Why AAC?

 Imagine you cannot talk and you want to make a request for something you want or need.  Now imagine that you need to communicate information to your doctor and ask about your health.  Now imagine you want to share your thoughts, feelings, dreams and hopes in a conversation with family and friends.  All of these functional communication outcomes are typical daily experiences of anyone with natural speech.  All these outcomes are typical daily occurrences for individuals who rely on AAC too! 

If you are able to communicate effectively, you exercise your freedom of speech.  You enjoy your right to speech, language, and communication and take these right as a natural entitlement.  AAC technology and AAC interventions open the opportunity of the right to communication and the goal of AAC – “being able to say what you want to say, when you want to say it, and saying it a fast as possible” – to individuals with severe communication disorders and complex disabilities.  We shouldn’t need to ask Why AAC?  Instead, we should be asking, why are there limitations or hurdles to individuals achieving the most effective communication possible?

The AAC Institute advocates for policies and practices that reflect that AAC interventions provide more that helping an individual meet medical necessity. Functional communication goals are more than being able to express wants, needs, pain, health and basic information. The life experience of any individual across the life span who relies on AAC is impacted dramatically by the quality of the AAC technology and services they have access to and the experience, dedication and compassion of those who provide AAC services.