregiver’s modeling — physically touching the icons herself before prompting the child — is a core AAC strategy called aided language modeling, and it’s one of the simplest, most effective things any adult can do to teach a child how the board works.

This is the difference between managing a behavior after it happens and preventing it by meeting the need underneath it.

Who Benefits From Communication Boards?

This is where we want to challenge another common assumption: communication boards are not only for nonverbal children.

Communication supports benefit a wide range of individuals, including:

Children and adults with autism spectrum disorder
Individuals with cerebral palsy or Down syndrome
People who are recovering from a stroke or traumatic brain injury
Anyone who processes information more slowly under stress or in loud, stimulating environments
Individuals who speak a language different from their caregiver or service provider

In short: any person, in any environment, who may struggle to communicate their needs in the moment can benefit from a well-designed communication board. This is why we design boards for so many different settings — from pool and aquatic centers to therapy clinics and special education classrooms, from therapeutic riding stables to schools and recreation centers. Each environment carries its own communication demands, and the vocabulary on the board should reflect that.

We also want to highlight a specific tool that’s especially relevant to the behavior conversation: emotional balance boards. While a core vocabulary board helps a child express a want or need (“I want snack,” “I want slide”), an emotional balance board helps them identify and name a feeling — frustrated, overwhelmed, excited, tired. For many children, the inability to name an emotion is just as much a driver of challenging behavior as the inability to request an item. Giving a child the words for “I feel frustrated” before that frustration turns into a thrown object is one of the most proactive interventions we offer. We go deeper into this in our ultimate guide to emotional balance communication boards, including how speech production itself is affected during a meltdown.

Why Environment Matters

Behavior does not happen in a vacuum. It happens on the playground. In the gym. At the pool. In the classroom. In the community.

That is exactly where communication tools need to be — not locked in a therapy room, but present and accessible in the spaces where real life happens. A communication board at the splash pad is a safety tool. A board in the park pavilion is a de-escalation tool. A board in the classroom is an academic and social tool.

When administrators and park directors make the decision to install communication boards in their spaces, they are not just accommodating individuals with disabilities. They are creating environments that are safer, more inclusive, and more functional for everyone who passes through.

Behavior and Safety Are Directly Linked

The behaviors that communication boards reduce are not minor inconveniences. They include tantrums, screaming, kicking, and throwing — and in more extreme cases, hitting, punching, flipping furniture, and physical aggression that puts both the individual and those around them at risk of injury. In each of these cases, the behavior is communicating something the person could not otherwise express. Give them a voice — and the behavior changes.

This is also why we think of communication access as a safety issue, not just a developmental one. Picture a child at a public pool who is overheated, overwhelmed by noise, or in mild distress and cannot say so. Picture a participant at a therapeutic riding center who cannot tell their instructor that they feel unsteady or unsafe on the horse. Picture a student in a gym class who cannot communicate that an activity is causing them pain. In every one of these situations, clear communication isn’t a “nice to have” — it’s the difference between a quick, calm resolution and an emergency.

This is precisely why we design boards for such a wide range of public and semi-public spaces: parks, playgrounds, pools, splash pads, gyms, recreation centers, schools, and therapeutic riding stables. Each of these environments brings people together — staff, caregivers, peers, and the individuals themselves — and every one of those interactions depends on the ability to communicate clearly, quickly, and without barriers.

A Communication Board Is Not a Last Resort

We want to be clear: a communication board is not something you pull out after everything else has failed. It is a proactive, evidence-based tool that, when introduced early and used consistently, prevents the escalation that leads to those difficult moments in the first place.

The most effective communication boards share a few key qualities. They use core vocabulary — high-frequency, flexible words like want, more, stop, help, go — that can be combined to express a huge range of needs across settings. They’re paired with adult modeling, meaning the adults around the child use the board too, rather than only prompting the child to use it — a strategy we break down further in our guide to AAC training. And they’re placed where the need actually arises, not tucked away in an office or a binder.

If you’ve heard conflicting things about communication boards — that they’ll delay speech, that a child has to “earn” one, that only nonverbal children qualify — our post on 5 myths about alternative communication (AAC) addresses these misconceptions directly with the evidence behind why they’re false.

At Resources at Lakeshore Speech, our ASHA-certified speech-language pathologists design fully customized communication boards built around the specific needs of the individual, the environment, and the population being served. We use diverse symbol systems, incorporate QR-coded caregiver support resources, and provide free customization for donor-funded placements — because we believe access to communication tools should never be a barrier. If you’re a school district or parks department wondering how to fund a project like this, we’ve put together a guide to grant and local funding resources to help you get started, and we accept official purchase orders for institutional buyers.

If you still have questions about how communication boards work, who they’re designed for, or what makes ours different, our FAQ page covers the questions we hear most often from parents, educators, and administrators.

What You Can Do Today

If you are a parent, a teacher, a school administrator, or a park or recreation director reading this — here is the most important thing we want you to walk away with:

The next time you see a behavior, ask yourself: what is this person trying to tell me?

And then ask whether they have the tools to tell you more clearly.

If you’re ready to explore custom communication boards for your home, school, or public space, we’d love to help.

👉 Request a free quote at www.lakeshorespeech.com

Resources at Lakeshore Speech is a team of ASHA-certified Speech-Language Pathologists with 60+ years of combined clinical experience. We believe communication is a human right and we build the tools to make that right accessible to everyone.

Are Communication Boards Easy to Customize?

The Dangerous Misconception of the DIY Communication Board

If you are a parks department director, a school administrator, a camp coordinator, or a community leader looking to make your local spaces more inclusive, the word easy is likely at the very top of your project checklist. You want a solution that is easy to understand, easy to order, easy to install, and easy for the public to navigate. When you begin searching for inclusive communication tools, you will find countless vendors and articles online promising that creating a custom communication board is as simple as clicking a few buttons, picking a handful of pictures, and printing them onto a piece of plastic.

This has led to a widespread, well-intentioned, but highly damaging misconception in the community space. The prevailing myth is that anyone with a computer and a design program can put together an effective communication board by simply arranging a grid of random icons and images anywhere on a board. People look at a finished augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) board and see a collection of colorful illustrations, assuming that the arrangement is merely aesthetic or arbitrary. They believe that customizing a board simply means picking words that match the local scenery and scattering them across a grid.

