Building capacity in AAC: A person-centred approach to supporting participation by people with complex communication needs

Abstract

Effective communication is based both on the capacity of the person with complex communication needs, and of other key stakeholders (including communication and education professionals, family members, community partners, and healthcare professionals), to ensure that appropriate AAC supports are provided. In this paper, we describe strategies to build awareness of AAC and to assist people with complex communication needs in obtaining needed services; to build the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of AAC service providers; to provide instruction for people with complex communication needs, as well as communication partners and advocates; and to develop communication supports in society more broadly. We also provide an agenda for building capacity in research and development activities to support full participation by people with complex communication needs throughout society.

Keywords:

• augmentative and alternative communication
• partner training
• instruction
• community participation
• inclusion

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

This paper is part of a special issue of the AAC Journal on the State of the Science.

Notes

1 The iPad is a registered trademark of Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA. www.apple.com.

2 This search was conducted using the topic fields for 2003–2017 (Web of Science, 2018).

Additional information

Funding

The contents of this paper were developed under a grant to the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (The RERC on AAC) from the US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant # 90RE5017). The contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the funding agency, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.