As future clinicians and professionals, how can we foster meaningful peer connections in school settings for students experiencing communication exclusion?
The Equity Discussion Group (EDG) invites you to join a virtual conversation, “Advocating Greater Inclusion for Emergent Communicators,” on May 14 at 5:00 PM via Zoom.
We’re excited to welcome our guest speaker, Teresa Bárcenas (she/her/ella), a bilingual speech-language pathologist who supports multimodal communicators in the Life Enrichment Education Program (LEEP) at Clackamas ESD. Over the past 10 years, Teresa has worked with school-age students with moderate to severe communication needs, primarily supporting non-speaking students using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). She completed her graduate studies at Portland State University in the bilingual concentration and recently earned her principal licensure from the University of Oregon. Teresa has also contributed to ASHA’s mentoring programs, supporting fellow SLPs through both the Career Transitions and Leadership Mentorship Programs.
This session will be interactive and case-based. Teresa will briefly share her professional journey before guiding us through real-world case studies and activities. Together, we’ll explore our role in building bridges between student populations and brainstorm practical strategies to promote inclusion and communication access for emergent communicators.
Event Details:

We hope you can join us for this engaging and collaborative discussion!
Warmly,
The EDG Team
Equity Discussion Group
Jessyca Anson (she/her) | jes...@pdx.edu | Administrative Chair
Cassandra Bird (she/her) | cass...@pdx.edu | Treasury Chair
Gabrielle Michel (she/her) | gmi...@pdx.edu | Secretary Chair
As future clinicians and professionals, how can we foster meaningful peer connections in school settings for students experiencing communication exclusion?
The Equity Discussion Group (EDG) invites you to join a virtual conversation, “Advocating Greater Inclusion for Emergent Communicators,” on May 14 at 5:00 PM via Zoom.
We’re excited to welcome our guest speaker, Teresa Bárcenas (she/her/ella), a bilingual speech-language pathologist who supports multimodal communicators in the Life Enrichment Education Program (LEEP) at Clackamas ESD. Over the past 10 years, Teresa has worked with school-age students with moderate to severe communication needs, primarily supporting non-speaking students using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). She completed her graduate studies at Portland State University in the bilingual concentration and recently earned her principal licensure from the University of Oregon. Teresa has also contributed to ASHA’s mentoring programs, supporting fellow SLPs through both the Career Transitions and Leadership Mentorship Programs.
This session will be interactive and case-based. Teresa will briefly share her professional journey before guiding us through real-world case studies and activities. Together, we’ll explore our role in building bridges between student populations and brainstorm practical strategies to promote inclusion and communication access for emergent communicators.
Event Details:
• Link to Register: PSU Connect-Registration Link for 5/14 EDG Event

We hope you can join us for this engaging and collaborative discussion!