CHAMPAIGN, IL (Chambana Today) – Parkland College 2024 graduate Shannon Voss has been chosen to receive the 2025 Prentke AAC Distinguished Lecture Award by the Assistive Technology Industry Association (AITA). His honor includes a $2,000 award, a travel stipend of up to $3,000, and up to three complimentary conference registrations, valued at nearly $600 each.
Voss, who studied sociology at Parkland College, shared his story this past May as a presenter at the college’s 2024 Commencement Exercises: While a third-year business administration major at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he suddenly contracted life-threatening illnesses that required him to relearn the necessary movements for everyday life. Not long afterward, he lost his mother due to illness. Despite these crushing blows, Voss worked with the team at Carle Therapy to regain mobility and with the staff at Parkland College to obtain his degree.
The Schaumburg, Illinois-based ATIA is a global education and research organization promoting the manufacture, sale, and provision of equipment, products, and systems that enable persons with disabilities to learn, work, and live better daily. The Distinguished Lecture was initiated in 1997 to honor the life and work of a couple who dedicated their lives to developing technologies for those with disabilities. The annual lecture is delivered by a person who communicates via assistive technology.
Voss will provide the 28th annual lecture at the 2025 ATIA Conference on January 31 in Orlando.