Category Archives: support
The Do’s and Don’ts of Conversing: Speech Device Etiquette brought to you by Awesome in Action
After many, many years and conversations in the community with people unfamiliar with Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Nick and his team have put together a comprehensive guideline for the average Joe (or Joe-ette) to reference. Hope it helps all parties within a conversation!
Here I am teaching preschoolers at T.R. Paul Academy how to use my speech device.
We’ll Start with the Do’s, since they seem more positive:
Do…Hear me. Listen to my words, and ask me to turn up my device or repeat if you do not understand.
Do…Focus on me when I’m talking. My words are important, too.
Do…Realize it is hard to speak in complete thoughts. It takes a lot of work for me to move my arms and find the right word on my speech device
Here I am with my Speech Language Therapist, Linda Everett. I still practice twice a week on my speech device!
Do…Recognize that I use a combination of gestures and words to get my point across.
Do…Understand my care providers are here to help me communicate. I am the one who wants to talk to you.
Do…Talk to me, not about me or above me.
Do…Talk to me like you would anyone else. I have a sense of humor, and I am just like you!
Do...Respect my personal boundaries. I do not need to be touched while you are talking to me. Family members and care providers need to remember this especially!
This is the layout for one of my speeches. I have over 10 speeches programmed into my device. There are 84 keys on my home screen, each which lead to 1 or more pages with even more words. That’s a lot of choices!!
Do…Wait for me to finish talking. Be o.k. with quiet as I look for the correct words.
Do…Minimize distractions, it takes a bit of focus for me to communicate.
And now for the Don’ts….
Don’t….Talk too loud. I have a great sense of hearing, my friends call me “bat ears”
Don’t…Move too fast.I need to look at my speech device and cannot always have eye contact with you. Sometimes I miss gestures or facial expressions that you may need to repeat.
Don’t… try to respond for me because I am taking too long.
Don’t…assume I’m unintelligent and talk down to me just because it takes me awhile to respond.
Don’t… talk above my head. I can hear and I have feelings!
Don’t….ask me to perform. I will say the things I want to say when I want to say them (and deal with the repercussions!)
Here I am conversing with my friend, Alex.
Yes, it is in fact time for the ADA Symposium!
This coming Monday morning, June 20th, as the sun begins to rise over the eastern plains, Nick and the AiA staff will be loading the van for a trip into Denver to participate in this year’s National ADA Symposium. Nick and the team are quite excited to be included in this year’s event, and are mighty appreciative that the symposium is being held in Denver!
The ADA Symposium (yes, click on those blue words for more information!) is the premier national conference on the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“The National ADA Symposium is a project of the ADA National Network which is comprised of ten regional centers that provide information, training, and materials on the Americans with Disabilities Act. The conference, held annually for the past 20 years, has earned the reputation as the most comprehensive training event available on the ADA and disability related laws. The 2016 National ADA Symposium will be co-hosted by the Great Plains and Rocky Mountain ADA Centers.”
Each and every person who is now able to enter the work force, able to enter a post office or restaurant, able to live in a home of their choice rather than an institution, has much to be thankful for from the passing of the law and from this advocacy group.
We are looking forward to socializing and networking, learning from the experts, getting information to meet the needs of people around us, and most of all meeting all kinds of new people!
If you click on the ADA Symposium link (above or here again!), and scroll down the page, you will see a list of their sponsors and exhibitors. Take note of the various companies pursuing technology solutions to meet the ability needs of our diverse population.
Awesome in Action is honored to be exhibiting at this year’s symposium, and in awe of the work this group accomplishes nationally. The ADA Symposium is indeed a prime example of awesome in action!
Awesome in Action, Co 