The reality of communication board development is vastly different. True ease refers to the ability of the purchaser to understand, navigate, and utilize the clinical information embedded within the tool to create a successful, functional custom setup. The development of a communication board is not a graphic design project, it is a clinical process backed by decades of language science.

A certified speech-language pathologist is the individual with the true credentials and expertise required to complete this type of task. Without a clinical foundation, a customized board risks becoming a decorative piece of plastic that looks inclusive on the surface but fails to provide a functional voice to the individuals who rely on it. When we treat communication board customization as a simple matching game, we inadvertently silences the very people we are trying to empower.

Understanding the Clinical Science of Augmentative Communication

To understand why customization requires a speech-language pathologist, you have to look closely at how non-verbal individuals, or individuals with limited speech, actually process visual language. When a certified speech-language pathologist designs or alters a communication board, they are balancing complex cognitive, neurological, and linguistic factors. There are three specific, science-backed pillars that must guide every single customization decision, ensuring that the final product remains highly functional no matter what local elements are added.

The Power of Core Vocabulary Over Fringe Vocabulary

The first and most critical pillar of an effective communication board is a heavy reliance on core vocabulary. Core vocabulary consists of the high-frequency words that make up approximately eighty percent of the words we use in daily communication across all settings. These are words like go, stop, more, detailed, help, like, you, me, up, and down. Understanding how to choose vocabulary for augmentative communication tools requires looking past standard word lists and focusing on true functional language.

The incredible power of core vocabulary lies in its flexibility and its vital importance to overall language development. Core words allow a user to create flexible, spontaneous messages without needing highly specific or literal visual references. For example, if a child wants to use a slide at a playground, a board focused on core vocabulary allows them to point to the icons for go and there. This simple combination communicates the exact same intent as pointing to a specific picture of a slide.

The magic of this approach is that go there can also be used to ask to visit the swings, the picnic pavilion, the parking lot, or a friend across the field. If your customization process involves removing core vocabulary to make room for dozens of specific nouns, also known as fringe vocabulary, you are severely limiting the user. If a board only features specific nouns like slide, swing, and sandbox, the child can only talk about those exact objects. They cannot use those words to express an action, a feeling, or a complex thought. Our approach always focuses on preserving a robust core vocabulary layout first, ensuring that the non-verbal individual has a functional framework for actual language generation rather than just a menu of local objects.

Motor Planning and Spatial Consistency Across Boards

The second pillar that cannot be compromised during customization is motor planning. When neurotypical, verbal individuals speak, they do not consciously think about how to move their tongue, lips, and vocal cords for every single syllable. Muscle memory takes over, allowing speech to flow seamlessly. For an individual using an AAC device or a physical communication board, the exact same principle applies to motor planning and muscle memory. They learn the location of a word based on where it lives spatially on the grid.

Motor planning depends entirely on the absolute consistency of the placement of the icons moving from location to location, and from board to board. If you are installing multiple communication boards across a large park system, a school campus, or a town center, you must maintain a fixed spatial architecture. If a user learns that the icon for the restroom is located in the upper right-hand corner of the board at the main playground, they must be able to walk down to the baseball fields or into the community center and find the restroom icon in that exact same upper right-hand corner.

When well-meaning individuals attempt to customize boards without clinical oversight, they often scramble the grid to make room for new images. They might move the restroom icon to the bottom left on one board because they wanted to put a picture of a tree in the top right. This completely disrupts the user’s motor planning. It forces a non-verbal individual to completely re-scan, re-learn, and search the board every time they move to a new area. This significantly increases their cognitive load and can lead to immense frustration, causing them to abandon using the board entirely.

Protecting Symbol System Consistency

The third pillar is maintaining strict consistency within the symbol system itself. Non-verbal individuals who use high-tech speech-generating devices or low-tech communication books at school spend years learning a specific visual language dialect. Different software programs and clinical frameworks use distinct symbol sets, such as SymbolStix or PCS, which represent concepts in specific visual styles.

When customizing a public communication board, it is vital that the symbol system used on the sign matches or closely mirrors the actual icons that the users see daily at school and on their personal AAC devices. If a child uses a specific symbol for want or help in their classroom, seeing a completely different, randomized clip-art icon on a park board can cause massive confusion. True customization means understanding the local demographic, working with the local school districts to see what symbol systems are prevalent, and ensuring the public boards align with those existing tools.

The Real World of Collaborative Customization

When working with clients who purchase our communication boards for public spaces, we always begin from a scientifically verified, standard layout that honors core vocabulary, motor planning, and symbol consistency. We do not start with a blank canvas, because a blank canvas encourages the random placement of icons. Instead, we use our clinical framework as the foundation, and then we sit down with the purchaser to discuss what specific items they may need to add, where those items should go, and, most importantly, the clinical reasons why those additions are being made.

This collaborative approach transforms the customization process into an educational experience for the purchaser. The biggest logistical and design challenge we face in this line of work is not necessarily knowing what the specific playground, facility, or location looks like, or where the board will ultimately be installed. We are creating physical, durable signs that must live in a real environment, and the layout of that environment dictates how people interact with the sign.

To overcome this lack of physical context, we work closely with city planners, park directors, and school administrators to gather blueprints, site maps, and photographs of the exact location where the board will stand. Once we understand the spatial realities of the environment, we develop a custom draft. We then enter an iterative phase with the client, continuing to work closely with them to tweak the customized elements until they are completely satisfied. This process ensures that the client fully understands why the boards are designed the way they are, giving them ownership over the clinical rationale behind their new community tool.

The North Olmsted Case Study and the Camp Board Breakthrough

A perfect example of this deep, environmental customization occurred recently during a project with the city of North Olmsted. The city was actively retrofitting and fitting their beautiful new playground equipment with accessible communication boards to ensure that their spaces were welcoming to all children.

During the design process, we worked closely with the director of the parks department. As we analyzed the blueprints and discussed how the space would be utilized throughout the year, the director mentioned a specific demographic and operational need that a standard playground sign could not completely address. She highlighted their extensive summer camp programs.

During the summer, dozens of campers, including individuals with diverse communication needs, gather in the parks. The camp counselors needed a tool that allowed students to better express themselves during camp activities, but they also desperately needed a way for the counselors themselves to give directions more clearly and model language in real-time as they moved around the property.

