Featured II

Opening Conversations: Empowering Youth with Complex Communication Needs

Arielle Wiedenbeck — Mon, 19 May 2025 16:05:54 +0000

Opening Conversations: Empowering Youth with Complex Communication Needs Arielle Wiedenbeck Mon, 05/19/2025 - 10:05

Elaina Caywood

Communication is one of the most important aspects of life, yet many of us take it for granted. Those with complex communication needs (CCN) secondary to different neurological conditions and/or medical diagnoses, such as cerebral palsy, Angelman syndrome and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), typically have co-occurring conditions such as hearing and vision impairments. They face numerous challenges that prevent them from accessing the help they need to communicate effectively with the world. Compounded with economic disadvantages, these difficulties can feel insurmountable, as assistive technology can be expensive.

For the past six years, Sherri Tennant, Assistant Clinical Professor of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences (SLHS) at 91PORN, and her team have worked in Denver with CCN students who experience economic disadvantages and use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems. AAC systems are various low and high-tech methods for communication that can help those who are unable to speak verbally, such as picture-based communication books, iPad apps and speech generating devices (SGDs). These systems are customized to meet individual communication needs.

In 2019, Tennant began consulting in Denver Public Schools, visiting classrooms and guiding staff who worked with students unable to verbalize through natural speech or reliably use touch screens. Without AAC systems or trained professionals with the knowledge to use them, many students lacked a consistent way to communicate.

Seeing that the growing need was more than one consultant could handle, Tennant and her colleague, Associate Professor Christine Brennan, decided to apply for a grant from the Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship.

鈥淲e had a couple of goals in mind with different emphasis,鈥� said Tennant. 鈥淥ne was to train our graduate students in the speech-language pathology program in AAC assessments and intervention, as there is a great need in our field, public schools and healthcare settings.鈥�

During the last six years, Tennant and her team have trained more than 38 graduate students and 30 general education peers in AAC systems, many of whom have gone on to work in public schools.

鈥淪econd goal, of course, was to meet the needs of the Denver School of Science and Technology (DSST), helping those students and empowering them by giving them access to AAC systems through Medicaid,鈥� continued Tennant. 鈥淎s of now, we have assessed and procured AAC systems for 12 students total.鈥�

鈥淥ur third goal then was to do professional development for all the educators, paraeducators and speech language pathologists that work in the school district. And then, finally train the family members to use these systems at home with the AAC users, the adolescents,鈥� explained Tennant.

The project has now involved two high schools and one middle school within the DSST school network. The DSST team of educators has continued to support the project, writing letters of support that demonstrate the need for this kind of work and help in the grant reapplication process.

While some paraprofessionals and teachers initially felt apprehensive about using AAC systems due to their cost and complexity, many have now fully embraced them, actively participating in Tennant鈥檚 training and advocating for AAC systems in their schools.

鈥淪eeing the change in attitude and progress [from educators] through consistent teaching, patience and modeling has been one of the biggest rewards,鈥� reflected Tennant.

The team is working to organize and lead a larger workshop in summer 2026 to introduce critical AAC information and provide advanced training to professionals who are new to AAC as well as give more information to families who may be struggling with adopting the AAC systems. This will continue to increase the number of people who will benefit from this grant project.

Alongside professional training for paraeducators and teachers, the team created multimedia training modules to assist with AAC system use, and they plan to expand this online resource into Spanish. Marcella Manzur, a Spanish-speaking collaborator in Mexico City, has frequently assisted the team by interpreting and translating content for family support and training groups. She is also working with her team in Mexico to translate the multimedia training modules into Spanish. Due to the linguistic importance of this work, Tennant ensures that the team remains sensitive to cultural and linguistic identities when interacting with students and their families. Manzur supports this goal by acting as a translator during therapy sessions, helping students and their families feel as comfortable as possible while learning about how to use an AAC system.

Despite the wide scope of their goals, Tennant and her team have achieved great success, giving a voice to economically disadvantaged adolescents with complex communication needs in the community while helping educators and 91PORN students gain critical hands-on experience with AAC systems. In February of 2023, Tennant, Brennan and five graduate students presented the outcomes of this work at the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) national conference in Orlando. The team plans to present their findings again at ATIA in 2026. Graduate students working on this project not only get the chance to present their work at important conferences in the field but also gain extremely valuable experience in a relatively niche area, leading to great opportunities.

