Consumer AACtion PointsSeptember 1, 2008
Consumer AACtion Point - Speak up for real change!
The AAC Institute has posted information to help you understand and take action to prevent preferred provider arrangements from taking away consumer choice. Please, take the time to become informed and involved in helping to make change happen to eliminate this unfair practice. Exclusive agreements mean you may be asked by your funding source to accept a different AAC system (Speech Generating Device) for the one you and your AAC team felt would achieve the best results for you. Substituting and swapping of complex rehabilitation technology, especially your language system, is never appropriate. Professionals should never be asked to violate their Codes of Ethics in holding your interests paramount and select any AAC/Assistive Technology based on a provider agreement that compromises your ability to optimize your communication. Contact AAC Institute (support@aacinstitute.org) if you need help with this process. Do not allow funding agents to override comprehensive AAC assessments and in the process reduce the communication performance and life experience of individuals who use AAC. The AAC Institute position statement on this practice can be found at http://www.aacinstitute.org/funding/PreferredProviders.html.
March 7, 2008
Consumer AACtion Point - Looking for a new AAC system?
Ask your AAC evaluator to collect a language sample from your current device, to use as a baseline comparison while you consider a new device. A language sample can help you know how quickly you are able to communicate, how often you rely on spelling versus other methods of communicating, and other important measures to compare during the evaluation process. Don’t compromise your communication performance and long-term outcomes of achieving your life goals because your service provider isn’t measuring, comparing and explaining your performance differences that will exist among the different AAC systems you try. For more information, go to http://www.aacinstitute.org/AACConsumerNet/ConsumerResources/ConsumerChecklist.htm and take a copy of the AAC Consumer Checklist with you to ensure a comprehensive AAC assessment.
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Consumer AACtion Point - A Word about Word Prediction
Achieving the maximum communication rate on an AAC system is one of the most important outcomes desired by individuals who use AAC. A frequent question (FQ) on various AAC-related list serves is about strategies that claim to enhance communication rate. Word prediction was once thought to have the potential to significantly improve communication rate over spelling and other methods using an AAC system. In fact, some AAC systems still identify word prediction as a rate enhancement strategy. Since one of the FQs received by the AAC Institute is about this issue, we recently added a resource at the web site that included studies on word prediction.To date the evidence indicates that in various conditions with various user groups word/character prediction used in current AAC devices showed no significant benefit in increased rate over spelling letter-by-letter. However, for some individuals the reduction in keystrokes provided by word prediction is considered a benefit. In other words, when deciding about using word/character prediction that is commercially available today, regardless of the feature configuration, choose the feature for keystroke savings NOT rate enhancement. Research continues to look at ways to increase the benefit of this strategy, so be informed about advances as they become commercially available is important. Individuals who rely on AAC will always want to know how this and any other feature effects their personal performance.
We invite you to read the evidence to be fully informed about this feature when making a decision about an AAC system. At our home page click on Word Prediction Research under the What’s New column. If you're interested in this, also consider taking the AAC Symbols and Language Representation Methods Self-Study Program course. The course and CEUs are free.
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November 12, 2007
Consumer AACtion Point - Considering Visual Scenes?
The AAC Institute has received various inquiries regarding visual scene displays and AAC assistive technology. Visual scene displays represent various contexts that may personalize environments, activities, events, people, objects, actions, etc. Therefore, the stored vocabulary or messages are accessed within a background in which they may occur. Consumers should know that the use of visual scene displays on AAC devices is non-propriety or non-exclusive. Visual scenes may be created and personalized for a range of low to high AAC technology interventions. Consequently, many, if not most, AAC manufacturers support visual scenes.Visual scene displays typically are identified as a single-meaning picture language representation method. However, alternative configurations of a visual scene approach may be designed and available that provide access to alphabet-based and semantic compaction language representation methods. Consumers investigating visual scene displays are advised to explore the various available options, and ask for the evidence to support any claims in order to make fully-informed, evidence-based decisions.
