I’m autistic and a full time AAC user. When I first started listening to this podcast; I loved it found it inspiring. And it made me want to be around and support other AAC users.
It’s also been very educational and gets me thinking about stuff. Some of the concepts they talk about (like explicit teaching) are applicable outside an AAC context and have helped give me more perspective, and language, to communicate and understand my needs and experiences.
The SLP perspective is also not one I am exposed to much.
But, as I have listened back further (to the end of 2019 or close to it) I’ve found some patterns that rub me the wrong way as a disabled adult AAC user.
I think overall the style of the podcast is conversations that start from “we agree” and then it’s elaborating on that agreement. Usually it works, but when there is new information it can fall flat particularly having listened back and knowing that there isn’t always perfect alignment. I think recognizing that more and exploring that, and having discussions on why something is new to you in the moment with the person you are talking to, would be invaluable. I think practicing not being the expert and having that come through more would be amazing.
Now that dynamic particularly bothers me as a disabled listener because in all the interviews, Chris and Rachel are the experts. They interact as experts. With AAC users, you are not the experts. And, in the interviews with AAC users I have noticed other patterns that bother me as well.
I know it’s not intentional, but it’s there.
At the end of the day from the SLP perspective, AAC users are clients, and patients. We are not seen as equals. We are not seen as friends, coworkers, professionals. That is a hard truth but it is true. There have been at most 3 AAC user interviews that I have not seen this perspective bleeding through. And these were scattered throughout, so it wasn’t “I’m learning to interact with non client AAC users better”, it’s a perspective issue. It’s a I am an SLP and the AAC users I interact with are my clients. This is how I know how to talk to AAC users. I’m not sure why the episodes it didn’t happen in were different, but it is something I notice. The way AAC users get interviewed, the questions they get, how they are responded to, it’s different. And not in a good way. I noticed it early but in a “I don’t like these episodes” kind of way, only on hearing more did I figure out what was bothering me.
The other thing is and I suspect this is a contributing factor, is the lack of exposure and familiarity with disabled adults. Rachel actually mentioned specifically in regards to autistic adults in an interview with Alyssa. Honestly that was really disappointing. I think professionals really benefit from and need that exposure.
I’ll reach out in case you read this and want to talk about it more, I really appreciate the podcast, you guys do great work, I’m only noticing areas for improvement, I’m not trying to dis you guys or anything!
