The Support our Students (SOS) Grant fund is designed for OSSPEAC members to purchase products that will assist students in accessing their educational curriculum. OSSPEAC members may complete and submit applications describing the need for a specific item and how it would benefit students. Members may submit applications for more than one item, but each request must be submitted on a separate application form. Applications must be received by January 1st. Grant awards will range from $150-$500. If a product’s cost exceeds $500, the overall cost may be subsidized.
Interested OSSPEAC Members must:
- Complete the entire application
- Submit the application by January 1st.
Current Winner 2026:
Makayla Martin
Makayla is a speech-language pathologist working in a public school south of Columbus. She is currently in her 7th year of practice. A special interest of Makayla's is literacy and its impact on language development. She works with a variety of communication challenges and differences at the elementary age (kindergarten through fifth) level. Makayla is using the S.O.S. Grant to purchase a TalkingBrix2. The TalkingBrix 2 will provide a way for her students' educational team to teach him how to use single words, pictures and/or phrases to request things that he wants or participate in classroom activities. The TalkingBrix 2 will be used in therapy and the classroom to provide a way for her student to request or protest by modeling, providing opportunities for practice and also opportunities to generalize into the classroom setting. This could be used with a simple toy, sensory input or snack. Makayla states that a single prerecorded button with the option to have up to three choices would be a great option for her student, something they do not currently have in their AAC repertoire at her school building.