Communication products I helped build

Cognixion ONE

Cognixion ONE combines augmented reality with a non-invasive brain-computer interface for assistive communication. As Director of Product and Clinical, I led product management and clinical research. ONE Axon received FDA Breakthrough Device designation in 2023.

Watch my 2022 ONE Nexus demonstration with Allison Sheridan, or listen to my 2021 interview about clinical work and brain-computer interfaces.

The later AXON-R appeared in TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025, after my time at Cognixion.

Speakprose

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) software for touch, gesture, and eye-tracking.

Snap + Core First

Snap + Core First is symbol-based communication software built around core vocabulary. I worked on product strategy and how the software reached customers and the teams supporting them.

Speech Case with iPad

A durable case with integrated speakers, switch access, and wheelchair-mounting options. Paired with an iPad and Snap + Core First, it forms a speech-generating tablet. Speech Case was a CES 2019 Innovation Awards Honoree in Tech For A Better World.

FreeSpeech

I co-created FreeSpeech with the Avaz team through LanguageCraft. Learners arrange picture tiles to explore how words form sentences; FreeSpeech turns those choices into grammatical English. The project received Best Startup recognition at CES Asia 2016.

Avaz AAC

Avaz AAC is picture-based communication software for people with complex communication needs. My work included clinical content and language development alongside the app team.

I wrote about my clinical practice in “Finding David’s Space” (2017).

Clinical practice & FreeSpeech

I founded LanguageCraft as a pediatric speech-language practice in Portland, Oregon. I worked with children with complex communication needs and their families, and co-created FreeSpeech with the Avaz team.

My 2015 essay on interdisciplinary care describes the clinical approach. In a LanguageCraft-era interview, I spoke with CoughDrop founder Brian Whitmer about building communication tools.

Talking With Tech

I co-hosted conversations about AAC with Rachel Madel and Chris Bugaj, including our Core Words Roundtable. In the first episode, Rachel and I interviewed Avaz founder Ajit Narayanan about communication tools in India and universal design.