Prentke Romich Company 40 for 40 Media Kit
About PRC's 40 for 40 Program About PRC PRC's History About Augmented Communication

PRC's History, 1966-Present

Innovation, Compassion, and a Commitment to Communication Without Limitations

Communication is the essence of human life. Of all disabilities, those that affect communication can be the most devastating and limiting.

PRC's efforts to help speech-impaired children and adults achieve spontaneous, independent, and interactive communication began in 1966 when engineering student Barry Romich first collaborated with engineer Edwin Prentke to build a communication system for a man who had suffered a stroke.

Theirs was one of the very first such efforts in the United States, and the Prentke Romich Company (PRC) was soon born. Several years later, PRC teamed up with linguist Bruce Baker, inventor of a proprietary and powerful language interface for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems called Minspeak®.

Minspeak, the foundation for the Unity® vocabulary program in every PRC device, has been used successfully by thousands of people around the world. Today, Unity is recognized by many professionals as the most innovative and effective language program in the field of AAC.

Over the years, PRC's AAC tools evolved as the company continued to combine state-of-the-art technology with language-based vocabulary programs and world-class service and support to create the most powerful and effective communication products.

PRC Today
PRC is growing rapidly as more and more clinicians, caregivers, and augmented communicators around the world recognize the effectiveness of its communication solutions.

PRC's commitment to the AAC community is reflected in the skills and experience of its employees, who began taking ownership of the company in 2004 through an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP).

PRC: A Legacy of Firsts
PRC pioneered the field of AAC in 1966 and continues to lead it:

  • PRC was the first AAC manufacturer to employ salaried professionals, primarily speech-language pathologists, to provide customer service support in the field.
  • Another PRC service innovation was the hiring of AAC communicators as remote troubleshooters. These skilled PRC device users work from home to help customers and solve problems.
  • The PRC Ambassador Program is a national network of people who use PRC's AAC products and are available to make appearances to demonstrate their power of communication.
  • PRC also supports the development of the AAC community through charitable activities and financial support.

Prentke Romich Company