While listening to the augmentative communication lecture, I couldn't help but think of congresswomen Gabrielle Giffords who was injured by a gunshot last year. I had recently seen her first news interview since the incident. Diane Sawyer asked her if she planned to run for reelection. Struggling to find the words to answer, Ms. Giffords simply said the word "better." When Sawyer indicated that she did not understand, Giffords again repeated the word. Seeing that she still was not being understood, Giffords turned to her husband who was sitting by her side. Her husband explain what she meant: "She wants to run for reelection only after she gets better."
The fact Gabrielle Giffords has someone to turn to for help speaking is of huge benefit to her ability to communicate. Augmentative communication devices, both low-tech and high-tech, are wonderful. But without assistance from a caring and understanding aide, I wonder how much they're able to help. I've never worked with children who were unable to speak, but I wonder how much they prefer relying on a device to speak compared to how much they prefer getting help from another person. Through which means of communication are they better able to express themselves? And through which means do they feel more independent?
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