Bringing a Novel to Life

Bunker Hill Middle School Students Learning about Alternative and Augmentative Communication Devices Through First Novel, Guest Speakers

 

For Immediate Release
December 19, 2025

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP - On Tuesday, December 16, 2025, sixth-grade students at Bunker Hill Middle School  participated in an activity day following the completion of their first novel, Out of My Mind. The novel is about a girl who is living with cerebral palsy and is unable to talk, until she gets an Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) device. An AAC device is any tool that helps individuals with speech-language impairments communicate as a primary or supplemental method of communication. As the main character in the novel begins using her AAC device to communicate with the world around her, her family and friends learn she has a lot to say! 

The sixth-grade students watched the Out of My Mind movie during the first half of the day. After lunch, the students had two guest speakers living with cerebral palsy. The first guest speaker, Jason, participated in a question-and-answer session with the students via videochat. Jason communicates using an Eye-gaze AAC device – a hands-free communication method using eye-tracking technology for people with severe physical disabilities, allowing them to control a device just by looking at it. Jason shared his screen as he answered questions, so students could watch as Jason used his eyes to select letters, numbers, and symbols to put together sentences and answer questions. Marissa Mullin, a former WTPS student, also came in and spoke to the students about her experiences living with cerebral palsy. She talked about her time in school and navigating life post-graduation.

The students then participated in some fun follow-up activities, including a “Whiz Kids” trivia game inspired by the novel. BHMS speech-language specialist Laura Walsh also collaborated with Sara Sterling from PRC Sailitio, an AAC company, to bring in AAC devices for the sixth-grade students to try. Students had the opportunity to experiment with a variety of AAC devices, including devices that use eye-gaze similar to Jason.

“It is so important for the students and staff to become familiar with AAC, as it becomes a more popular way for students with speech-language impairments to communicate,” Walsh said. “There are students all throughout our district who use AAC devices to communicate. By exposing our students to AAC devices, they will hopefully feel more comfortable starting a conversation with students that communicate differently.”

- WTPS -