Ace Centre

18/08/2026

What a moving and insightful piece on BBC Breakfast yesterday about one of the young people we have helped to support over the years!

Patrick is a 16 year old student, having just completed his GCSE exams. He has cerebral palsy and uses AAC and assistive technology to communicate and access his education. Over the years, Ace Centre has worked alongside the professionals supporting him, providing specialist advice, assessment, guidance and signposting around AAC and access to technology.

His story is a brilliant reminder that technology alone isn’t the solution. The expertise around the technology matters just as much!

It has been fantastic to see how AAC and AT have supported him to access his GCSEs and hopefully this story encourages more educators to seek specialist advice early and to recognise the possibilities that can open up when the right people are around the table.

Well done Patrick and good luck with your results! 🤞

Read more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8xd7g47nno

https://www.instagram.com/reels/DcIWhVkCAWo/

Patrick spent five months filling out his GCSE exam papers using eye-tracking technology.

14/08/2026

We are delighted to share that our very own Katherine Small has been shortlisted for a Chief Allied Health Professions Officer (CAHPO) Award in recognition of her leadership in Equality, Diversity & Inclusion! 🎖️

Katherine's nomination recognised her outstanding leadership in advancing equitable and accessible Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) services for multilingual individuals. Through her work, she has helped to lead transformational initiatives to address longstanding inequalities experienced by people who use AAC in languages other than English.

The impact of this work has been far-reaching, improving equity of access, patient experience and outcomes for multilingual AAC users, while influencing practice across the wider sector. We are incredibly proud to see her contributions recognised at a national level!

Congratulations Katherine, and best of luck for October! 🎉

12/08/2026

Support your learner's literacy skills development with our Supporting Literacy With AAC Course, starting this September!

Are you a teacher or education based professional, needing to support learners with complex communication and learning needs?

Needing to get to grips with additional SEND provisions and not sure where to start?

Supporting Literacy With AAC is a 2-Day Developing Level course designed to help build skills and knowledge around literacy development for Augmentative & Alternative Communication individuals. This course will look at identifying skills, potential barriers, legislative requirements and resources available.

Find out more and book your place here: https://buff.ly/hUAWWfm

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10/08/2026

The summer holidays are a perfect time to build communication opportunities into everyday activities! ☀️

If you're new to AAC, our free Getting Started with Modelling guide introduces one of the most important skills you can learn: modelling. By pointing to symbols as you talk, you help your child learn what symbols mean and how they can be used to communicate. Download now: https://acecentre.org.uk/resources/modelling

Looking for more support? Our free online Communication Partners training offers practical advice, strategies and resources to help you feel more confident supporting your child's AAC journey. Start today: https://acecentre.arlo.co/w/events/9-communication-partners-free-resources

Start with the guide, do the training, and see where your AAC journey takes you this summer!

06/08/2026

Play can look different for individuals with complex communication and physical needs, that's why we came up with Using AAC To Play, a webinar on learning how to adapt play activities to make them more inclusive and accessible!

This free session will discuss the benefits of play, different activities that can be engaged with and the importance of combining this with Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC).

Register for your place on our free webinar here: https://buff.ly/YAh2Ano

If you'd like to take the next step, our 2-day course follows up on the concepts introduced and goes into greater detail on the challenges of bringing AAC into a play environment, as well as some of the resources available to support you, perfect for professionals and families alike.

Find out more and register your place here: https://buff.ly/ctLLrOk

31/07/2026

Support your learner's literacy skills development with our Supporting Literacy With AAC Course, starting this September!

Are you a teacher or education based professional, needing to support learners with complex communication and learning needs?

Needing to get to grips with additional SEND provisions and not sure where to start?

Supporting Literacy With AAC is a 2-Day Developing Level course designed to help build skills and knowledge around literacy development for Augmentative & Alternative Communication individuals. This course will look at identifying skills, potential barriers, legislative requirements and resources available.

Find out more and book your place here: https://buff.ly/hUAWWfm

30/07/2026

APPLICATIONS CLOSE NEXT WEEK!

We're supporting the AT Scholar programme!

A scholarship aimed at giving UK-based professionals working with Assistive Technology opportunities to share best practice, knowledge and experience on an international level. This includes funding attendance at ATiA2027, the Assistive Technology Industry Association’s conference held in Orlando, Florida 22 - 24 January 2027. This world leading conference has been the gathering place for the ATech community for over 25 years.

To learn more about the program, read about this year and previous AT Scholars’ experience, and to apply visit: https://bit.ly/ATScholar27

The deadline for applications is midnight 4th August 2026.

21/07/2026

We’re supporting the AT Scholar Programme!

This fully funded opportunity enables UK professionals in ATech and AAC to attend the ATIA Conference (January 2027, Orlando)—a leading global event in assistive technology.

Apply by 4th August 2026 here: https://bit.ly/ATScholar27

16/07/2026

Last week, Ace Centre were pleased to be the official charity partners of the Thames Valley Tech & Innovation Awards 2026, an event showcasing the best breakthroughs and developments across a range of companies in the region, covering areas such as life sciences and assistive technology.

It was particularly exciting to see Special Effect, another charity providing gaming support to physically disabled people, pick up an award for their work.

Our thanks to the organisers of the event for inviting us and raising funds on our behalf to support our charitable services and awareness raising for Augmentative and Alternative Communication and Assistive Technology!