Building Wings

A sheet of practice writing paper with blue dotted lines and red baselines, displaying the handwritten sentence "We both match each other." A yellow pencil with a pink eraser lies diagonally on the right side of the paper on a wooden surface.

Emergent writers become writers the moment they use print to share meaning—not when letters look “perfect.” ✏️

Conventional features (recognizable letters, spacing, directionality) matter, but every writer starts with approximations and brave risks

AAC Literacy Instruction Supports for SLPs and Teachers Free webinar on AAC literacy instruction featuring research-based strategies and accessible technology to support reading, communication, and independence.

📣 LIVE Webinar|Building Wings x Smartbox

📚 AAC Literacy Instruction: Boosting Access, Engagement & Independent Learning
Feb 18 | 2–3 PM CST

Join Chris Gibbons, PhD + Maureen Donnelly, M.Ed. to explore research-based AAC literacy strategies + Monarch Reader tools.
https://bit.ly/4q7e5Le

Ready to delve deeper into this? Join us on Thursday for
Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction in Action

Learn how SoR + CLFAwork together to support ALL learners, including students with complex communication needs.

🎤 Trisha Johnson + Maureen Donnelly, M.Ed. Feb. 12 at 12 PM CST
bit.ly/3LGSQBL

📚 Discover Monarch Reader — free, accessible books for every learner.

Easily search by reading level, support students with built-in accessibility tools, and even publish your own books as an author.

Accessible reading made simple. ✨

#AccessibleBooks #TextToSpeech #LiteracyTools #EdTech

A quote on a blue background reads: "It is not our job to make students do anything. It is our job to make them want to." by Dr. Karen Erickson. The phrase "make them want to" is in a cursive style.

CLFA reminds us: engagement grows when learning feels personal + belonging is real.

Our solutions grounded in the research of CLFA helps you create classrooms where every learner gets meaningful reading + writing that fits who they are.

Follow for subtle shifts that drive big literacy wins.

A design featuring "News Currents" articles by Building Wings. It showcases three article topics: the Winter Olympics alongside images of athletes, twin gorillas with a photo of the animals, and a plan to end animal testing with images of a white rat and a monkey. The layout includes a computer screen and tablet mockups against a teal and yellow background.

Fresh stories from News Currents 🌍

❄️ The 2026 Winter Olympics begin
🧪 A plan to end animal testing
🦍 Twin gorillas born in the wild—an incredible conservation moment

News with context, not overload.

https://bit.ly/4i4Lena

Floor plan for ATiA 2026 in Orlando, FL, showing booth locations. Booth 906 is highlighted with blue footprints leading from the entrance. "Soar on over to booth 906!" is written on the left, with "Building Wings" logo below.

🎉 We’re LIVE at #ATIA2026! Come find us at Booth 906!

If you’ll be in Orlando Jan 29–31, soar on over to:
✨ Chat with our team
🤝 Connect with fellow educators and providers
🔎 Explore tools and ideas that support every learner

#AssistiveTechnology #AAC #EdTech #SLP #ATspecialists #Educators

Graphic announcing "On Our Way to ATIA '26!" with a flight path from Volo, IL to Orlando, FL. Two inset photos: a tall building and two smiling people. Text mentions Building Wings' booth 906 and event dates, January 29-31.

✈️ En route to #ATIA2026! Catch Building Wings at Booth 906 in Orlando.
📅 Jan 29–31
Come say hi + talk AAC, assistive tech, accessibility, and practical implementation.
#AssistiveTechnology #AAC #Accessibility

🆕 Fresh stories just dropped in News Currents!
✨ Mattel unveils a new Barbie designed with autism advocates
🦤 A fugitive emu gets arrested in Florida (yes, really)
🌕 NASA’s Artemis II spacecraft gears up for launch

Dive into the latest: https://bit.ly/4i4Lena

#NewsCurrents #Barbie #ArtemisII

A webinar promotional image features a smiling woman with light hair in a circular frame. The text reads "Building Wings Webinars" with the topic "Admin Walk-Throughs: How to Make Them Meaningful, Research-Aligned, and Actionable." The speaker is identified as Sarah Starr, M.Ed.

Administrator walkthroughs can be anxiety-inducing—for educators, admin, and learners. 😬
But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Want a structure that’s meaningful, research-aligned, and actionable? Join us live next week:
Jan. 28 | 12:00–1:00pm CST

Register now! https://bit.ly/4akUJhw

A child and an adult are sitting on a carpeted floor. The child, in a black and white shirt, is holding a tablet, while the adult, in a striped sweater, shows a printed page with images and text. They appear to be engaged in an educational activity, possibly reading or solving a task together.A child and an adult are sitting on a carpeted floor. The child, in a black and white shirt, is holding a tablet, while the adult, in a striped sweater, shows a printed page with images and text. They appear to be engaged in an educational activity, possibly reading or solving a task together.

