This conference proceedings document serves to establish the state of the art, highlight important methodological and conceptual issues, and identify priorities for future research in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems. The document includes the papers from two opening presentations, issue papers and reactant papers, a summary of the discussion in each session, a short conclusion, and a compendium of biographical sketches of participants. Papers given in the opening presentations were "Dialogism and the Orderliness of Conversation Disorders" (Per Linell) and "Evaluating the Efficacy of AAC Intervention for Children with Severe Disabilities" (Stephen Calculator). Topics for the six sessions include: (1) challenges in conducting observational research to address interaction issues in the AAC field; (2) issues in the research and development of technical aids in AAC; (3) methodological challenges in applying single case designs to problems in AAC; (4) methodological issues in research with individuals with cognitive disabilities; (5) methodological issues in the study of language development for children using AAC systems; (6) and cross fertilization between speech technology research for disabled and nondisabled persons. (JDD)