Overview

It is the desire of the Prentke Romich Company (PRC) to foster and support research in the use of Speech-Generating Devices (SGDs) with individuals with disabilities. PRC is especially interested in encouraging research that will inform best practice in clinical settings, private therapy, and educational environments.

The AAC Research Alliance was created by PRC to increase the corpus of clinically relevant evidence available to professionals to facilitate greater success in their classrooms and clinical settings – and above all, effective communication for the consumers themselves.

The AAC Research Alliance will consider support for both formal academic research and action research. In order to receive consideration, projects must be carefully designed around the research questions listed in this guide. We will not support or fund requests for personal equipment, requests from groups outside the United States, capital support requests, or endowment requests. In order to be considered for research support, the Primary Investigator (PI) should submit a proposal (see Research Proposal Form) describing how the project addresses the research priorities and detailing how the research will be carried out.

The AAC Research Alliance will provide three kinds of support for research projects. First, we will occasionally provide financial grants for scientifically designed projects associated with academic institutions or 501-c-3 organizations. Most commonly these take the form of modest stipends. Second, we offer devices for loan for specific periods for deserving projects. Device loans are available for "Action Research" projects as well as for academic projects. Applicants must sign loan agreements accepting responsibility for the care and security of the devices. Applicants are responsible for returning the devices at the end of the loan period. Third, the AAC Research Alliance also provides training and technical support for research projects. These may be arranged for any project, whether or not they are approved for grants or loans.

A research committee will review submitted proposals on a periodic basis. It may be necessary for the committee to work with the Primary Investigator to clarify elements of the submission. Once a decision has been made, the PI will be notified by email and a committee member will contact the PI to discuss the arrangements for support. Each project must comply with federal guidelines and regulations to insure privacy and security of participants. Projects will be monitored for progress.

At the conclusion of the project, the PI will submit a "White Paper" summarizing the project and its findings. As part of the agreement, research projects receiving grants and device loans will have post-project plans to disseminate findings through such means as the submission of articles for publication in appropriate journals and presentations at conferences.