When Kim Santucci met Care Coordination Manager (CCM), Nicole Garritano, she already had a variety of services established to support her daughter, Ali. Like many families, Kim was in the midst of a year-long struggle to secure funding for a new iPad and case for Ali to use as her Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device. That is when Nicole stepped in to help move the process forward.
Nicole has always had a passion for providing meaningful and compassionate support to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). She experienced firsthand the challenges families often face when her parents sought services and support for her brother, who is autistic. Nicole gained more experience through internships and working as a direct support professional (DSP), and she knew she wanted to continue working with people with I/DD. When she began working at STC as a CCM in March 2025, Ali was one of the first members she began supporting.
Ali is a clever, fun-loving, and funny young person who enjoys spending time with her family, especially girls-only trips with her mom. She primarily communicates through gestures, sign language, and her AAC device. “People often underestimate Ali. Just because she isn’t constantly using her AAC device doesn’t mean she isn’t taking everything in. She is very capable when she wants to say something,” Kim explains. Ali began using an AAC device in 2017 and loves to talk about school—one of her favorite places. She uses the program Proloquo2Go to select words and pictures that help her advocate for herself, as well as connect with others. To communicate that she is ready to go to school, for example, Ali might select “school bus, notebook.” As Kim says, “Her AAC is her voice. We don’t put pressure on her to use it, but we make sure it is always accessible.” This device is crucial to providing Ali with the means to communicate in her daily life, as well as form meaningful connections to the people around her.
When Ali’s AAC device from 2017 began glitching and failing to hold a charge, Kim knew it was time to secure a new one to prevent unnecessary frustration with communication. She first attempted to fund the new device through Ali’s self-direction budget. After encountering hurdles over the course of a year of communication, Kim talked to Brittany Riso, who was training Nicole at the time, during a Life Plan meeting. Brittany and Nicole informed Kim about the Community Health Outreach Project (CHOP) grant and immediately began the application process.
Nicole provided the grant-required information and the majority of the paperwork for Kim and Ali. Because the grant requires clinical justification to demonstrate need before the funding can be awarded, Nicole, with Brittany’s assistance, completed the application and sent it to Ali’s family for final review. Kim only needed to provide some basic information and signed the application, and it was ready. From start to finish, the process to receive the funding took about a month—a huge improvement after Kim had advocated for a new device for over a year. Reflecting on the experience, Kim shared, “It was great for something to be easy for once. We often have to fight for services and opportunities for Ali, and to have this taken care of by Nicole was so nice.” Soon enough, Ali had a brand-new iPad and case with the same familiar AAC program. When the new device arrived, Kim was shocked, “I didn’t believe it, it was such a relief!”
Since receiving the new AAC device, Ali’s friends and family can enjoy more consistent and reliable communication with her. On a recent girls-only shopping trip, Kim narrated the experience to Ali as she always does—explaining what they are looking for and the things she sees in the store. Since it was so loud in the store, Kim didn’t hear that Ali was responding to everything she had said. Once they returned to the car, Kim looked at the AAC device and saw a stream of thoughts from Ali, responding to all that Kim had said in the store. Best of all, at the very end, Ali said, “You fun, you fun, you fun!” When Ali says something three times, Kim knows it was deliberate and a strong feeling. “That just melted my heart! I don’t always get a lot of verbal affirmation from Ali, so hearing that she enjoyed our one-on-one time together so much was so special.”
CCMs provide person-centered services tailored to each member’s unique needs. By helping Kim access new resources, Nicole was able to help ease some of the mental load that comes with caring for a child with I/DD by providing new resources to Kim. For Nicole, “It’s about being able to provide tangible change and opportunities for members. At STC, I know I am making a difference.” Ali and Nicole’s story reminds us—something as simple as a new AAC device can spark new connections, relationships, and experiences.