At that exact moment, we had an incredible breakthrough. We realized that a static, post-mounted sign next to a swing set was not enough for a dynamic, mobile summer camp environment. To solve this problem, we designed a completely custom, portable camp board built into a heavy-duty sandwich sign structure.

We utilized both sides of the sandwich sign to create a multi-functional communication hub:

One side of the sandwich board was carefully customized and intended for the campers to express their personal feelings, immediate physical needs, choices, and social interactions with peers.
The opposite side of the sandwich board was custom-designed specifically for the camp counselors and staff to use to give directions, clarify schedules, model expectations, and visually reinforce instructions out in the field.

Because this sign was a portable sandwich board, counselors could easily carry it from the main pavilion over to the grassy fields, or down to the shade trees depending on where the camp activities were taking place.

In tandem with this mobile camp board, we fully customized their permanent, post-mounted playground signs to include specific local amenities, including their brand-new splash pad, the nearby ballpark, and the soccer fields. We seamlessly integrated these local fringe vocabulary terms into the existing clinical layout without disrupting the core vocabulary framework or ruining the motor planning architecture. This project successfully provided clear, accessible communication for everyone in the park, matching the physical layout of North Olmsted with the clinical needs of its residents.

The Ultimate Litmus Test for Your Communication Board

If you are a reader who is currently preparing to purchase, design, or customize a communication board for your local school, public park, non-profit organization, or community space, it is easy to get overwhelmed by the graphics, the colors, and the logistics of sign procurement. Before you approve a final proof, send a design to a printer, or sign off on a customization project, you need a way to ensure that your tool is genuinely effective. You need to verify that your board is a legitimate, powerful gateway to language, and not just a collection of random, well-meaning icons.

To do this, you must apply the ultimate clinical litmus test. Step away from your role as an administrator, a designer, or a purchaser. Put yourself completely and entirely into the shoes of an individual who cannot communicate verbally. Look at the draft of your custom board through their eyes, imagine standing in front of it in the middle of your park or facility, and ask yourself the following deeply important questions:

If I am feeling overwhelmed, tired, or hurt, can I easily look at this board and communicate exactly how I feel to an adult, or am I limited to just pointing at equipment?
If I need a basic, critical human necessity, can I instantly look at this board and request to go to the restroom, or find a drink of water, without having to hunt through a randomized jumble of icons?
If I want to interact with the children around me, does this board give me a specific way to comment on what I see, share a joke, or ask to join a game, allowing me to truly be an active part of the community or space I am standing in?

When you evaluate your custom communication board using these questions, you will quickly see whether your design provides true autonomy. If an individual looks at your board and can only answer simple yes or no questions, or if they can only point to a picture of a swing to indicate they want to swing, your board is not truly customized for communication. It is severely limited.

A non-verbal person has complex thoughts, deep emotions, specific needs, and a desire for social connection just like anyone else. They are not thinking in one-word noun labels. They want to tell you that a game is fun, that they want to go faster, that they are finished, or that they want to go somewhere else.

A truly effective custom communication board does not simply display a handful of local icons. It respects the science of language development, protects the spatial consistency that muscle memory requires, and provides a rich framework of core vocabulary. By partnering with certified speech-language pathologists and committing to a clinical customization process, you can ensure that your community investment does something truly life-changing. It will give a profound, enduring voice to those who need it most, creating an environment where everyone can truly communicate how they feel, what they want, and where they would like to go.

Bring true inclusivity to your community. Avoid the pitfalls of a DIY setup and invest in signs designed by clinical experts. Explore our scientifically backed, durable communication boards for public spaces and start your collaborative customization project today.

Benefits of AAC in Public Spaces

Low-Tech vs. High-Tech AAC: Why Physical Communication Boards Are Essential for Truly Inclusive Public Spaces

Quick Facts & Key Takeaways

What is AAC? Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) includes any method used to express thoughts, needs, and ideas without reliance on spoken words.
The Power of Low-Tech: While digital apps are powerful, the benefits of AAC in public spaces include being weatherproof, immune to dead batteries, and instantly accessible to everyone.
Community-Wide Impact: Installing communication boards benefits not just non-speaking individuals, but also toddlers, individuals with temporary speech loss, and non-native English speakers.
The Bottom Line: True community inclusion requires physical, permanent low-tech AAC options alongside high-tech personal devices.

Every individual deserves the right to share their voice, express their needs, and connect with the world around them. Yet, for millions of individuals with communication challenges, a trip to the local park, library, or community center can feel deeply isolating.

At Resources at Lakeshore Speech, our clinical team works daily with families, educators, and community advocates to dismantle these barriers. One of the most transformative shifts we are witnessing today is the widespread installation of physical communication tools in parks and playgrounds.

When we explore the benefits of AAC in public spaces, it becomes clear that while digital communication apps are incredible tools for personal use, they cannot replace the permanent, equitable access provided by physical, low-tech communication boards. In this comprehensive guide, we will dive deep into why your community needs physical AAC boards to foster genuine inclusion and belonging.

Understanding AAC: The Foundation of Inclusion

To fully appreciate why public spaces require low-tech solutions, we must first establish what AAC is and how it functions. Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is an umbrella term that encompasses all forms of communication other than oral speech.

The AAC Spectrum: High-Tech vs. Low-Tech

Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) generally categorize AAC systems into three distinct tiers:

No-Tech: Relying entirely on the body, such as sign language, gestures, facial expressions, and body language.
Low-Tech / Light-Tech: Physical tools that do not require electricity or batteries. This includes printed picture books, laminated communication flipcharts, and large, weather-resistant AAC boards mounted on playground posts.
High-Tech: Electronic devices that require power, such as dedicated speech-generating computers or specialized communication apps (e.g., Proloquo2Go, TouchChat, or TD Snap) running on iPads and tablets.

While high-tech systems offer customized vocabulary and robust voice output, they are inherently tied to an individual owner. Physical AAC boards installed in public areas, on the other hand, democratize communication. They ensure that anyone who steps into a public space has an instant, uncompromised means of expression.

Why Public Spaces Need Low-Tech: Physical Boards vs. Digital Apps

It is tempting for city planners or school boards to assume that because “there is an app for that,” public spaces do not need physical infrastructure. However, relying solely on personal digital apps creates massive equity gaps.

Let’s look at a head-to-head comparative analysis of the benefits of AAC in public spaces match up against digital applications in shared, public environments.

