Camp Connect: AAC in Action - Where Nature, Friendship, and Communication Meet

Communication is at the heart of everything we do. Teens and young adults who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) often face deep social isolation. Camp Connect creates a safe, accessible space to build friendships, confidence, and communication skills while strengthening support networks. 

This project is an extension of AAC Camp Alberta, an annual weekend family camp for 6 to 19 year olds with complex communication needs who use AAC. Since 2016, AAC Camp Alberta has had a tremendous positive impact on young AAC communicators and their families. However, many of the children who attended AAC Camp Alberta have now aged out, and there is a clear desire for a program that addresses the unique needs of older teens and young adults, as they transition out of school and lose critical supports for communication and socialization. 

Camp Connect: AAC in Action, to be held at William Watson Lodge in Fall 2026, will welcome 20-24 campers between 15 and 25 years of age who use AAC. Many of these young people experience isolation, struggle to connect socially, and rarely have opportunities to spend time with peers who communicate like they do. This retreat changes that. It is a safe, inclusive space where they build friendships, express themselves fully, and thrive. Each AAC communicator will attend with 1 or 2 support persons (parents and/or caregivers). 

Over one weekend, campers participate in activities designed for connection—team games, nature hikes, creative projects, and peer mentorship. Input from peer mentors in the planning phase centres the voices of the people the camp is for and ensures that activities are motivating. Support persons learn alongside campers, gaining hands-on training to better facilitate AAC use in everyday life. Graduate students in the University of Alberta’s speech-language pathology (SLP), occupational therapy (OT), and physical therapy (PT) programs, supported by experienced volunteer community professionals, serve as counselors and activity leaders, gaining intensive hands-on interprofessional experience with AAC. 

Key Elements of Success:

• A Safe Space: William Watson Lodge offers accessible facilities in a natural setting, where campers can relax and belong.
• Self-Determination: Campers choose activities, set personal goals, and take ownership of their communication journey.
• Respect & Inclusion: All ways of communicating are valued. Every person is welcomed with dignity.

Camp Connect will directly benefit three groups of individuals:

1. Teens and young adults who use AAC

Prior to attending a specialized AAC camp, teens and young adults who use AAC may have never met anyone who talks like them. This is profoundly isolating. In the camp context, participants will often noteably increase the variety of messages they share, topics they engage in, and get to see how their peers use their communication systems. 

Participants develop friendships, self-advocacy skills and self-confidence in this welcoming and accessible context.

Campers include 20-24 AAC communicators between 15 and 25 years of age, with a wide range of disabilities including autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, etc. They use robust multimodal communication systems including electronic or nonelectronic communication devices with varying levels of proficiency.  Although the inaugural Camp Connect is being held in southern Alberta, campers from across the province are welcome to participate.

2. Parents and caregivers

Parents and caregivers attending will benefit through facilitated hands-on participation, learning strategies to better support their child’s communication at home, in school, and in the community. This strengthens not only the AAC user’s independence but also the family’s ability to nurture long-term growth.The critical piece will be that family members and caregivers will gain increased confidence and competence with AAC, which will allow them to establish stronger connections with the AAC communicator.

3. Counselors, mentors, and volunteers

Graduate students volunteering at Camp Connect will enhance their hands-on abilities in modelling and encouraging the use of AAC tools and strategies as well as planning for and supporting the active participation of campers with a variety of physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities. Volunteer professionals in SLP, OT, and PT will strengthen their mentorship and clinical education skills, and gain valuable insight into current needs and challenges being faced by attendees and support persons that might not be appreciated in the typical clinical setting. Peer mentors (young adults who already use AAC successfully) will benefit in terms of developing leadership skills, planning or directing activities, and advocating for the perspectives of AAC users as they guide and inspire others.