The first word in accessibility is "access".
This paper focuses on access challenges that I have experienced as someone who uses AAC, how my team and I have resolved them, and what challenges I face now. I use AAC and assistive technology (AT) to work, advocate, exercise, socialize, manage my healthcare, and participate in community-based acti...
| Published in: | AAC: Augmentative & Alternative Communication Vol. 41; no. 3; pp. 300 - 304 |
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| Format: | Article |
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Taylor & Francis Ltd
Sep2025
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=187097926&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 187097926 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 07434618 9OD jtl: AAC: Augmentative & Alternative Communication issn: 07434618 maglogo: Y pubinfo: dt: Sep2025 vid: 41 iid: 3 pid: 377 pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd artinfo: ui: 187097926 10.1080/07434618.2025.2513912 ppf: 300 ppct: 4 formats: tig: atl: The first word in accessibility is "access". aug: au: Regan, Patrick affil: Anchorage, Alaska, USA su: Health services accessibility Community health services Facilitated communication Assistive technology Communication Spinal muscular atrophy People with disabilities Employment Motor neuron diseases sug: subj: Health services accessibility Community health services Facilitated communication Assistive technology Communication Spinal muscular atrophy People with disabilities Employment Motor neuron diseases keyword: AAC Alternative access functional communication technology development ab: This paper focuses on access challenges that I have experienced as someone who uses AAC, how my team and I have resolved them, and what challenges I face now. I use AAC and assistive technology (AT) to work, advocate, exercise, socialize, manage my healthcare, and participate in community-based activities. Over the years, I have used many different AAC systems, computer applications, and access methods as technology advanced and my needs and skills changed because of spinal muscular atrophy. Too often AAC is only considered as a speech prosthesis, rather than as a support for communication in all its forms to enhance participation in society. People with disabilities need access to functional communication, including not just speech generating devices, but also the Internet, phone, computers, and software for medical and health reasons as well as education, employment, and community participation. Researchers need to learn more about the challenges that AAC users face and how our access needs change over time. My hope is that they will develop a new generation of AT that will make it possible to integrate all my access methods so that I can use them in a wide range of positions and for a multitude of purposes. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y dt: @attributes: year: 2025 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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