Huan Vuong started advocating for communication and education rights for himself and other nonspeaking individuals as soon as he got on the letterboards. This was his second year presenting at the TASH conference. Due to Huan’s strong advocacy, his school system has recently responded to his requests to meet his communication needs and will provide him with a trained partner so that he can meaningfully participate in general education classes! He will also begin taking classes at a local community college! Huan is the embodiment of determination and self advocacy. Â Enjoy his TASH Talk. ~Elizabeth & HuanÂ
Hello everyone. My name is Huan Vuong and I am happy to talk to you today. Perhaps you notice that I spell instead of speak.
This is the best way for me to communicate. My speech is limited and unreliable. But I can communicate very reliably when I type and spell. Learning to communicate this way changed my life. I finally had a way to express my thoughts. You would think that this new expression would open new educational doors for me. I did too.
The problem is that I have to have a communication partner who knows how to coach my body when I get stuck or too stimmy. I am still autistic even though I can communicate. This means I have motor and sensory issues. My school has been resistant to the idea of my need for support. This has been incredibly frustrating to me.
For the past three years, I have been fighting for my right to be included in general education classes. Completing high school with a real degree seems to be an impossible task. You might think that would be easy, but you would be wrong. This should be a no brainer. Â I am a smart guy, I can learn, I want to learn but I need a trained communication partner.
This is why I am here today. TASH is devoted to supporting people with disabilities. Communication is no longer my disability. Motor and sensory will continue to challenge me. But right now the disability I face is access. This is not acceptable to me. I request your help to open access to education, to opportunity and to real inclusion into the neurotypical world by supporting communication rights for all nonspeakers.
Thank you for listening. Now I need to ask you for a favor, I need your voice. I need you to speak up and advocate for me and my friends. Don’t worry we will tell you what to say. Say that we are smart. Say that we want to learn. Say that education is for all. Say that communication is a human right. Thank you. —
