The first lines of code were written in our bedrooms, inspired by a vision to reimagine AAC for an increasingly diverse world. Alan Vu, a bilingual speech therapist, AAC specialist, and person who stutters, saw firsthand how the lack of multilingual support and intuitive design created barriers for his students' families in adopting and implementing AAC.
In 2023, Alan partnered with Michael Jamieson, a nurse-turned-developer, to tackle these challenges. What began as a small, determined effort has grown into a mission-driven team working alongside the global AAC community to break communication barriers.
Today, Flexspeak empowers non-speaking individuals and their families across 15+ countries and 20 languages—and we’re just getting started.
Alan (he/him) is a neurodivergent speech therapist who stutters and has ADHD. He served as the Marketing Strategist for the National Stuttering Association (NSA), a nonprofit for people who stutter, and founder of Here & Now Supply, an e-commerce startup acquired in 2023. Alan leverages his unique skill set to raise awareness on communication disabilities and create a user-centric AAC solution.
Michael (he/him) is a Filipino-American developer who previously worked as a nurse. Specializing in cross-platform applications, Michael built the infrastructure that powers Flexspeak and leads its ongoing development efforts.
Kim is a clinician with 9 years of experience across healthcare, education, and technology. As a licensed speech-language pathologist specializing in AT and AAC, Kim brings unique expertise to accessibility and best practices for AAC implementation.
Ashley is a polyglot speech-language pathologist and AAC specialist with expertise in cultural and linguistic diversity. With a passion for technology-based solutions, she specializes in accessibility for users with cognitive, linguistic, or speech disorders.
Ashley Yeh is an impact-driven product designer passionate about improving everyday experiences through thoughtful design. She is particularly passionate about accessibility and HealthTech, aligning her skills with creating inclusive, user-centered solutions.
Harlow (they/them) is a multiply disabled and neurodivergent AAC and mobility aid user. They have been instrumental in shaping the direction of Flexspeak, helping us continually refine our features and functionalities to better serve the AAC community.
Pheonix (they/them) is a non-speaking, autistic college student majoring in art and full-time AAC user. With their unique perspective, Pheonix brings immense value to our development in creating a solution that addresses gaps in the AAC market. Also pictured is Pheonix’s favorite rooster, Jasper, whose family tree they love to “nerd out about."