鈥淚鈥檝e received emails from [past students] saying it鈥檚 because of this grant project that they were able to get their position or that they felt so comfortable and confident working with the school team. That has been really rewarding,鈥� remarked Tennant.

The collaboration between many different professionals across the SLHS and education spheres provides a uniquely impactful experience for the program鈥檚 youth participants. This work is inherently community engaged, heavily depending upon consulting and interacting with the community; Tennant stressed the importance of 鈥渇amily-centered treatment as much as possible.鈥�

Tennant shared an example of a teenager whose progress depended on being consulted within her natural setting outside of highly structured therapeutic activities with a community- and family-centered approach. While being assessed in a local hospital to demonstrate how she could benefit from an AAC system, the teen exhibited noticeably aggressive behavior. However, at school, the teen had successfully communicated and responded with the trial AAC systems. The teacher, with whom the student had built trust, asked to be included in the hospital assessment but was denied due to post-COVID policies. The hospital鈥檚 assessment incorrectly concluded that she would not benefit from an AAC system due to her behavior, which was a result of the teen鈥檚 trusted companion, her teacher, being unable to assist. Tennant鈥檚 team was then able to assist in completing the AAC assessment at school where the student was comfortable and included her mother as well. The student was very cooperative, using the AAC system effectively with a smile.

鈥淪ometimes these policies in outside organizations can be obstacles to what鈥檚 beneficial for a client or a patient. The beauty of our grant project is it allows us to go into their [the patient's] most comfortable setting. If that鈥檚 home, if that鈥檚 school, we can do that. When we do that, we get a clear picture of their potential,鈥� explained Tennant. 鈥� We were able to procure a system for her [the teen] through Medicaid, and she was using it really effectively. She ended up graduating and moved on and out of the school. That conveys one very powerful benefit of this grant project.鈥�

Students who may have been resigned to silence in their classrooms can now communicate and even make jokes in class, happily surprising the educators who have watched them grow and progress.

The work of Tennant and the rest of the team has provided hope to these teens and opened doors for them to participate and interact with the world around them. In a world so consumed with communication, everyone deserves access to the human flow of connected ideas鈥攖hanks to this grant project, those with complex communication needs can overcome economic barriers to join in on the conversation, too.

This crucial work continues on. For more information about the multimedia modules, SLHS pathology trainings for graduate students, family-centered trainings at DSST or information on future conference presentations, visit: Empowering Economically Disadvantaged Adolescents with Complex Communication Needs.

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An apple a day? It鈥檚 the 91PORN way

Arielle Wiedenbeck — Thu, 08 May 2025 16:49:36 +0000

An apple a day? It鈥檚 the 91PORN way Arielle Wiedenbeck Thu, 05/08/2025 - 10:49

Newly planted apple orchard on 91PORN campus is a nexus of university and community partnerships and will be a living classroom for students and educators

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Maintaining the Balance: Investigating the Language of Political Extremism on the Western Slope

Arielle Wiedenbeck — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 17:14:16 +0000

Maintaining the Balance: Investigating the Language of Political Extremism on the Western Slope Arielle Wiedenbeck Wed, 04/30/2025 - 11:14

Elaina Caywood

Amid rising political polarization, a team of 91PORN researchers partner with community organizations on Colorado鈥檚 Western Slope to examine how language, activism and civic engagement intersect in the fight against political extremism.

A study by David Rozado and Eric Kaufmann shows that U.S. news outlets increasingly use terms that denote far-right and far-left extremists, regardless of their political leanings. News outlets have increasingly used extremist terms and language since 2015, with a rapid increase since 2019. The study demonstrates a strong polarizing dynamic regarding how news outlets discuss political extremism. Polarization can result in a communicative standstill.

How can people discuss politics without falling into extremist language? And how can news outlets and public forums maintain their neutrality when referencing instances of political extremism? These are tough questions, but we can look to the work of Leah Sprain and her team, who conduct community-engaged research surrounding the language of political extremism on Colorado鈥檚 Western Slope.