Environmental Vulnerabilities of Digital Tools

Imagine a hot July afternoon at a local inclusive playground. A child using a personal iPad app wants to ask a peer to swing with them. Suddenly, the iPad flashes a warning symbol: “Device temperature too high. iPad needs to cool down before you can use it.” In an instant, that child’s voice is stripped away.

Furthermore, water features, splash pads, sandboxes, and mud kitchens are staples of enriching childhood play. They are also absolute death sentences for expensive electronic tablets. Physical AAC boards, constructed from heavy-duty, marine-grade plastics or aluminum, stand resilient against torrential rain, baking sun, and muddy hands. Consequently, they provide an uninterrupted guarantee of expression that digital apps simply cannot match.

Deep Dive: The Tangible Benefits of AAC in Public Spaces

When a community invests in low-tech communication infrastructure, the societal return on investment is monumental. Let’s explore the core benefits of AAC in public spaces and how they reshape community dynamics.

Eliminating Communication Barriers in Real Time

When a non-speaking individual visits a park without a physical board, they must rely on their own device (if they own one) or interpretative assistance from a caregiver. If the caregiver steps away for a moment, or if the device is left in the car to prevent theft, the individual is left without a functional voice.

By installing permanent AAC boards, municipal leaders create an environment where a child can run straight from the slide to the board, point to the symbol for “more,” and immediately run back to play. It bridges the gap between thought and action without requiring a third-party mediator.

Promoting Peer-to-Peer Social Inclusion

One of the most beautiful outcomes of installing low-tech boards is how they foster natural, neurodiverse friendships. Children are inherently curious. When they see a colorful board filled with icons at eye level, they gravitate toward it.

Neurotypical children quickly learn how to use the board to communicate with their non-speaking peers. For instance, a child might walk up to the board, point to the icon for “ball,” and look at a peer with autism, inviting them into a game. This direct interaction reduces social stigma, builds empathy, and creates a culture of deep-seated inclusion from an early age.

Normalizing Alternative Communication for the Public

Stigma thrives in the absence of exposure. When AAC boards are absent from public squares, the general public remains unaware of how non-verbal individuals interact.

Conversely, when these boards are prominently displayed alongside traditional park signage, alternative communication is normalized. Passersby, city workers, and other parents see AAC as a valid, everyday form of language. This raises community awareness and reshapes public spaces into environments that celebrate diversity rather than merely tolerating it.

Evidence-Based Practice: What the Research Says About AAC and Inclusion

As clinical practitioners, everything we do at Resources at Lakeshore Speech is anchored in evidence-based practice and guidelines established by national bodies like the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

The ASHA Position on Communication Access

According to ASHA, communication is a fundamental human right. ASHA explicitly states that AAC use does not stunt natural speech development; in fact, research consistently demonstrates that AAC supports and accelerates verbal speech production by reducing communication anxiety and providing a clear auditory and visual model of language.

Scientific Studies on Public-Space Modeling

A landmark body of research in the field of developmental disabilities highlights that environmental engineering—changing the physical environment to support the user—is the single most effective way to promote independent functional communication. According to a comprehensive meta-analysis by Sennott, Light, and McNaughton (2016), individuals with complex communication needs demonstrate a monumental increase in spontaneous peer interactions when visual supports are permanently embedded into natural play spaces. Their findings confirm that these engineered environments yield significantly higher rates of social initiation compared to scenarios where users are forced to rely solely on personal electronic devices.

When we apply this science to municipal planning, it becomes clear that relying on a family to bring a personal device to a park is a clinical failure of environmental design. The park itself must be accessible. Therefore, implementing physical boards aligns directly with established therapeutic protocols for generalization—the ability to use communication skills outside of a clinical therapy room and in the real world.

How to Implement Low-Tech AAC in Your Community: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you are a parent, educator, or forward-thinking community leader, you might be wondering how to translate this knowledge into concrete action. Transforming your local park into an inclusive haven requires intentional planning.

Step 1: Identify the Right Location

Look for areas with high foot traffic and shared play zones. Ideal spots include:

Directly adjacent to the primary playground structure.
Near entry gates or benches where parents congregate.
Beside inclusive play pieces like wheelchair-accessible merry-go-rounds or adaptive swings.

Step 2: Select High-Quality, Accessible Materials

Do not cut corners on manufacturing. A cheap, laminated poster taped to a signpost will degrade within weeks. Invest in heavy-duty, UV-printed, non-glare aluminum or high-density polyethylene (HDPE) panels. Ensure the board is mounted at an accessible height for both standing children and individuals utilizing wheelchairs or mobility devices.

Step 3: Ensure Inclusive Vocabulary Design

Work with certified Speech-Language Pathologists to ensure the symbols chosen are universally recognized and structured logically. Avoid clutter; too many icons can cause visual fatigue and cognitive overload, defeating the purpose of quick, accessible communication.

Designing for Success: A Quick Implementation Checklist

Before purchasing or printing any public communication sign, verify that your project meets these accessibility standards:

Conclusion: Empowering Every Voice Through Community Infrastructure

The true measure of a community’s compassion and forward-thinking nature is found in how it treats its most vulnerable and marginalized members. True accessibility goes far beyond concrete wheelchair ramps and paved walkways; it must encompass cognitive and linguistic accessibility.

Recognizing the immense benefits of AAC in public spaces is the first step toward building a society where no child is left standing silently on the sidelines of a playground, unable to ask a peer to play. By installing robust, low-tech AAC boards, we can give the gift of an immediate, unshakeable voice to everyone who gathers in our shared spaces.

This investment builds an enduring culture of inclusion, empathy, and mutual understanding that echoes far beyond the boundaries of the park.

Take Action Today with Resources at Lakeshore Speech

Are you ready to champion accessibility and bring a high-quality, clinically verified communication board to your local park, school, or community center? Don’t navigate the design and vocabulary selection process alone.

Contact our dedicated team at https://www.lakeshorespeech.com/ today to consult with our AAC specialists and begin the seamless process of ordering custom, durable communication boards for your community. Together, we can ensure that every voice is heard, valued, and celebrated. Ensuring that everyone benefits from AAC in public spaces.

