The ACE Centre in Oxford has provided support for children and young people with augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) needs for nearly 30 years but is due to close at the end of June.
The centre’s services have helped thousands of children to communicate with their families through communication aids and resources but has seen funding decline as fewer services are commissioned by local authorities.
The Communication Trust has urged the government to implement recommendations set out by former communication champion Jean Gross, calling for the preservation of specialist expertise around AAC.
Anita Kerwin-Nye, director of The Communication Trust, said: “It is very sad and deeply concerning to be losing such an expert skill-set on delivering specialist AAC services.
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