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Open licensed AAC in a collaborative ecosystem

Open licensed AAC in a collaborative ecosystem
Open licensed AAC in a collaborative ecosystem

A collaborative ecosystem that encompasses the use of open-licensed augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) solutions and systems has the potential to provide positive outcomes for children with severe speech and language difficulties. This has been shown through a project that highlighted the willingness to provide a considerable amount of teamwork and participation of families and carers involving 124 children with complex communication needs across three Eastern European countries. Participation was based around a UNICEF hub in each capital city. The hub provided support for small groups of AAC experts sharing their knowledge with limited resources and widely varying groups of other professionals, families and carers of potential AAC users. Initial face to face training sessions provided introductory sessions to open licensed AAC solutions and systems. These sessions were backed up by ‘anytime’ access to an open licensed eLearning platform containing freely adaptable interactive AAC online training resources to be translated into modules by participants in each country. The level of content was based on the first three levels of the European Qualifications Framework. There followed the development of pictographic symbol sets to enhance the localization of already available sets suitable for children. Cultural, linguistic, and social settings were catered for within an open-source communication app. Feedback and formal evaluations provided by parents, carers and professionals showed that the benefits to the children were not just in AAC use, but also in their social competency levels, self-esteem and adaptability.

AAC, Assistive technology, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Disability, Open license, PIADS, Participatory, Symbols
0302-9743
483-488
Springer
Draffan, E.A.
021d4f4e-d269-4379-ba5a-7e2ffb73d2bf
Banes, David
0f56666d-4de0-4d54-b2e0-f20087159dd6
Miesenberger, Klaus
Kouroupetroglou, Georgios
Mavrou, Katerina
Manduchi, Roberto
Covarrubias Rodriguez, Mario
Penáz, Petr
Draffan, E.A.
021d4f4e-d269-4379-ba5a-7e2ffb73d2bf
Banes, David
0f56666d-4de0-4d54-b2e0-f20087159dd6
Miesenberger, Klaus
Kouroupetroglou, Georgios
Mavrou, Katerina
Manduchi, Roberto
Covarrubias Rodriguez, Mario
Penáz, Petr

Draffan, E.A. and Banes, David (2022) Open licensed AAC in a collaborative ecosystem. Miesenberger, Klaus, Kouroupetroglou, Georgios, Mavrou, Katerina, Manduchi, Roberto, Covarrubias Rodriguez, Mario and Penáz, Petr (eds.) In Computers Helping People with Special Needs: ICCHP-AAATE 2022. vol. 13341 LNCS, Springer. pp. 483-488 . (doi:10.1007/978-3-031-08648-9_56).

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)

Abstract

A collaborative ecosystem that encompasses the use of open-licensed augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) solutions and systems has the potential to provide positive outcomes for children with severe speech and language difficulties. This has been shown through a project that highlighted the willingness to provide a considerable amount of teamwork and participation of families and carers involving 124 children with complex communication needs across three Eastern European countries. Participation was based around a UNICEF hub in each capital city. The hub provided support for small groups of AAC experts sharing their knowledge with limited resources and widely varying groups of other professionals, families and carers of potential AAC users. Initial face to face training sessions provided introductory sessions to open licensed AAC solutions and systems. These sessions were backed up by ‘anytime’ access to an open licensed eLearning platform containing freely adaptable interactive AAC online training resources to be translated into modules by participants in each country. The level of content was based on the first three levels of the European Qualifications Framework. There followed the development of pictographic symbol sets to enhance the localization of already available sets suitable for children. Cultural, linguistic, and social settings were catered for within an open-source communication app. Feedback and formal evaluations provided by parents, carers and professionals showed that the benefits to the children were not just in AAC use, but also in their social competency levels, self-esteem and adaptability.

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Accepted/In Press date: 7 March 2022
e-pub ahead of print date: 1 July 2022
Published date: 2022
Additional Information: Funding Information: The authors of this paper would like to acknowledge their gratitude to UNICEF ECARO for their support and to all the colleagues and those participants involved with the “Giving every child a voice with AAC technology” project. Publisher Copyright: © 2022, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
Keywords: AAC, Assistive technology, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Disability, Open license, PIADS, Participatory, Symbols

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 470007
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/470007
ISSN: 0302-9743
PURE UUID: 23835eef-c9a0-4d20-8e81-e69ed29b9243
ORCID for E.A. Draffan: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-1590-7556

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 30 Sep 2022 16:35
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 07:32

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Contributors

Author: E.A. Draffan ORCID iD
Author: David Banes
Editor: Klaus Miesenberger
Editor: Georgios Kouroupetroglou
Editor: Katerina Mavrou
Editor: Roberto Manduchi
Editor: Mario Covarrubias Rodriguez
Editor: Petr Penáz

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