Benefits of AAC in public spaces

The Monumental Benefits of Communication Boards for Children

Quick Facts & Key Takeaways – Benefits of Communication Boards

Total Inclusivity: Outdoor communication boards bridge the gap between physical accessibility and social inclusion on public playgrounds, pools, and splash parks.
The “Device Burdens” Solution: Traditional high-tech speech tablets (AAC systems) risk overheating in the sun, experiencing water damage at splash pads, or getting lost during active play. Large-scale, permanent weather-proof boards completely remove this obstacle.
Peer-to-Peer Bridges: By using a shared symbol space, neurotypical and neurodivergent children interact directly, dropping social barriers and mitigating the loneliness often felt by kids with limited speech.
Universal Learning Tool: In addition to assisting children with neurodivergent needs, these community installations support toddlers developing language, late talkers, and multilingual families navigating new languages.

How Outdoor Communication Boards Give Every Child a Voice

Imagine a vibrant local park on a sunny Saturday. Children are sprinting toward the swings, climbing up the slide, and playing a noisy game of tag. But for a child who is non-verbal, has autism, or experiences a significant language delay, this bustling environment can present unique challenges. They may want to ask for a turn or tell a peer “That’s cool!”, but the verbal words might not be accessible in that high-energy moment.

Now, imagine you want to join that game of tag. You know exactly what you want to say: “Can I play too?” But your vocal muscles or neurological pathways refuse to coordinate. You try to catch a peer’s eye, but they run past, caught up in the fast-paced auditory world around them. You have a personal speech-generating device, but it is safely tucked away in your parent’s backpack across the park because it is too heavy to carry while climbing, or because your family is terrified it will get wet near the pool.

For millions of minimally verbal or non-speaking children, this heartbreaking sense of isolation is a daily reality.

This is where playground communication boards serve as a vital tool. At Resources at Lakeshore Speech, we view these boards not just as equipment, but as an essential component of a truly inclusive environment. By providing a visual language system, we can ensure that “play for all” includes every child’s voice. When we look at how communities can foster truly accessible environments, understanding how communication boards benefit children is the first step toward transforming public recreation spaces into hubs of unconditional belonging.

What Are Playground Communication Boards?

At their core, playground communication boards are large, durable signs installed in public play areas. They feature a grid of symbols, pictures, and words that represent common playground activities, needs, and social interactions. These boards are a functional form of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).

By pointing to a symbol for “swing” or “stop,” a child can communicate effectively without needing to rely on verbal speech. These AAC playground boards act as a bridge for children who are non-verbal, minimally verbal, or even those who simply find the sensory environment of a park too overwhelming to speak clearly. They are a reliable, permanent “voice” available to anyone in the play area, providing a low-tech backup for when a child might not have their personal speech device handy.

At Resources at Lakeshore Speech, we view these boards not just as equipment, but as an essential component of a truly inclusive environment. By providing a visual language system, we can ensure that “play for all” includes every child’s voice.

Why Public Spaces Require a Shift in How We View Accessibility

For years, community accessibility discussions centered almost entirely on physical infrastructure. Cities built poured-in-place rubber surfacing, installed wheelchair-accessible ramps, and integrated adaptive swing sets. While these engineering steps are vital, true play requires more than just getting a child’s body onto a playground structure—it requires connecting their mind and voice to the children around them.

Research indicates that children who experience complex communication challenges encounter deep social barriers on public playgrounds that go far beyond basic physical access (Therrien et al., 2022). Unstructured environments like neighborhood parks, community pools, and public splash pads are incredibly high-stimulation, fast-paced environments. In these settings, verbal speech moves quickly. If a child cannot rapidly express a need, share an idea, or establish a boundary, they are frequently excluded from cooperative play groups.

Furthermore, traditional Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems—such as high-tech dedicated speech tablets or personal communication binders—are highly vulnerable to the elements (Derse, 2008). A family spending an afternoon at a neighborhood splash park cannot easily risk exposing an expensive electronic device to water, sand, heat, or heavy impacts. Consequently, many children are left entirely “voiceless” during the exact hours of the day when they should be experiencing absolute freedom and play. Large, permanently anchored AAC communication boards solve this exact problem by embedding functional, universal language directly into the recreational environment.

What Are the Benefits of Communication Boards for Children?

When looking at child development, we must address a core question: What are the benefits of communication boards for children? From a speech-language pathology perspective, these tools do far more than replace spoken words. They fundamentally alter how a child interacts with their environment, processes information, and builds relationships with the world around them.

1. Reducing Communicative Frustration and Cognitive Load

When a child cannot express their thoughts, anxiety and frustration skyrocket. This often leads to behavioral meltdowns. One of the primary benefits of communication boards for children is that they lower the cognitive load required to speak. In high-energy public spaces, coming up with the motor plans for speech can be exhausting. Visual boards give children an instant, stress-free path to express exactly what they need without the pressure of vocalization.

2. Supporting Receptive and Expressive Language Growth

Many individuals mistakenly believe these tools slow down speech development. However, clinical evidence shows the exact opposite. Visual aids provide a stable, permanent anchor for spoken language. While a spoken word disappears the moment it is muttered, a picture symbol remains static. This gives the child crucial time to process the word’s meaning. By pairing visual icons with spoken words, children build stronger vocabulary connections, boosting both their receptive understanding and their expressive output.

3. Fostering Autonomy and Self-Advocacy

True independence means having control over your own choices. Public communication boards allow children to choose their own activities, direct their own play, and set personal boundaries. Instead of relying on a parent or caregiver to guess what they want, a child can confidently walk up to a board and state their mind. This early experience with self-advocacy builds lifelong confidence.

4. Supporting Visual Learners

Many children with complex communication needs are visual learners. In a clinical setting, we often see that visual supports reduce frustration and lower cognitive load. Communication boards for parks provide a static reference point. Unlike spoken words, which are fleeting, a symbol on a board remains visible, allowing a child the time they need to process information and express a thought at their own pace.

5. Encouraging Peer Connections

These boards are not exclusively for children with disabilities. They serve as a universal language for the entire playground. When neurotypical children see a peer using the board, it often sparks curiosity and social modeling. This naturally facilitates interaction, teaching children from a young age that there are many valid ways to communicate and connect with others.

The Core Benefits of Communication Boards for Children in Public Parks

When cities and community leaders install permanent communication panels in recreational spaces, they change the entire dynamic of public play. Let’s break down the distinct clinical, emotional, and social advantages of these incredible community tools.

