PERSPECTIVES ON AAC SYSTEMS BY THE USERS AND BY THEIR COMMUNICATION PARTNERS

The study examined the perspectives of augmentative and alternative co mmunication (AAC) users and their 'formal' and 'informal' communicatio n partners in relation to two areas of relevance to AAC: firstly, comm unication strategies and secondly, advantages and disadvantages of AAC systems. With respect to communication strategies, it was found that formal communication partners thought that more vocabulary for communi cating social purposes was actually available to AAC users and they we re less aware of daily routines within day and residential environment s. With respect to advantages and disadvantages, three main areas of c oncern emerged: the effect of the AAC system on the users' communicati on; features of AAC systems; and the effect of AAC on the users' quali ty of life. Both high-and low-technology AAC systems were seen as havi ng advantages and disadvantages. This study demonstrates the important contribution to be made by AAC users in the provision of a new set of priorities based on their user experiences.