I am so proud of these AAC users

Posted by 14 on the 22nd December, 2009

WOW -  I have received two emails this week that make me feel a bit old but massively proud!  Both were from young women in their early twenties who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) - at opposite ends of Scotland - that I have known since they were very young. I've known both since they entered Primary school (one from Nursery actually), when they were referred to CALL for assessment. Both have cerebral palsy and no functional oral speech, and were amongst the first ever Scottish users of voice output communication aids. Both were members of the first ever generation of children with complex disabilities to go through their education from Nursery to Secondary in their local mainstream school.

When I first met and started to work with those wee tots in the late 1980s /early 1990s, it was certainly my vision - but only a distant  dream - that one day technology could help them to communicate freely, so it is really exciting to see it come true in this way.

This sudden burst of pride and excitement prompted a somewhat deeper 'round-up of the year/ decade / century' reflection, and some darker thoughts rose to the surface. I realised that what has been achieved has mainly been through the efforts of these determined young people, themselves. Sadly, in both cases, the girls were rather let down at school. Well, OK, it was all new then to staff in mainstream schools. Individual staff did their best. The curriculum seemed both a straitjacket and a set of blinkers. 'Communication' seemed to mean only 'literacy'. 'Inclusion' all too often meant little more than just being present in the room.

The girls' experiences with FE  in Scotland seem to have been no better, overall. One had to go to England, and one has struggled to access any relevant courses locally, not to mention the battle for funding to allow her to attend at all.

On a positive note, we have now moved a long way from those days and we are committed to getting it right for every child, active learning, pupil participation and listening to the child's voice, and the rest. We are signed up to delivering a Curriculum for Excellence that promises to create effective contributors, successful learners, responsible citizens and confident individuals. Well, clearly none of these outcomes are possible without effective communication skills. Dare I hope that the next generation of AAC users are set to receive an appropriate, child-centred outcome-focused education that recognises the importance of communication skills as a fundamental underpinning of all learning?

I salute the two young women who emailed me with Christmas greetings and offers of voluntary help for younger AAC users coming up behind them. They HAVE turned into effective, successful, responsible and confident individuals - but largely in spite of, not because of, their educational experiences.