11th Annual Clinical AAC Research Conference

Amy Wehmeier

Paraquad President and CEO

Aimee Wehmeier is the third President and CEO in Paraquad’s 48-year history. She continues the agency’s excellent tradition of passionate leadership to promote opportunity and independence for people with disabilities.

At Paraquad, Wehmeier, 47, directs eight main program areas serving about 2,500 people with all types of disabilities annually. She is responsible for the strategic vision of the agency, as well as for increasing its profile and visibility.

Wehmeier, who has muscular dystrophy, uses a power wheelchair and has never walked. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri and a Master of Business Administration from William Woods University. She believes in the value of Paraquad services, as they have been instrumental in her own independence. She has a passion for public policy, advocacy, and increasing opportunities for people with disabilities. Employment and economic self-sufficiency are her highest priorities.

Wehmeier’s leadership skills have been recognized across the state. In addition to leading Paraquad, Wehmeier serves as member of the Missouri State Rehabilitation Council; Missouri Foundation for Health Community Advisory Council; the Regional Chamber of Commerce Board; Diversity Awareness Partnership Board; Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing and Opportunity Council Board; Fontbonne University College of Education & Allied Health Professions Advisory Board; Washington University Program in Occupational Therapy Academic Advisory Board; MO Better Foundation Advisory Committee and the President’s Council. A recipient of the 2010 Governor’s Council on Disabilities Inclusion Award and the 2015 St. Louis Business Journal Diverse Business Leaders’ Award, Aimee has been described as “the face of disability.”

Wehmeier received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri and a Master of Business Administration from William Woods University.

Chris Klein

CEO BeCOME AAC & USSAAC President 2013-2016

Chris Klein is a voice to those that have none and helping hand to those with disabilities, even though he was born with cerebral palsy and uses augmentative communication to help him interact with the rest of the world. Chris used his first augmentative communication device when he was 6 years old. This allowed him to be mainstreamed starting in third grade, and opened doors that nobody thought were achievable.

Over the past four years, Chris has been working closely with people that use AAC. He was President of USSAAC (United States Society of Augmentative Alternative Communication). He has realized that the AAC community has a real need for a mentor program, and this has led him to form an organization called BeCOME AAC. It stands for Building Connections with Others through Mentoring and Education about AAC. BeCOME AAC is committed to assisting persons with speech disabilities live in fulfilling way. BeCOME: AAC believes that the cornerstone to a full life is derived from the ability to participate in meaningful relationships with others and engage in everyday social interactions a fully ratified participant. In order to address this primary objective, BeCOME AAC is focused on providing tools and services to people with and without speech disabilities in order to enable and enhance communication leading to social integration. Specifically, BeCOME AAC will develop and distribute educational materials and provide mentoring services to persons with speech disabilities. This has opened new opportunities for Chris to present at different assistive technology conferences and universities across the country.