Hosts

Christopher R. Bugaj, MA CCC‐SLP is a founding member of the Assistive Technology Team for Loudoun County Public Schools. Chris co-hosts the Talking With Tech podcast featuring interviews and conversations about augmentative and alternative communication and has hosted The A.T.TIPSCAST; a multi‐award winning podcast featuring strategies to design educational experiences. Chris is the author of The New Assistive Tech: Make Learning Awesome For All, published by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Chris is the co-author of Inclusive Learning 365: EdTech Strategies for Every Day of the Year and The Practical (and Fun) Guide to Assistive Technology in Public Schools both of which are also published by ISTE. Chris co-authored two chapters for a book published by Brookes Publishing titled Technology Tools for Students with Autism. Chris co‐produces and co‐authors the popular Night Light Stories podcast which features original stories for children of all ages. Chris has presented over 550 live or digital sessions at local, regional, state, national and international events, including TEDx.

Rachel Madel is a Los Angeles-based speech-language pathologist dedicated to coaching parents and professionals on the use of technology to support communication. Rachel presents both nationally and abroad on using technology and augmentative alternative communication (AAC) to support language development in children with a variety of diagnoses. She owns a private practice in Los Angeles, California where she specializes in the assessment and treatment of children who are using AAC.  Her work has been featured in Autism Parenting Magazine, Speech Science, Praactical AAC, Xceptional Ed, Teachers with Apps and ChildNEXUS. She is the founder of a digital media company that provides educational resources, therapy materials and training videos to help support parents and professionals of children with with complex communication needs.