A survey on the awareness, accessibility and funding for augmentative and alternative communication services and devices in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Purpose

To develop and distribute a survey to obtain information on the awareness, accessibility and funding for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) services and devices within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

Method

The survey targeted three groups of people which included individuals with disabilities and their families, healthcare providers such as medical doctors and nurses and the third group included community members. Survey preparation and administration were performed online via a survey website in order to access a wide range of participants across KSA.

Results

Results revealed different awareness levels for AAC among the three groups (χ² = 45.053, p < .001) with healthcare providers showing a higher degree of awareness compared to the remaining two groups. Moreover, AAC services and devices were found to be accessible within KSA, with no differences in obtaining AAC services and devices among different regions (χ² = 14.204, p = .164).

Conclusion

Although numerous AAC users were able to obtain AAC devices, they identified barriers including a lack of sufficient awareness of the importance, associated expenses, funding constraints and a lack of Arabization of AAC devices.

Implications for Rehabilitation

• Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) methods allow individuals with communication difficulties to interact and socialize with those around them.

• The general authority of statistics in Saudi Arabia has shown that Saudi Arabia has an increased number of individuals suffering from severe to extreme communication disorders compared to other countries around the world. Consequently, the need for AAC in Saudi Arabia cannot be underestimated.

• This study demonstrates the importance of the awareness of AAC among different stakeholders in Saudi Arabia including AAC users, healthcare providers and community members so that individuals with communication problems can receive maximum benefit from AAC.

• Given that most healthcare providers in Saudi Arabia are prescribing non-tech and low-tech AAC methods indicates the importance of training on AAC for healthcare providers serving patients with communication disorders.

Keywords:

• Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)
• survey
• demographics
• service delivery
• Saudi Arabia

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University for funding this work through the Research Project No R17-02-30.