1. Eliminating the “Device Burden” and Protecting Speech Tools

As early intervention and school-based speech-language pathologists have long noted, carrying an external communication book or a dedicated electronic tablet during vigorous physical play is highly burdensome for a child (Derse, 2008). If a child has to hold a heavy device while climbing a ladder or traversing monkey bars, their safety is compromised. If they leave the device with a caregiver on a park bench, they lose their voice the moment they step onto the play equipment.

Permanent outdoor panels ensure that language is permanently present, accessible, and impervious to the elements. Whether a child is dripping wet at a municipal pool or covered in woodchips at a playground, they can simply walk up to the panel and point to “Go,” “Stop,” “More,” or “Water” to make their desires instantly known.

2. Equalizing the Social Playing Field

The magic of an outdoor communication panel lies in its status as a shared tool. It is not an isolated piece of medical equipment attached to a single child; it is an interactive fixture of the park available to everyone.

When neurotypical children see the board, they naturally become curious. They begin using the symbols to communicate with one another or to model language for their peers. This common visual interface reduces the “burden of initiation” on the neurodivergent child. Instead of trying to force a verbal greeting or figure out how to bridge a social gap, a child can walk up to the board, point to the symbol for “Play,” and point to the image of the slides. The communication barrier evaporates, paving the way for organic peer-to-peer relationships.

3. Immediate Access to Safety and Boundary Language

High-stimulation environments like splash pads and busy parks require rapid self-regulation and safety communication. If a child is feeling overwhelmed, hot, or frightened, they need to communicate that state instantly to prevent a sensory meltdown or a dangerous situation. Outdoor boards feature clearly visible, highly intuitive core vocabulary symbols for concepts like “Stop,” “Help,” “Hot,” “Cold,” “Hurt,” or “All Done.” This grants children the immediate power to advocate for their physical needs and personal boundaries in real-time, giving caregivers peace of mind.

Who Benefits from Outdoor AAC Boards?

The impact of outdoor AAC boards extends across a diverse range of park visitors. Based on our clinical experience at Resources at Lakeshore Speech, we see these tools benefiting a wide variety of users:

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Visual symbols help navigate social transitions and reduce the stress of environmental changes.
Late Talkers and Toddlers: Even typically developing toddlers who are still building their vocabulary can use the board to express needs, often reducing the frustration common in early childhood.
Children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech: For those who struggle with the motor planning required for speech, the board provides an immediate functional outlet.
English Language Learners (ELL): Symbols are a universal bridge. A child who does not yet speak the local language can still engage with peers through visual icons.
The “Device-Free” Moment: Personal high-tech AAC devices can be fragile or hard to see in the sun. A board allows a child to leave their expensive tech with a caregiver while they climb and play freely.

Design and Functionality: A Speech-Language Perspective

Effective playground communication boards require a thoughtful design rooted in linguistic principles. It isn’t just about putting pictures on a sign; it’s about how those symbols facilitate genuine language development.

Symbol System Consistency

Consistency is one of the most important factors in language learning. To support this, Resources at Lakeshore Speech offers both SymbolStix and Boardmaker/PCS (Picture Communication Symbols) sets. These are the two most common systems used in schools and on personal speech devices. Providing this choice allows communities to align their park signage with what local students are already learning in the classroom, making the tool much more intuitive.

Core vs. Fringe Vocabulary

A functional board balances “Core Vocabulary”—high-frequency words like go, help, stop, more, and me—with “Fringe Vocabulary”—specific nouns like slide, ball, or sandbox. This allows a child to move beyond simple labeling and begin constructing functional phrases like “more swing” or “I go.”

Durability and Customization

Because these are communication boards for parks, they must withstand heavy use and the elements. We utilize high-grade aluminum composite materials that do not rust or warp. Furthermore, we believe these boards should reflect the community. Unlike many providers, Resources at Lakeshore Speech provides 100% customization, including adding agency or donor logos at no additional cost. This helps foster a sense of community ownership and acknowledges the sponsors who make these projects possible.

Improving Accessibility with Integrated Technology

Even the best tool is only effective if people feel confident using it. To support parents and caregivers, every board provided by Resources at Lakeshore Speech includes a specialized QR code.

When scanned, this code links directly to an educational video. This resource demonstrates how to “model” language on the board in real-time. This immediate support helps adults feel more comfortable with AAC, ensuring the board becomes an active part of the playground experience rather than a static fixture.

Frequently Asked Questions About Outdoor Communication Boards

As public interest in universal design grows, parents, town council members, and park directors frequently reach out to us with questions. Below are the most common inquiries we address regarding the implementation and benefits of communication boards for children.

Do communication boards stop a child from learning how to talk?

This is the single most common concern we hear from families, and the scientific answer is an absolute, definitive NO. Decades of speech-language pathology research and official statements from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) demonstrate that augmentative and alternative communication tools support and encourage verbal language development rather than hindering it.

Visual symbols provide a concrete cognitive anchor for fleeting acoustic spoken words. When a child points to a symbol while an adult says the word aloud, it reinforces language comprehension and reduces the immense cognitive pressure of speech production. Often, as comprehension increases through visual aids, verbal attempts follow close behind.

How do cities select the right vocabulary symbols for an outdoor park board?

Selecting vocabulary is a careful clinical science. To build true topical authority and clinical effectiveness, boards must balance Core Vocabulary and Fringe Vocabulary.

Core Vocabulary (80% of what we say): High-frequency words that can be used across multiple contexts (e.g., more, stop, go, look, want, help, I, you, it). These are typically placed in a consistent grid layout on the left and center of the board to assist with motor planning.
Fringe Vocabulary (20% of what we say): Specific nouns and context-dependent words unique to that environment (e.g., swing, water, slide, towel, ladder, splash). These are generally grouped by category along the edges or right-hand side.

At Resources at Lakeshore Speech, our specialists collaborate directly with city planners and manufacturers to ensure that symbol selection meets ASHA’s highest standards of cultural responsiveness and clinical validity.

Successful Implementations Nationwide

The move toward more accessible play is a national movement. Resources at Lakeshore Speech has been proud to assist various communities in implementing these tools. Successful installations have already taken place in:

- Lowell, MA
- Rocky River, OH
- Fairview, OH
- Middletown, RI
- Jackson County, AL
- Lackawanna, NY

North Olmsted, OH

Feedback from these communities often highlights how the boards have opened up new social opportunities for children who previously felt like observers rather than participants.