One of the biggest takeaways from Comprehensive Literacy for All is that access comes first. Sometimes that means changing the setting.

That’s not lowering the bar. That’s removing the barriers so every learner can reach it.

#AccessBeforeRigor #MeetingLearnersWhereTheyAre

Alt text: ATiA 2026 promotional graphic for a session titled "From Impossible to Possible: Making Literacy a Reality for Every Learner," scheduled for Thursday, January 29, at 1 PM EST in Grand Ballroom 1/2. Features headshots of two speakers: Maureen Donnelly, M. Ed., and Trisha Johnson, both associated with Building Wings.

We're headed to #ATIA2026! 🎉
Catch Trisha Johnson + Maureen Donnelly, M.Ed : From Impossible to Possible: Making Literacy a Reality for Every Learner (Thu Jan 29, 1 PM EST).
Science of Reading + Comprehensive Literacy for All—because literacy is for everyone.
#LiteracyForAll #AssistiveTechnology

How can the science of reading truly serve learners with intellectual & developmental disabilities?

Join Dr. Karen Erickson, PhD to explore how Readtopia connects reading research with inclusive, comprehensive literacy instruction.

👉 Register here: https://bit.ly/3N2DeZL

✨ New on News Currents! ✨
Explore MLK Jr. Day, burrowing owls 🦉, and protected lands in New Mexico 🏜️.
Fresh stories to spark curiosity—dive in! https://bit.ly/4i4Lena

#NewsCurrents #BuildingWings #LearnSomethingNew

How to Provide Specially Designed Instruction for All Examples of how to provide specially designed instruction in K-12 self-contained classrooms and learning spaces to meet a wide range of student needs.

What does specially designed instruction really look like in classrooms?

It’s not just differentiation. It looks like co-teaching, AAC, and intentional classroom design.

Read the full Building Wings blog: https://bit.ly/4jfyoUY

#SpeciallyDesignedInstruction #SpecialEducation #IEP #BuildingWings

🎙️ Maureen Donnelly, Director of Curriculum, joined All Means ALL Podcast to challenge myths about literacy instruction—grounded in Comprehensive Literacy for All.

Literacy isn’t an intervention. It’s a right.

🎧 Listen: https://bit.ly/3MY9aOV

#ComprehensiveLiteracyForAll #AAC #BuildingWings

Alt text: A promotional graphic for News Currents by Building Wings, featuring a computer and two tablets displaying different articles. The computer shows "The Future of the Affordable Care Act" with a politician and a hospital scene. One tablet shows an article titled "Celebrating George Washington Carver" with a black-and-white photo of Carver. The other tablet displays "Scientists Help Return an 'Extinct' Antelope to the Sahara" with an image of two scimitar-horned oryx. The background includes text: "NEW" and "Article Topics: The Future of the Affordable Care Act, George Washington Carver, Repopulating the Sahara."

❄️📚 Back into the swing of things!

As students & educators return from winter break, this week’s News Currents features timely stories on the future of the Affordable Care Act, George Washington Carver, and repopulating the Sahara.

#NewsCurrents #Education #CurrentEvents #BuildingWings

A young child points to a large screen displaying colorful text about favorite foods, with the assistance of an adult. Another person seated nearby observes. Bright sunflowers decorate the corner of the board, and classroom storage units are labeled with items like "Head Phones" and "Scissors." A tablet with a keyboard grid is visible on the desk.

There’s nothing like the joy of predictable chart writing ✍️💙

❄️ Starting to think about the first few days of 2026...
What do you plan on writing with your learners when we get back?
#PredictableChartWriting #SpecialEducation #AutismEducation #AAC #EduSKY #WinterBreakPlanning

Blue promotional graphic featuring a gold ribbon labeled "2025 Most Watched" and a badge saying "Available On-Demand." Below, text reads "Letter By Letter: AAC Adventures In Writing" with a photo of a smiling individual in a circular frame. Their name and credentials are listed as "Paige Buckingham, M.S., CCC/SLP, Speech Language Pathologist." The graphic includes yellow and blue accents and the "Building Wings" logo at the bottom.

✨ 2025, you taught us a lot. ✨
And one lesson stood out loud and clear:

🔤 Access comes before ability.

Our most-watched webinar of 2025 was
✏️ Letter by Letter: AAC Adventures in Writing
with Paige Buckingham, MS, CCC-SLP

🎉 Missed it? Rewatch anytime: https://bit.ly/3OYBePI

A wooden sign reads "Closed for the Holidays! We will return on January 5, 2026." It features the "Building Wings" logo. The background shows a snowy landscape with pine trees and a sky filled with snowflakes.

