MontCOMM '25: Breaking Barriers and Honoring Authentic Voice

“The goal is not to create an echo, but to hear an authentic voice.” — Rachael Langley, MA, CCC-SLP

MontCOMM ’25 is all about supporting real voices. We’re diving into thoughtful prompts, language autonomy, purposeful goals, authentic communication, and the resources that will get us there.

This year’s headliner? Fantastic Rachael Langley! Her sessions are based on your questions and feedback—packed with content you can use right away. Whether you're an SLP, OT, educator, direct support pro, or family member, you’ll walk away with tools and stratgies that work.

Costs have risen for everyone, but MontCOMM tickets remain the same low price: $50 (no CEUs) or $100 (with CEUs). Low cost, high impact!

Join us in person or online. Remember, Zoom is cool but the room rules! In-person perks include facetime with our speaker and vendors, free merch, prizes, and the opportunity for hands-on with MonTECH's AAC and education supports. Not to mention, a night in fabulous downtown Missoula, MT!

Get tickets now—because #CommunicationIsAHumanRight

MontCOMM Learning Objectives:

MontCOMM participants will:

• Identify three potential starting points for new AAC teams, describe solutions to overcome common barriers to quality implementation, and create a timeline of steps toward one larger communication goal.
• Identify three ways to measure student engagement without relying on accuracy, list two examples of “conditions of learning," and create goals that embed student learning needs using provided materials, templates, and collaboration.
• Differentiate between two interpretations of 'modeling' in AAC instruction, demonstrate non-invasive strategies that allow language demonstration and autonomy, and explore both student and educator roles with, and without, prompting.
• Describe the three tiers of 'Stepping into AAC' support materials and explain how to implement these resources to support families, school teams, and community groups.

Registration and CEUs

$50.00 to attend remotely or in person in Missoula - no CEUs
$100.00 to attend remotely or in person in Missoula - with CEUs

This course is offered for 6 renewal units for OPI and 6 contact hours for MOTA; this course is offered for 0.6 ASHA CEUs.

Full-day attendance and completion of the post-conference evaluation required to earn OPI and MOTA credits.

In order to be reported to the ASHA CE Registry, attendees must attend the entire conference (online or in person), complete the post-conference evaluation, and complete the learner self-assessment survey.

New this year! A special morning meeting just for parents and guardians—learn about AAC options, team roles, and communication-partner strategies. Then stick around for MontCOMM’s afternoon sessions to connect with Rachael, other SLPs, and our vendors!

Tickets for our Family Track are $40 per family, in person in Missoula, no CEUs. If a family member needs CEUs, they must attend all regular MontCOMM sessions.

Our Speaker:

With twenty years of experience in public schools, Rachael Langley (MA, CCC-SLP) is an educator and advocate for supporting students with complex communication needs within inclusive school settings. Rachael works for AssistiveWare as an independent contractor, focusing on school implementation and product development, and keeps one foot in clinical practice in Michigan. Rachael is also a founder and executive director of #TalkingAAC, a nonprofit providing high-quality learning around topics related to AAC.

Rachael’s presentations often address barriers to successfully implementing AAC, the role of prompting and need for prompt awareness, and supporting meaningful communication.

The goal? Authentic communication. And it IS in our reach. Save August 15th to learn how with Rachael.

Current Scholarship Opportunities

OPI scholarships, courtesy of Katie Mattingley and the Montana Autism Education Project, are closed as of July 1st. Congratulations to the 48 scholarship recipients!

Courtesy of Jennifer Banna (Montana Family to Family Health Information Center), scholarships for free MontCOMM ticekts are available for Montana families/caregivers/guardians, and educators and therapists who are not affiliated with public schools. August 1st deadline so apply now!

CSHS/Montana Transition Resources Project scholarships, courtesy of Kim Brown, are closed as of July 30th. Congratulations to the six scholarship recipients!

Hotel Room Block

Hotel room block available at the Holiday Inn Missoula Downtown, in the heart of Missoula's vibrant and eclectic, riverside city center and just blocks from MontCOMM on the UM campus. A room rate of $195 + tax is available for the nights of August 14th and 15th. Book your room ASAP - they'll go fast! Other nearby hotels are listed below in 'Frequently Asked Questions.'

Disclosures

Financial:

Rachael Langley, MA, CCC-SLP is an independent contractor working for AssistiveWare. While the content of MontCOMM does not directly apply to her work with AssistiveWare, this relationship may have an impact on her experience and perspective as an AAC professional.

Nonfinancial:

Rachael Langley, MA, CCC-SLP is on the Board of Directors for #TalkingAAC, Inc., a non-profit organization providing professional learning in the form of the annual #TalkingAAC conference.