1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Augmentative and Alternative Communication Centers of Excellence and National Technical Assistance Act or the AACCENT Act . 2. Findings Congress makes the following findings: (1) Communication is a basic human need and fundamental right, and is essential to self-determination, social inclusion, and emotional and physical well-being. In enacting a provision of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (referred to in this section as the ADA ), Congress recognized that physical or mental disabilities in no way diminish a person’s right to fully participate in all aspects of society, and that the discriminatory effects of communication barriers are a form of discrimination. (2) Three decades after the passage of the ADA, Americans with significant expressive communication disabilities still experience discrimination in the form of communication barriers, institutionalization, segregation, and relegation to lesser services, programs, activities, benefits, jobs, or other opportunities compared to Americans without significant expressive communication disabilities. (3) Data about augmentative and alternative communication is lacking, but it is estimated there are at least 4,000,000 people in the United States who cannot reliably meet their daily communication needs using natural speech. (4) The population of individuals with significant expressive communication difficulties is at substantial risk for limited education, unemployment, poor health outcomes, poverty, and low quality of life. (5) People can acquire a significant expressive communication disability and need augmentative and alternative communication as a result of many health and developmental conditions at all stages of life. (6) Research indicates that individuals who belong to racial or ethnic minority communities face a greater likelihood of being born with or acquiring expressive communication disabilities, as well as added difficulties in obtaining intervention services, including augmentative and