Conclusion: Empowering Every Child to Have a Voice in the Community

At Resources at Lakeshore Speech, our work is grounded in over six decades of combined clinical experience. We understand that a playground is more than just a place to run; it is a place to connect, to learn, and to belong.

Every single child deserves to experience the absolute joy, physical development, and social bonding that comes from unstructured public play. Playground equipment can challenge a child’s muscles, but a shared communication environment stretches their mind, builds empathy, and nurtures lasting peer friendships.

By investing in permanent outdoor communication boards, civic leaders, parent-teacher associations, and parks departments do more than just install a sign—they make a profound statement. They signal to every family that enters the park that their child is seen, valued, and welcome exactly as they are. These installations effectively eliminate the fear of damaged personal electronics, dismantle social isolation, and provide a vibrant, visual bridge that unites children of all abilities.

By integrating AAC playground boards into our public spaces, we are making a statement that every child’s voice is valued. We are proud to serve as a resource for communities looking to make their parks a little more welcoming, one symbol at a time.

Are you ready to spearhead a movement for true communication accessibility in your neighborhood, school district, or city park? Our dedicated team at Resources at Lakeshore Speech is here to guide you through every stage of the journey. From initial symbol mapping and custom vocabulary selection to sourcing ultra-durable, weather-proof manufacturing partners, we provide the expert clinical oversight needed to bring your vision to life.

Contact Resources at Lakeshore Speech today

Multi-Lingual Communication Boards: The Ultimate Guide to Inclusive Play

Why Every Park Needs Multi-Lingual Communication Boards

Communication Boards:

Quick Facts & Key Takeaways

What they are: Large, weather-resistant signs featuring symbols and text (icons) that allow non-verbal or multi-lingual children to communicate.
The Goal: To ensure every child, regardless of their native language or physical ability, can ask to “swing,” “slide,” or “play together.”
Evidence-Based: Supported by ASHA standards for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).
Community Impact: Enhances social-emotional learning and fosters a sense of belonging for English Language Learners (ELL).

Breaking the Silence on the Playground

At Resources at Lakeshore Speech, we believe that communication is a fundamental human right, not a privilege. Yet, for many children, the playground—a place meant for joy and connection—can be a source of profound isolation. Imagine a child who has the perfect idea for a game but lacks the spoken words to invite a peer. Now, imagine that same child is also navigating a world where their home language isn’t the primary one spoken at the park.

This is where communication boards step in as a transformative tool for equity. In our rapidly diversifying communities, the need for inclusive signage has never been greater. By integrating bilingual and multi-lingual AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) systems into public spaces, we are not just installing a sign; we are building a bridge. This guide serves as the definitive resource for families, educators, and community leaders on how “The Multi-Lingual Playground” can change the landscape of childhood forever.

What Are Communication Boards and Why Do They Matter?

To understand the impact of a communication board, one must first understand AAC. In the world of Speech-Language Pathology, AAC encompasses all the ways we share our ideas and feelings without talking.

The “Why” Behind the Board

For a child with Autism, a speech delay or a child who is an English Language Learner (ELL), the playground is a high-sensory environment. The noise, the movement, and the social pressure can make verbalizing thoughts difficult. A communication board provides a static, visual reference. It doesn’t move, it doesn’t disappear after it’s said, and it provides a “common language” for everyone on the mulch.

Furthermore, these communication boards act as a safety net. If a child is hurt or overwhelmed, they can point to “hurt” or “stop” even when their words fail them. By placing these tools in public view, we normalize different ways of communicating, reducing the stigma surrounding disabilities and language differences.

The Power of Multi-Lingual Communication Boards

While a standard English board is a great start, a truly inclusive community looks at its demographic data. In many neighborhoods, Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic, or Vietnamese are spoken just as frequently as English.

Supporting ELL and Bilingual Students Outdoors

Dual-language communication boards provide a unique “scaffolding” effect. For a child learning English, seeing the word “Slide” paired with the Spanish word “Tobogán” and a clear icon of a slide provides immediate context. It honors their native language while supporting their acquisition of a second one.

Key Benefits of Dual-Language Boards:

Validation: It tells families, “You belong here, and your language is valued.”
Cognitive Development: Research shows that bilingualism enhances executive function; these communication boards encourage all children to engage with multiple languages.
Social Equity: It levels the playing field, ensuring that a language barrier doesn’t prevent a child from making a friend.

Layout Strategies: Designing for Clarity

A common concern among community leaders is: “Won’t adding a second language make the board too cluttered?” The answer lies in strategic design. As experts in visual communication, we follow specific layouts to ensure the board remains functional.

Stacking English and a Second Language

To maintain “scannability,” we often recommend a consistent hierarchy.

Symbol First: The icon (the picture) should be the largest element, as it is the universal language.
Color Coding: Using the Modified Fitzgerald Key—a system where different parts of speech (verbs, nouns, social words) are color-coded—helps the eye find what it needs quickly.
Language Placement: We typically place the English word at the top and the second language directly beneath it in a slightly different font or color. This consistency allows the brain to “filter” for the language it needs without losing the icon’s meaning.

Translation vs. Localization: Capturing the Spirit of Play

One of the biggest mistakes in creating multilingual boards is relying on “Literal Translation.” A dictionary might tell you one thing, but the “spirit” of the play-word is what matters.

Clinical Insight: In Speech-Language Pathology, we call this “localization.” For example, the English word “cool” might mean “chilly” or “awesome.” On a playground, we want the “awesome” version.

When we design these boards at Resources at Lakeshore Speech, we work with native speakers to ensure that the terms used are the ones children actually use in their culture. We aren’t just translating words; we are translating the experience of joy.

Evidence-Based Practice: What the Research Says

Our recommendations aren’t just based on “good feelings”—they are rooted in science. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) emphasizes that AAC should be provided in a child’s primary language to support identity and family bonding.

The Robustness of Visual Supports

Studies in the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research indicate that visual supports significantly reduce “communication breakdowns.” On a playground, a breakdown often looks like a tantrum or a child withdrawing from play. When a communication board is present, the “success rate” of social interactions increases because both the speaker and the listener have a visual anchor.

Additionally, the “Modeling” method (where a parent or peer points to the icons while speaking) has been proven to accelerate language learning for both neurotypical and neurodivergent children.

Addressing “People Also Ask”

How do I choose which languages to include?

