‘Happy and excited’: Perceptions of using digital technology and social media by young people who use augmentative and alternative communication

Abstract

Young people are using digital technology and online social media within their everyday lives to enrich their social relationships. The UK government believes that using digital technology can improve social inclusion. One well-recognized outcome measure for establishing social inclusion is to examine opportunities for self-determination. Individuals with physical disabilities and complex communication needs who use forms of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) have lower social participation opportunities. The integration of mainstream digital technology into high-tech forms of AAC (voice output communication aids), and the recent appearance of voice output applications, or ‘apps’, on Apple and Android products, has provided increased opportunities for people who use AAC to engage with digital technology. Research exploring this area, especially in regard to online social media, with people who use AAC is extremely limited, and a specific gap for self-reported experiences exists within the UK. This article describes qualitative, interview-based, grounded theory research with 25 adolescents and young adults who use AAC about their use of digital technology and online social media. The data presented here are part of a larger study, and the findings within this article suggest that participants have a desire to use the internet and online social media as it is perceived to increase opportunities for self-determination and self-representation whilst enriching friendships. The wide diversity of literacy and language skills amongst participants, as well as accessibility challenges, mean collaborating with others and receiving technical support from educational settings, families and friends are vital.

“Social Media has Opened a World of ‘Open communication:’” experiences of Adults with Cerebral Palsy who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication and Social Media

“…Specifi cally, researchers have observed that individuals who use AAC face a range of barriers as they learn to navigate online communities (Hynan et al, 2014;Raghavendra et al, 2013). These barriers may result from both intrinsic and extrinsic factors.…”

“…These barriers may result from both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Prior research suggests that the most commonly identifi ed barriers for adolescents and young adults with complex communication needs learning to use social media are the lack of well-developed literacy skills and technology supports (Hynan et al, 2014;Raghavendra et al, 2012). In contrast, the older participants in the present study all had well-developed language and literacy skills; they primarily highlighted intrinsic and extrinsic barriers related to access diffi culties (e.g., limited motor skills), their slow rate during online synchronous communication (e.g., interactions via Google Talk 21 ), and technology limitations (e.g., problems with their AAC devices, poorly designed display layouts, limited accessibility of social media sites, and diffi culties connecting their AAC devices with social media sites).…”

“…The participants highlighted the benefi ts of using social networking and that friends/siblings played a signifi cant role in supporting the set-up of social networking sites. Hynan, Murray, and Goldbart (2014) interviewed 25 adolescents and young adults (ages 14 -24) who used AAC about their use of digital technology and online social media. Participants expressed how social media helped them to keep in touch with people, be understood by others, and express themselves more fully (e.g., show humor, share narratives).…”

Applying a critical approach to investigate barriers to digital inclusion and online social networking among young people with disabilities

“…This study also found that online activities were similar for both groups, yet parents of the teens with a disability were more concerned about Internet safety (Lathouwers et al, ). However, a British study of 25 adolescents and young people with communication disabilities found that Internet and social media use were limited more by literacy skills and the availability of AT (Hynan et al, ).…”

A grounded theory of Internet and social media use by young people who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)

“…The benefits of being online were perceived by the participants as: increased opportunities for self-determination and self-representation; increased online social capital opportunities; talking to everyone; reduced isolation; possible dating support and tools with which to build resilience networks [102,103]. These findings may have implications for future research to consider whether being online can support perceptions of social inclusion and participation for people who use AAC, in much the same way as previously discussed antecedents support perceptions of community-based social inclusion and social belonging in the offline world.…”