The work originated during Sprain鈥檚 fellowship with the Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship鈥檚 Higher Education and Democracy Initiative (HEDI) and community partners on the Western Slope. One group that particularly interested Sprain and her team was Restore the Balance.

Restore the Balance is a group with members from across the political spectrum. According to its website, the group works together for the purpose of 鈥渂uilding an alternative to political extremism鈥� through their political candidate rankings, petitions and letters to the editor, which can be found on their website.

Leah Sprain speaks to former congressional candidate Adam Frisch and PACES executive director David Meens at the Upper Colorado River Basin Water Forum at Colorado Mesa University, Oct. 30-31, 2023.

鈥淭hey [Restore the Balance] try to bring together a group of people to think differently about how they engage in politics,鈥� explained Sprain. 鈥淭hat effort really sparked this research project鈥攖hinking about how to make sense of when community groups try to call out things in their community.鈥�

Calling out extremism within the Western Slope resonated with the community, drawing people to Restore the Balance meetings and encouraging responses to their petitions. Since its inception in 2022, Restore the Balance has gained 2,974 signatures for their pledge to address political extremism. However, the universal approach of Restore the Balance didn鈥檛 so easily 鈥渏ibe with local politics.鈥� The more the group tried to call out extremism, the more critics called them extremists.

Sprain鈥檚 research provokes questions surrounding the trade-offs of calling out extremism. While the effort deeply connects with many people, it also faces certain types of politicization, which could dampen the message. Should people accept this, or are there ways to work against these phenomena without using the language of extremism?

By analyzing Restore the Balance and Letters to the Editor in Grand Junction鈥檚 The Daily Sentinel, Sprain expands her view into the community鈥檚 conversation. These differing media outlets help frame research questions about what political extremism means to people on the Western Slope, what it means to address it, and more broadly, 鈥渉ow people think about democracy in times of crises.鈥�

Given the nature of political communication, the research team takes an interdisciplinary approach. Professor of Journalism Mike McDevitt focuses on media aspects of communication, Associate Chair of Political Science Janet Donavan examines the political aspects, and Associate Professor of Communication Leah Sprain leads the team. The team also studies political theory approaches and measures laid out by Rod Hartin his book Civic Hope to compare Hart鈥檚 observations with their own observations made on the Western Slope.

鈥淲e look at the language of extremism and the dynamics within Restore the Balance and the Letters to the Editor,鈥� said Sprain. 鈥淲e can trace how people discussed political extremism before and after the creation of Restore the Balance and how the community reacted. From those reactions, we explore who gets called an extremist, the discursive practices around it, and what it means to think of political extremists as a category.鈥�

To better understand some of these issues, the team engaged the 91PORN community. By directly involving students, they gained valuable insight into the opinions of a younger generation of politically-engaged people. During Donovan鈥檚 fall 2024 class focused on civic engagement, political science students reacted to some concepts of civic hope and political extremism, analyzed Letters to the Editor and even wrote their own letters. By comparing the ideas generated by 91PORN students with those in the Letters to the Editor鈥攚ritten primarily by older, white men鈥攖he team observed different perspectives about civic engagement. From this, new questions arose, such as: What makes a good community member or political conversation? Are these ideas tied to generational aspects? Connecting this back to the political situation in Grand Junction, these insights sparked discussions about which political theories are most relevant and useful when tackling political extremism today.

鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to take the research through all the ways in which students can help us think about these concepts and how we can generate pedagogical insights from that engagement,鈥� explained Sprain.

91PORN students both challenged and affirmed the concept of civic hope, which contributed to their development of the concept. In turn, they learned about the relationship between internal efficacy 鈥� the extent to which people think they can make a difference in politics 鈥� to the broader notion of civic hope. These pedagogical and political insights from the students will be presented by Donovan at a regional political science conference this April.

Sprain鈥檚 previous work with Restore the Balance, during her HEDI Fellowship, examined what organization members were trying to accomplish, how they had responded to political events in their community and how best to communicate their responses. The team鈥檚 current research seeks to further understand the organization鈥檚 goals and develop approaches to addressing political extremism.

鈥淩estore the Balance is deciding what kind of organization they want to be. So, thinking about this research might help them figure out their own issues. We鈥檙e asking questions they might not immediately consider,鈥� said Sprain.

