What words do we use to talk about AAC? Survey updates
Presented by
Alyssa Hillary Zisk and Meredith Prain
Webinar Overview
Words are the building blocks of language, and language is how we tell stories. It’s how we tell each other who we are. Words can shape perceptions—calling AAC a “clinical practice” paints a very different picture from saying AAC is “all the ways we communicate.”
In early 2022, AssistiveWare ran an online survey, asking people with a variety of relationships to AAC what they thought about 119 different words and phrases. The first research of its kind, the AssistiveWare survey resonated deeply with the community—in total 556 people participated. One out of every three people who took the survey uses AAC. Of these, nearly a fifth (18%) do not use spoken words.
Hear the outcomes from that survey from lead researcher Alyssa Hillary Zisk, and receive an update on the Communication Access and Inclusion Project still underway in Australia from project lead Dr Meredith Prain.
Presenters
Alyssa Hillary Zisk
Alyssa lives in the northeastern USA, between Boston and New York City. They are an Autistic part-time AAC user, using a variety of text-based tools.
Alyssa does AAC research, some of which is related to their own AAC use and needs and some of which is not.
They completed their PhD in interdisciplinary Neuroscience in May 2021, working on brain-computer interfaces for people with ALS. Alyssa is also one of the moderators of the Facebook group, Ask Me, I’m an AAC User.
Dr Meredith Prain
Dr Meredith Prain is a Certified Practising Speech Pathologist, researcher and consultant with over 20-years’ experience working together with people with deafblindness to improve interactions, awareness and services.
Meredith has a strong commitment to contributing to the evidence-base of best practice in working with people with deafblindness, and to sharing information about best-practice widely.
She recognises and values the importance of working developmentally with individuals and their social networks in order to achieve the best and most sustainable outcomes.
BSpPath, GradDipGerontolgoy, PhD, CPSP
Webinar Details
This is a LIVE 90 minute webinar, free for AGOSCI members to access.
A recording will be available to AGOSCI members afterwards.
Disclosure
AGOSCI is grateful to AssistiveWare and Alyssa for generously making time to present this information to our Australian audience.
AGOSCI is an independent body and does not endorse individual products or brands.
AGOSCI acknowledges the presence and contributions of all suppliers and resources available in the Australian and International AAC marketplace.
