Supporting meaningful participation in society by adults with developmental disabilities who need and use AAC: lived experiences, key research findings, and future directions

Expanded opportunities for meaningful participation in society now exist for adults with developmental disabilities who need or use AAC, yet significant barriers to full community participation still remain. In this paper, we discuss both personal narratives by AAC users as well as current AAC research in four key domains of adult life: having a safe place to live, participating in meaningful activities, accessing needed services, and developing friendships and meaningful relationships. To support communication and participation in these key areas more effectively, AAC research and development must: (a) strengthen the expression of personal identity; (b) support integrated use of multimodal communication; and (c) reduce the demands of communicative interaction while supporting language and literacy development. Future AAC research and development must be guided by equitable partnerships between AAC users, researchers, and technology developers, and must be driven by the key priorities of people who need and use AAC.