Introducing The Minspeak^® Academy!

AAC Education Brought to You by PRC-Saltillo & Semantic Compaction Systems

PRC-Saltillo is excited to announce the launch of the Minspeak Academy! This partnership with Semantic Compaction Systems (SCS) solidifies our commitment to ensuring the longevity of Minspeak, one of the world’s most trusted language representation systems in AAC.

According to Dave Hershberger, CEO of PRC-Saltillo, “When Bruce Baker founded Semantic Compaction Systems (SCS) more than 40 years ago, he made the wise choice to partner with Barry Romich and Ed Prentke at Prentke Romich Company (PRC).” Dave continues, “I had the pleasure of working with Bruce closely over many years, and he wanted to ensure that individuals around the world had access to Minspeak and the technology and training to support it. The establishment of the Minspeak Academy within PRC-Saltillo ensures that Bruce’s vision continues.”

Over the last 40 years, PRC (and now PRC-Saltillo) has worked with the team at SCS to create a range of vocabulary systems for AAC devices and apps, including Unity^®, UNIDAD^®, LAMP Words for Life^®, Quasselkiste™, and others. We remain committed to the continued support of these vocabularies and the creation of new options in the future. Throughout that time, SCS has provided high quality education to complement the devices and vocabulary systems that PRC-Saltillo produced.

Following Bruce’s passing in 2020, PRC-Saltillo became the owner of Minspeak intellectual property. It’s not a responsibility taken lightly, and after two years of discussions, all parties agree that moving forward with a dedicated center for Minspeak education within PRC-Saltillo aligns with the commitment that Bruce, Barry, and Ed had made long ago.

The Minspeak^® Academy will function as a team within PRC-Saltillo. The trainings you know and love will be integrated into AAC Learning Journey, giving options for on-demand learning as well as ASHA CEUs. Over the next year, you will see website and community updates to ensure that people around the world who use Minspeak systems have a centralized place to collaborate and communicate about best practices.

Gail Van Tatenhove stated that “as an SLP in the field of AAC since 1977, I’ve seen how Minspeak revolutionized how we think about representing and organizing vocabulary in speech generating devices. I’m confident that the Minspeak Academy will be at the forefront of educating people about the power and application of Minspeak systems.”   

The Minspeak Academy will complement PRC-Saltillo’s wide range of trainings available on AAC Learning Journey, including implementation and product training for individuals who use WordPower®, LAMP Words for Life ®, Essence® and other PRC-Saltillo vocabulary systems.

Please join us in welcoming the Minspeak Academy to PRC-Saltillo!