Listen to the experts

Barry

Barry is a member of Augmentative Communication in Practice: Scotland

Audio quote from Barry

'My name is Barry Smith and as I don’t speak well I use AAC.  That stands for augmentative and alternative communication.  I use a voice output communication aid called a Lightwriter. 

'When I am talking using my communication aid I need people to remember to pay attention to what I am saying and to give me more time to communicate   It is a lot of hard work using a communication aid to get my message across.  If you see I am still busy writing on my Lightwriter it probably means that I have more to say.  So please wait, as I need even more time.

'When I go along to meetings it helps me to know in advance some of the issues that will come up.  That way I can pre-programme some phrases into my Lightwriter.  This saves me time and helps me contribute confidently and quickly at the start of meetings.

'I enjoy giving talks and hope this helps people understand more about what it is like to be an AAC user.'