Start with your local school district’s data. Which languages are most represented in their ESL/ELL programs? Most communities opt for a bilingual board (e.g., English/Spanish), but tri-lingual communication boards are becoming increasingly popular in metropolitan hubs.

Where is the best place to install a communication board?

Visibility is key. We recommend placing communication boards near the entrance of the play area and at the “hub” (usually near the swings or the main play structure). It should be at a height accessible to children in wheelchairs and toddlers alike.

Will these boards get vandalized?

Our communication boards are manufactured using high-grade, UV-resistant, and graffiti-proof materials. While no public sign is 100% immune, we find that when a community understands the purpose of the board—helping children—there is a high level of respect for the installation.

Benefits for All: A Lesson in Empathy

Perhaps the most beautiful “side effect” of playground communication boards is how they affect neurotypical, English-speaking children. When a child sees a peer using a board, they don’t see a “disability”; they see a different way to talk.

Children are naturally curious. They will ask, “What is that sign?” This provides a perfect opening for parents and educators to talk about diversity, inclusion, and the many ways people experience the world. It teaches the next generation that if someone can’t speak your language, you find another way to listen.

Empowering Every Voice

The installation of a communication board is a declaration. It says that every child’s voice matters. It says that “inclusion” isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a physical reality built into the fabric of our parks.

At Resources at Lakeshore Speech, we are proud to be at the forefront of this movement. We provide the expertise needed to select the right vocabulary, the right layout, and the right languages to serve your specific community. By bringing multilingual AAC to your local playground, you aren’t just changing a park—you’re changing the life of every child who finally feels “heard” for the first time.

Ready to make your playground a truly inclusive space?

Don’t wait for another child to feel left out of the game. Contact us today to learn about our custom communication boards and how we can help you lead the way in community accessibility.

[Contact Resources at Lakeshore Speech Today]

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Are communication boards only for children with autism?

A: Not at all! They help children with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, speech delays, ELL students, and even toddlers who haven’t found their words yet.

Q: Can these be used in schools?

A: Absolutely. Communication boards are perfect for recess areas, gyms, and cafeterias to support social interaction outside the classroom.

Q: How do we teach kids to use them?

A: It’s simple: Model, Model, Model. When you say, “Let’s go to the swing,” point to the “Swing” icon on the board. Kids will mimic what they see!

Q: Are the boards ADA compliant?

A: When installed at the correct height and on an accessible path, they are a major asset to ADA-compliant playground designs.

Q: How much do they cost?

A: Pricing varies based on size and customization. Reach out to our team for a quote tailored to your community’s needs!

AAC ADA Alternative communication Autism bilingual communication boards communication communication board communication boards Down Syndrome inclusive playground inclusive pools inclusivity language multi-lingual communication boards playground communication boards pool communication boards Resources at Lakeshore Speech speech therapy support for special needs therapy visual cues

Category: Communication Boards

The Board Is Funded. Now What?

Maximizing Impact Through Strategic Communication Board Installation

The 36-Inch Rule Is Not a Suggestion

Freestanding, Fence-Mounted, or Equipment-Mounted

Navigating Sun, Weather, and Vandalism

Planning for Proper Orientation and Angle

Training the Adults Who Will Model the Board

Document the Installation and Celebrate It

The Window Is Open Right Now

Step One: Identify Your Location This Week

Step Two: Build Your One-Paragraph Case

Step Three: Send Three Emails Before the End of This Week

Step Four: Line Up Your Sponsor Conversation

Step Five: Request Your Quote and Justification Language

Step Six: Plan the Celebration Now

The Resources You Need

The Call Nobody Wants to Make

What We Do When there’s a Grant Shortfall?

What to Do If Your Funding Falls Short

A Note on Honest Conversations

The Call That Changes Everything

Step One: Understanding Your Space and Your Community

Step Two: The Science Behind the Layout

Step Three: Custom Icons for Your Specific Space

Step Four: Sponsor Logos at No Additional Cost

Step Five: The Aha Moment

Step Six: Installation Guidance Without the Contractor Bill

What You Walk Away With

A Vision Without a Budget Is Still a Vision Worth Having

The Conversation That Changed the Scope

Where the Money Came From

What North Olmsted Got Right

What Your Community Can Learn from This

The Board That Went Up

All Behavior Is Communication

What Happened When We Introduced a Communication Board

Who Benefits From Communication Boards?

Why Environment Matters

Behavior and Safety Are Directly Linked

A Communication Board Is Not a Last Resort

What You Can Do Today

The Dangerous Misconception of the DIY Communication Board

Understanding the Clinical Science of Augmentative Communication

The Power of Core Vocabulary Over Fringe Vocabulary

Motor Planning and Spatial Consistency Across Boards

Protecting Symbol System Consistency

The Real World of Collaborative Customization

The North Olmsted Case Study and the Camp Board Breakthrough

The Ultimate Litmus Test for Your Communication Board

Low-Tech vs. High-Tech AAC: Why Physical Communication Boards Are Essential for Truly Inclusive Public Spaces

Quick Facts & Key Takeaways

Quick Links

Understanding AAC: The Foundation of Inclusion

The AAC Spectrum: High-Tech vs. Low-Tech

Why Public Spaces Need Low-Tech: Physical Boards vs. Digital Apps

Environmental Vulnerabilities of Digital Tools

Deep Dive: The Tangible Benefits of AAC in Public Spaces

Eliminating Communication Barriers in Real Time

Promoting Peer-to-Peer Social Inclusion

Normalizing Alternative Communication for the Public

People Also Ask: Common Questions About Public AAC Systems

How do children know how to use an AAC board without training?

Are public AAC boards only meant for individuals with severe autism?

What vocabulary should be included on a public space AAC board?

Evidence-Based Practice: What the Research Says About AAC and Inclusion

The ASHA Position on Communication Access

Scientific Studies on Public-Space Modeling

How to Implement Low-Tech AAC in Your Community: A Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Identify the Right Location

Step 2: Select High-Quality, Accessible Materials

Step 3: Ensure Inclusive Vocabulary Design

Designing for Success: A Quick Implementation Checklist

Conclusion: Empowering Every Voice Through Community Infrastructure

Take Action Today with Resources at Lakeshore Speech

Benefits of AAC in public spaces

Quick Facts & Key Takeaways – Benefits of Communication Boards

What's Inside

How Outdoor Communication Boards Give Every Child a Voice

What Are Playground Communication Boards?