Snow days > work days ❄️☕
We’re on holiday break and back Jan 5, 2026—refreshed and ready to cheer on educators everywhere 📚✨

#EducationCommunity #BuildingWings

📚 New to Readtopia or ReadtopiaGO?
Bringing new literacy tools into your classroom is exciting—and support makes all the difference. Our instructional coaching helps you build confidence and get the most out of every lesson.

👉 Read more: https://bit.ly/48Fzu5r

#EduSKY #AllMeansALL #Teachers

A blue background features white and yellow text that reads "Building Wings LITERACY Instruction Resource Center." On the left, a pattern of circular dots forms a large arrow shape pointing to the text.

🚀 THE Resource for Literacy Leaders & Educators!

Looking to strengthen your approach to comprehensive literacy instruction for all learners?

Find your tools here: https://bit.ly/3EKYqiI

#LiteracyInstruction #EducationForAll #SpecialEducation #EducatorResources #Readtopia #LiteracyMatters

Literacy changes everything—unlocking independence, connection, and possibility.

For 40+ years we’ve believed every learner can grow with the right tools and support. Thanks to educators who make it real every day. Help your learners take flight: https://bit.ly/4b83mtX

#LiteracyForAll #EduSKY

Image promoting articles by News Currents, featuring a large straw goat in Sweden, an indigenous man playing a mobile game in a desert landscape, and a beaver sitting on the ground. Article topics include the Gävle Goat, language preservation, and beavers' ecological benefits. The design includes vibrant blue and yellow colors with "NEW" in a circular icon.

This week in #NewsCurrents

🧡 The Gävle Goat is unveiled in Sweden
🎮 A new mobile game helps preserve a dying Indigenous language
🦫🌼 Study shows beavers can benefit pollinators

Click the link to explore https://bit.ly/4i4Lena

#NewsCurrents #CurrentEvents #GlobalNews #Education #WorldCulture

Quote on a blue gradient background. Text reads: "Being disabled should not mean being disqualified from having access to every aspect of life." The quote is attributed to Emma Thompson.

Access isn’t a perk — it’s a right, in every space and at every stage of life. Real progress looks like systems that include everyone by default, not by exception.

#AccessForAll #AccessibilityMatters #BelongingMatters #PeopleFirst #PurposeDriven #BuildingWings

Class schedule on a whiteboard with colorful "Schedule" header. Two columns list Time, Class, and Wednesday timings. Classes include Morning Check-In, ELA, Math, Life Skills, Elective, Lunch, Afternoon Check-In, and PE. Times range from 7:45 AM to 2:50 PM, with minor variations on Wednesdays.

Routines build confidence, reduce anxiety, and set the stage for meaningful learning, especially for students with #ASD and complex learning profiles. That’s why establishing a predictable daily schedule is more than just helpful — it’s essential.

Because when the schedule works, everyone wins.

Webinar announcement for "From One Teacher to Another: Practical Strategies with Readtopia and AAC" by Building Wings. Scheduled for December 9, 2025, at 12 PM CST. The speaker is Kelly Fonner, M.S. Includes a photo of the speaker.

If literacy feels like 🌀 for AAC users, this webinar is your reset button.
Dec 9 LIVE w/ Kelly Fonner, MS: routines + tools + Readtopia/ReadtopiaGO examples + engagement boosts.
Click to register: https://bit.ly/3M8p6xf

#AAC #EdTech #SpecialEd

Our December Monarch Picks are here! ❄️✨

From snowy days and snowman fun to traditions, special meals, and cozy winter moments—this month’s reads are full of seasonal joy.

Find your next favorite winter story on Monarch Reader! ❄📖

https://bit.ly/3SIWtbb

A teal-and-yellow “News Currents by Building Wings” weekly articles graphic. A large yellow “NEW” badge sits on the left. Three device screens show featured stories: on a desktop monitor, a photo of disability activist Alice Wong; on a tilted tablet, images referencing the Grand Egyptian Museum; and on another tablet, a close-up of a falcon for a “Nestflix” livestream story. Bottom text reads: “Article Topics: The Life of Alice Wong • Grand Egyptian Museum • Nestflix.”

New on News Currents: remembering disability activist Alice Wong’s powerful legacy, a first look at the Grand Egyptian Museum, and a peek into peregrine falcon life via “Nestflix.” 🗞️🦅🏺
Catch the full roundup here https://bit.ly/4i4Lena

#NewsCurrents #DisabilityRights #Egyptology #Birdwatching

This Thanksgiving, we’re feeling especially thankful for the Building Wings community. 💛

You make what we do possible. Hope your day is full of gratitude, joy, and great company! 🦃🥧

#ThanksgivingDay #SeasonOfGratitude #GatherAndGiveThanks #BuildingWings