As a sophomore at Hinsdale Central in 1996, Susie Thorpe had no idea the consumer education course she had enrolled in would shape her career.
One of her classmates used an augmentative and alternative communication, or AAC, device to communicate. She was fascinated.
“That was kind of the first time I was exposed to people who learn differently, and I remember I had difficulty focusing on the content of the class because I was so interested in how he used his device,” she said…