{"id":5514,"date":"2025-04-17T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/?p=5514"},"modified":"2025-04-16T10:40:29","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T18:40:29","slug":"at-titude-is-everything-romeos-path-to-communication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/at-titude-is-everything-romeos-path-to-communication\/","title":{"rendered":"AT-titude is Everything: Romeo\u2019s Path to Communication"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In celebration of AT Awareness Day, we\u2019re sharing real stories in our AT-titude is Everything<\/strong> series that show just how life-changing assistive technology (AT) can be. Finding the right AT solution isn\u2019t always instant, but with a little persistence, creativity, and the right support, independence becomes a lot more achievable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For 5-year-old Romeo, communicating with the world around him<\/strong> was a daily challenge. Diagnosed with Autism and Optic Nerve Atrophy, Romeo struggled to express his thoughts and needs, making social interactions and learning difficult<\/strong>. His dad, Robbie, was determined to find a way for Romeo to communicate more effectively and gain essential skills for his development. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>
\n

Through the support of Jason Rivera,<\/strong> Program Director\/Assistive Technology<\/strong> at Community Resources for Independent Living (CRIL)<\/a>, Romeo was loaned an iPad to explore different Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)<\/a> apps. During this trial period, Romeo participated in online speech therapy and played interactive games<\/strong> that helped improve his fine motor skills. Once they found the right AAC app, Romeo received his own iPad through the Voice Options Program<\/a>, giving him a<\/strong> long-term solution for communication and learning<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"Romeo<\/figure>
\n

The results? Absolutely life-changing!<\/strong> Romeo\u2019s ability to express himself improved significantly<\/strong>, fostering greater independence and confidence. His dad, Robbie, couldn\u2019t have been more grateful for the support and resources<\/strong> that made this possible. He\u2019s excited to continue working with CRIL and see how assistive technology will continue to shape Romeo\u2019s future.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Stories like Romeo\u2019s highlight the importance of access to AT<\/strong> and the power of community support<\/strong>. Thanks to the teamwork between AT Coordinators, Independent Living Centers (ILCs)<\/a>, and programs like Voice Options<\/a>, individuals are gaining the tools they need to communicate, learn, and thrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay tuned for the final blog in our AT-itude is Everything<\/strong> series, where we\u2019ll continue sharing how AT is making a difference every day! And if you haven\u2019t yet, be sure to check out our previous blogs: AT-titude is Everything: Supporting Owen\u2019s Independence<\/a> and AT-titude is Everything: Greg\u2019s Journey to Rolling with Confidence<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we continue to celebrate AT Awareness Day, we are reminded that the right technology, paired with the right support, can open doors to a world of new possibilities.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In celebration of AT Awareness Day, we\u2019re sharing real stories in our AT-titude is Everything series that show just how life-changing assistive technology (AT) can be. Finding the right AT solution isn\u2019t always instant, but with a little persistence, creativity, and the right support, independence becomes a lot more achievable. For 5-year-old Romeo, communicating with…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":5529,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[83,7,19,5,234,45,235,233],"class_list":["post-5514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-success-stories","tag-aac","tag-at-professional","tag-communication","tag-independence","tag-ipad","tag-success-story","tag-support","tag-voice-options"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5514"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5514\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5549,"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5514\/revisions\/5549"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}