Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Awareness Month

October is Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) awareness month. I am an AAC user because I am non-verbal as a result of my Cerebral Palsy, so AAC is a prominent part of my everyday life.

AAC is simply just another way of communicating. It is an innovative extension of the user to aid some people with disability in their speech and communication and therefore should be normalised and widely accepted. Unfortunately, there is still significant apprehension from many people when they encounter an AAC user.

You may not realise, but there are limitless types of alternative communication that you already encounter or use in your day-to-day life. Here’s some examples: Auslan; the old-fashioned paper and pen; PODD Books (Pragmatic Organisation Dynamic Display) which function by categorising pages into subjects such as feelings, needs and any specific interests that the user may have.

I personally use a tablet that enables me to type what I want to communicate. However, this is not the only way I express myself. I will be posting videos on Instagram and TikTok this October about the different ways that I speak.

I have had countless interactions where people avoid direct communication with me. They seem uncomfortable and unsure how to converse, presuming that I am cognitively impaired because I cannot speak in the same way that others do. People assume that I cannot understand. Instead of talking directly to me, they speak to my accompanying support worker. By disregarding my presence, they treat me like a person who cannot have autonomy over my own life.

I am constantly reminded of how people with disability are seen as inadequate. With the existence of ableism bias, we are made to feel unwelcome by most in the community. If individuals took the time to get to know people with disability, they would realise that they are often smart, coherent, and fully capable of conversing effectively. Able-bodied people would realise they have more in common with us than they anticipated.

In an attempt to combat this stereotype, I have attached an introduction card to my wheelchair tray. I use it to inform people new to me about how I communicate. It currently reads:

“Hiya! I’m Jono. I am unable to talk like most other people do, so I communicate using my tablet. I can hear and comprehend everything you say just fine, and I am listening to you even while I am typing. You can see what I have to say by reading it from my tablet.

It may take me some time to type out my responses, but I love to have a chat. I enjoy engaging in friendly conversation so feel free to approach me.”

It’s hard to expect the general public to accept us when the closest people around us don’t even know how they make us feel: isolated and unwanted. Despite their role to assist us in everyday life, many support workers infantilise their participants, disregarding their autonomy and needs. They often want to take the fastest and easiest route possible to completing tasks at the expense of the participant. I have had experiences where support workers have not attempted to understand what I am asking of them, choosing what tasks to complete despite it conflicting with my preferences.

I have also been involved in communities previously where despite being invited to events, they have made little effort to interact with me on the same level that they do with able-bodied people. This has created a feeling of tokenism, making the invite disingenuous, and leaving me feeling like it would’ve been easier to have never received an invite at all.

We live in a fast-paced world where everyone wants everything right away, and that instant gratification has diminished the art of patience; seemingly effort and empathy also get tossed aside. All I would like is that people have a little more patience, consideration and willingness when talking to people with disability, especially in this modern society which should have a greater understanding of everyone’s needs and a progressive focus on inclusive practices.

Creating awareness of AAC is therefore imperative so people develop a foundational understanding for those who communicate differently. Because everyone should have equal communication rights no matter how they interact with others.