Exploring the Role of Bilingual AAC in Promoting Language Equity in Inclusive Multilingual Classrooms

The exclusion of bilingual Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) from mainstream assistive technology and education policy is a systemic failure that reinforces linguistic inequities for emergent bilinguals with complex communication needs. Research indicates that bilingual AAC supports language development, reinforces self-identity, and increases caregiver involvement; yet it remains largely overlooked, insufficiently funded, and frequently misunderstood (Mitchell & Baker, 2024). The persistence of monolingual biases in AAC design, funding policies, and professional training forces bilingual users into restrictive systems that erase their linguistic and cultural identities (Dulay, 2022). This chapter argues that the failure to implement bilingual AAC is a deliberate policy choice that denies bilingual AAC users' full participation in their communities. It critically examines how misconceptions among clinicians, lack of research investment, and bureaucratic funding barriers sustain an exclusionary system (Ward et al., 2023).