Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

We only use strictly necessary cookies for this website. Please see the privacy policy for more information.   

PRC-Saltillo Logo
PRC Logo
Saltillo Logo
Realize Language Logo
ExploreAAC Logo
AAC Language Lab Logo
AAC And Autism Logo
ALP for AAC Logo
Touch Chat App Logo
LAMP Words for Life Logo
Dialogue AAC App
AAC Funding
AAC Learning Journey
AAC Group Coaching
PRC-Saltillo Store
Minspeak Academy
https://auth.prc-saltillo.com/v1/authorize?response_type=code&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Faaclanguagelab.com%2Faccount%2Flogin&client_id=aacll&nonce=c2183c95f36fe4232523cabd9d92f582&state=35dbfc0184bd7a2f76d8c9e742afbd04&scope=openid+profile+email+address+phone+service.read.no_claims+admin Create New Account

Chris Klein


Picture for Chris Klein
  PRC-Saltillo Ambassador

Hello!  My name is Chris Klein.  I am 46 years old, and I have been using augmentative alternative communication (AAC) for forty years now.  I was born with Cerebral Palsy and I am classified as an athetoid, which means my muscles never stop moving!  I can’t use my arms and hands, but I have control of my feet and toes.  This is how I have always accessed my communication devices.  I have been called Mr. Toe since the fourth grade!  I have that on my license plate.

The first device I received was the Handivoice 110 - a word-based system that had 250 core vocabulary words on it.  I was six at the time, and you had to kind of be able to read in order to use the Handivoice 110.  Yet, I was able to use it, and I was talking in complete sentences by the time the weekend was over. 

 I used the Handivoice 110 for twenty years and I had trialed different devices through that time, but nothing grabbed my attention.  In 1999, the device broke and it could no longer be fixed, so I was put on a Dynavox.  It was a very different device, and the vocabulary was organized very differently.  It was confusing for me, so I created my own page, which used spelling and word prediction.  Communication was very slow and I would use short cuts to get my point across. 

I switched to the Pathfinder in 2008 with the Unity vocabulary, and it was a blessing.  I was able to express my complete thoughts again because I had access to the language that I was accustomed to using.  This enhanced my relationships greatly, and led to me getting married in 2011. 

I graduated from Hope College with a BA in Kinesiology.  I have a Masters in Theology.  I speak and teach all over to make a living.  I love watching children see the possibilities when they receive their first communication device.  I love helping families see the potential with a communication device!  My passion is to inspire them to shoot for anything! 

I love sports. I follow every sport and I’ve even coached high school girl's basketball. Fantasy football is my favorite hobby and it gets very competitive between my friends of me.  Actually, any game I play gets competitive because I believe you play a game to win.  I’m known to be sarcastic and a prankster.  I’ve tried to live life to the fullest, which my family taught me to do at a very young age.  I hope that spirit shines through me! 








Leave a message for Chris Klein



Where To

img03

Lesson Plans  

View all lesson plans

img02

Activities  

View all activities

img01

Resources  

View all Resources