Celebrating our winners
The AAC Awards 2023 were announced on 24 March 2023 at the University of Leeds
The Jamie Munro Award
An award for an inspiring individual, whose work has had impact across the entire field of AAC. This award is in memory of Jamie Munro, who inspired all he worked with during his career as an AAC supplier and developer.
Joint winners
- Bernie Brophy-Arnott – Bernie is an inspirational researcher, therapist, educator and colleague who has dedicated her 42-year career to the area of AAC.
- Catherine Harris – Cathy has been pivotal in the development of the Communication Access Project, an initiative which supports inclusive communication for all.
Highly commended
Jane Odom
The Alan Martin Award
An award presented to a person who uses AAC who has made a significant contribution to the arts. This award is dedicated to the memory of Alan Martin, who championed the arts and creative inclusion through his work as a dancer, musician and comedian.
Winner
Oli Cunningham – Oli is a successful DJ with a regular slot at a local radio station. He is also a 1Voice role model and supports other young AAC users.
The AAC Innovation Award
An award given to a particular product, resource or supplier that has demonstrated “outside the box” thinking.
Winner
- Liopa LLC – Liopa is the first company to release commercially available Visual Speech Recognition technology. A simple lipreading app that brings a voice to the voiceless.
Highly commended
Kate McCallum
The Rising Star Award
A newcomer to the world of AAC who has made particular impact over the past year.
Winner
Jill Clark – Jill is a campaigner and influencer. An advocate for @ChangingPlaceUK and working with @bbcthesocial she shares her lived experiences on everything from communication to accessibility.
Highly commended
Lucy Beck
Setting of the Year Award
An award for a setting or context that has promoted AAC in a particularly creative or inclusive way.
Winner
Pendle View School – AAC is embedded in all school activity and the team are passionate about sharing knowledge with the wider community.
Research Award
An award given to a researcher, a published paper or project which has furthered the evidence base around AAC.
Winner
Stephen von Tetzchner – It is hard to imagine that there is anyone working in AAC who has not been influenced by Stephen’s research, either through direct contact with him at a conference or as part of one of his projects or through reading one of his books or journal articles.
Highly commended
Alyssa Hillary Zisk and Lily Konyn
Outstanding Community Inclusion Award
An award for a person or community who has shown exceptional awareness and support for AAC users and their needs.
Winner
Toby Hewson – Toby is an inspiration and role model. He offers his time, enthusiasm and knowledge in many ways to individuals and organisations.
Highly commended
Rachel Moore
The Anthony Hewson Make a Difference Award
Awarded to someone who has made a difference - a parent, carer, teacher, TA or therapist who has supported an AAC user; a Trustee who has made a difference at CM... the possibilities are endless.
This award is in memory of a supporter who made a difference in so many ways.
Winner
Joanna Holmes – Joanna uses her unique position as mum to an AAC user and her career in SLT to raise AAC awareness and challenge inequalities in service provision.
Highly commended
Tamsin Crothers
The Samantha Hunnisett Access Award
An award for an individual or team, whose innovative work has broken down barriers to access assessment or the use of AAC or Electronic Assistive Technology (EAT).
This award is in memory of Samantha Hunnisett, who was passionate about ensuring an equity of opportunity in accessing EAT.
Winner
Chat Service Team – CHAT was setup in 2020 to support the provision of the Scottish AAC legislation in @NHSGGC. They work alongside local SLTs to guide AAC implementation.
Highly commended
AlfaSAAC
CM Special Recognition Award
Winner
Anthony Lowe – For his invaluable contribution and support of Communication Matters.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner
Tony Jones – In his expansive career Tony has supported AAC users and enabled the development of many professionals through his creative training events and learning resources.