An ICT-based borderless combination of alternative and augmentative communication systems.(information and communication technologies)

Abstract

In working with people with communication and/or language special needs and to facilitate their communication and social integration, alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) systems are used. Many special needs persons have improved their communication skills combining signs from different systems. Using this approach we propose to combine several AAC systems using new information and communication technologies (ICT). Our system helps instructors teach, and students learn several AAC systems. It is designed for gestural sign languages and graphic sign systems. It contains a tool kit to assist instructors in the generation of bi- and tridimensional communication boards. Tales and games present great psychological and educational benefits. Therefore, our system, HAPPY, includes several tools to work with any tale or game based on AAC systems. Both of these enjoyable activities help instructors introduce new vocabulary and strengthen the assimilation of the AAC systems that are in training. HAPPY helps instructor evaluate basic user capabilities, such as memory, attention, perception, psycho-motor skills, and is useful in producing personalized user working environments "ease-of-use" and "ease-of-learning". HAPPY helps instructor ensure technical accessibility and great usability, ease of learning, and high performance for special needs users.

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But will he/she speak?

When parents are told about their children's disabilities or limitations, they usually ask in an anguished voice: "But will he/she speak?" This concern for their children's future is really related to their communicational ability, that it is undeniably essential to their social integration in the human community which is mainly based on communication and particularly based on spoken languages. Inhabitants of the disability communities must be helped by building awareness around the most visible areas that could block their social development and integration. We must avoid negative thoughts that turn differences into impediments. We must emphasize abilities, not limitations. The subject matter in this article centers on people with communicational disabilities, people who live in apparent silent communities. Surely, if parents have got something to say, they should ask a better question: "But will we be able to communicate with him/her?"

We bear three key goals in mind: help "able-bodied" people learn to hear these sounds of silence, help special needs people develop communicational skills and, particularly, spoken-based abilities if they are present, and help any kind of people learn to communicate to each other. The system here proposed, HAPPY, fits in with these goals. On the one hand it helps "able-bodied" people learn or strengthen specific communication systems, on the other hand HAPPY is designed to increase special needs people communicational skills by helping instructors evaluate basic user capabilities, and by using multi-lingual and multimodal reinforcement educational models constructed by instructors. Finally, HAPPY makes the first move towards the third goal when it helps instructors train people in some of the different communication systems that are unknown to them.

In working with people with communication and/or language special needs and to facilitate their communication and social integration, alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) systems are used (Lloyd, Fuller and Arvidson, 1997; Glennen and DeCoste, 1997). Alternative communication (AC) systems are intervention instruments often used to teach, through specific procedures of instruction, a structured set of non-vocal codes. In alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) systems the term augmentative refers to the fact that the teaching of AC systems has among its goals to lead to spoken language. They support those who have difficulties understanding and being understood. In addition, they ensure an alternative communication system if the person does not ever speak.