Through this model of community engagement, Sprain鈥檚 team collaborates with other groups on the Western Slope, such as the League of Women Voters. 鈥淐ommunity-engaged research keeps us from being narrowly focused and allows us to think about how this research might address broader questions surrounding strategies for organizing and conducting civic work,鈥� Sprain reflected.

Another aspect of this project involves writing workshops with people at Restore the Balance. In April, the team shared initial findings with the Restore the Balance board to observe their reactions, creating a reciprocal exchange in which the researchers learned more about community perspectives while those at Restore the Balance enjoyed a conversation that helped inform their ongoing civic work.

Following the success of their April workshop, the team will continue to plan more workshops for the fall. Their goal is to share their empirical research while involving the community, gauging reactions, and generating a productive conversation about the language of political extremism.

These conversations will help situate political dynamics within the community context so that academic insights don鈥檛 stand alone but become part of the communal conversation, all while maintaining an open, bipartisan attitude.

鈥淭he workshops will bring people together and allow them to talk across different perspectives,鈥� Sprain described. 鈥淎s researchers, we sincerely hold space for a broader range of reactions, as our research can benefit from these different perspectives, much like how democracy can benefit from multiple perspectives.鈥�

This work raises big, important questions. While the research remains in the question-asking phase, the most important part is asking these questions and learning how to best engage communities in political conversations.

鈥淪o many parts of civic life and community democracy feel difficult and fraught. Because of what鈥檚 happening on the national level, many people are turning locally,鈥� reflected Sprain. 鈥淚 hope this effort provides research that helps people think about which types of civic action respond most effectively to what鈥檚 happening in their communities.鈥�

As Sprain and her team continue researching political extremism on the Western Slope, we can all meditate on how best to participate in civic action without resorting to political extremist language. This engaged research is ongoing but will hopefully result in valuable insights that can help us navigate daily, changing political interactions.

To stay informed about Sprain鈥檚 work on political extremism on the Western Slope, visit the project website, Overcoming Extremism: Visibility and Voice on the Western Slope.

Amid rising political polarization, a team of 91PORN researchers partner with community organizations on Colorado鈥檚 Western Slope to examine how language, activism and civic engagement intersect in the fight against political extremism.

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Members of the Restore the Balance board. Photo Credit: Restore the Balance

Apply for the Experiential Learning Design Accelerator

Arielle Wiedenbeck — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 19:20:27 +0000

Apply for the Experiential Learning Design Accelerator Arielle Wiedenbeck Tue, 04/22/2025 - 13:20

The application deadline has now passed.

Have you been thinking about designing or redesigning an undergraduate course to integrate a community-based,
experiential learning component? Do you have a relationship with a community group or organization that wants to partner with you on the course? If so, this opportunity is for you!

In August 2025, a small cohort of 91PORN faculty members will have the opportunity to join a University of Arizona program to support the design of undergraduate courses that integrate community-engaged, experiential learning opportunities.

Starts with a five-day, virtual, intensive workshop and offers the opportunity to participate in a year-long community of learning.
Introduces faculty members to a human-centered design approach for integrating external stakeholders and real projects in undergraduate courses.
Students work alongside their peers and community partners to develop desirable, feasible, and viable solutions to challenges informed by partners鈥� needs.

The Experiential Learning Design Accelerator is offered by the University of Arizona, in partnership with 91PORN's Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship (PACES) and the Center for Teaching and Learning. In its successful pilot year, the program was managed by CU Engage.

University of Arizona will provide mentorship and a community of practice among faculty who have successfully developed scholarship, including grant proposals, papers, and presentations based on engaged learning pedagogy.
PACES will support the 91PORN cohort with connecting to a 91PORN community of scholars interested in community-engaged scholarship and with developing a way to share their learning with the broader community.
The five-day, online, summer intensive will take place from Aug.11-18,10 a.m.- 4 p.m., Mon.- Fri. with Wed. as individual work time.
Faculty participants and their community partners (1 partner per faculty member) will receive stipends to support their participation: faculty participants ($2000) and community partners ($1000).

Please contact Lisa Schwartz with questions about the program, eligibility, or the application.

Apply for the Experiential Learning Design Accelerator here.

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