This is a list of the students, postdoctoral fellows, staff and faculty who participate in our weekly augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) seminar (i.e., EDPS 664B) and/or are currently funded on an AAC grant or contract. An asterisk (*) indicates those who do not regularly participate in the seminar and/or grant/contract activities.

*Helen Arvidson, IASEP Early Childhood Coordinator, Purdue University (2000 Ph.D., Special Education, Purdue University; 1974 M.Ed., Valparaiso University; 1968 B.A., Speech Pathology, Augustana College). Interests: alternate assessment; assessment and intervention in AAC; neurogenic communication disorders in adults; scanning; test accommodations; vocabulary selection. (helenarvidson@netnitco.net)

*Deborah E. Bennett, Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology, Purdue University; Director of Indiana Assessment System of Educational Proficiencies/ IASEP Project (1986 Ph.D., School Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, Licensed School Psychologist; 1978 M.Ed., Educational Psychology, University of Hawaii; 1976 B.S., Human Development, Cornell University). Interests: assessment of special populations; performance-based assessment; preschool assessment; school psychology optimizing learning environments for students with AD/HD. (bennett@purdue.edu)

Maria Alexandra Da Fonte, doctoral student in Special Education (2001 M.S., Special Education, Purdue University; 1998 specialization in Special Education and integrated rehabilitation, Universidad Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho; 1993 Speech-Language Pathology degree, Venezuelan Institute for Hearing and Language). Interests: AAC assessment and intervention; communication disorders; early intervention; severe disabilities. (mdafonte@purdue.edu)

Krista Davidson, doctoral student in Special Education (2004 M.S., Speech-Language Pathology, Purdue University; Clinical Fellow-SLP; 2001 B.S., Psychology, Bradley University). Interests: assistive technology; AAC and language acquisition; AAC system layout and design; semantic organization; severe/multiple disabilities; test accommodations. (khildebr@purdue.edu)

Mick Isaacson, doctoral student in Special Education (1997 M.S., Special Education, Purdue University; 1985 M.S., Experimental Psychology, Villanova University). Interests: associative symbol/referent memory; methods for improving symbol/referent memory; symbol characteristics and memory performance. (isaacsom@purdue.edu)

Lyle L. Lloyd, Professor of Special Education, Professor of Audiology & Speech Sciences (1965 Ph.D., Audiology and Speech Pathology, University of Iowa; 1959 M.A., Hearing and Speech Disorders, University of Illinois; 1956 B.S., Speech Pathology, Eastern Illinois University; CCC-Audiology and CCC-Speech Language Pathology). Interests: AAC; early assessment and intervention; graphic symbols; literacy; mental retardation and developmental disabilities; multicultural issues; taxonomy, theory and models; test accommodations. (lloydaac@purdue.edu)

Samuel N. Mathew, doctoral student in Special Education (1980 M.Tech., Control and Instrumentation, Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, India; 1978 B.Sc.Eng., Electrical Engineering, University of Kerala, India). Interests: AAC; assistive technology applications; evidence-based practice; multi-cultural issues; test accommodations. (snm@purdue.edu)

Candice Q. McCarty, doctoral student in Special Education (2003 B.S., Speech-Language Pathology/ Audiology, Xavier University of Louisiana). Interests: assessment; assistive technology; multicultural issues; severe/multiple disabilities; test accommodations; transition. (cqmccart@purdue.edu)

*Gwendolyn S. “Penny” Pennington, Speech-Language Pathologist, Indiana Veterans Home, West Lafayette, IN (1989 Ph.D., Special Education, Purdue University; 1977 M.A., Communication Disorders, University of South Dakota; 1968 B.A., History, University of South Dakota; CCC-Speech Language Pathology). Interests: adult communication impairments; Alzheimer's Disease; early cognitive, social, and communicative development; intervention; mental retardation and developmental disabilities. (gwen.pennington@verizon.net)

Lisa Pufpaff (previous AAC trainee), doctoral candidate in Special Education (1995 M.S., Special Education, Purdue University; 1987 B.S. Ed., Special Education, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI). Interests: AAC; emergent literacy; personnel preparation; phonological awareness; positioning; severe/multiple disabilities; switch placement. (lpufpaff@purdue.edu)

*Raymond W. Quist (previous AAC post-doctoral fellow), Professor & Chair Emeritus of Communication Disorders and Special Education, Indiana State University, School of Education, Terre Haute, IN (1971 Ph.D., Speech and Language Pathology, University of Minnesota; 1966 M.A., Speech Pathology & Audiology, University of Minnesota; 1957 B.A., Psychology and Speech, Hamline University; CCC-Speech Language Pathology). Interests: assistive technology; computer technology; graphic symbols; speech synthesis; special education law; voice and stuttering. (cdquist@earthlink.net)

Tarik Saadi, doctoral student in Special Education (2000 M.S., Augmentative and Alternative Communication, University of Arts and Human Sciences, Mohammedia-Morocco; 1998 B.A., Linguistics, Sociolinguistics and Discourse Analysis, University of Arts and Human Sciences, Casablanca-Morocco). Interests: AAC intervention for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); assistive technology and severe disabilities; evidence-based interventions in assistive technology; linguistics characteristics of AAC devices and overlays. (tsaadi@purdue.edu)

Oliver Wendt, doctoral student in Special Education (2000 M.S., Special Education, University of Cologne-Germany; 1998 M.A., Special Education, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; 1996 bachelor's equivalent degree in Education and Psychology, University of Cologne-Germany). Interests: AAC interventions for autism; communication and language development in individuals with severe and profound disabilities; efficacy of AAC and assistive technology; evidence-based practice in special education and speech-language pathology; symbol acquisition in AAC users. (olli@purdue.edu)

Last update: March 2, 2005