Virginia Mercury

When Toby and Lindsay Latham sent their son Calvin to school in Fairfax County, they hoped it would be a place where he could grow and thrive. Instead, they discovered he wasn’t learning at all. “It was terrible,” Toby Latham said. Calvin, who uses an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device due to a brain malformation, wasn’t getting the support he needed. Frustrated by years of unmet needs for students with communication disabilities across the commonwealth, the Lathams decided to take action. Their advocacy led them to Del. Kathy Tran, D-Fairfax, who introduced House Bill 2214 earlier this month to ensure educators receive proper training on AAC for students with communication disabilities.