AAC Apps
for Mobile Devices
What is AAC?
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) assist people who are nonverbal or minimally verbal to express needs, wants, thoughts, and ideas. AAC refers to all forms of communication (except oral speech) which include gestures, text, or email.
Low tech AAC includes: picture boards, sign language, communication symbols, PECs, and voice output buttons/switches.
High tech AAC includes: iPad with AAC apps or dedicated speech generating devices (SGDs). There are many different types of AAC apps and SGDs.
AAC apps are tools that assist people in making phrases and sentences using symbols and text on a keyboard.
There is text-based AAC where the device is a text-based system with a keyboard. For people who can read and spell, they can type what they want to say. Text-prediction is often included in the system.
There is symbol-based AAC for people who cannot read or spell yet. Visual symbols or pictures are used to represent words or phrases.
Rationale
According to the medical model of disability, people with disabilities are often perceived to be less able.
In classrooms, students with complex communication needs often have less opportunities to participate. It is difficult to communicate without speech. How does a person express his or her thoughts? Communication is a basic human right. It is critical to increase communication and participation for children with disabilities to encourage more equity and inclusion within K-12 classrooms.
In recent years, the advancement of mobile technologies has provided alternate ways for people to communicate. Mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones along with AAC apps such as Proloquo2go by AssistiveWare, CoughDrop AAC, Speak for Yourself AAC, TouchChat by Saltillo, and LAMP Words for Life by PRC have made owning an AAC device more affordable for those with communication disabilities. More schools and families are able to use AAC apps to support students who have little or no speech to communicate and develop their AAC competencies.
The communicator's needs and AAC device should be reviewed on an annual basis to determine if it is the best fit. There needs to be collective decision making including the family, school, and specialists. Schools should consider the use of AAC within the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Framework.
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For 2021-2022, the BC Ministry of Education has been provided with an additional $260M in operating grants to school districts in 2021/22, for a total of $5.756B (out of an annual operating budget of $6.758B).
The Ministry has also increased the basic per-student allocation for standard, alternate and continuing education schools rate by 4.3% for 2021-2022. Other changes include an additional $37.3M for students with special needs, which represents a 6% increase.
In 2020-2021, students with special needs were being supported with $627 million in supplemental funding. For 2021-2022, supplemental funding for students with special needs has increased by $37M to $664M, which represents 9.83% of the Ministry's annual operating budget.
Analytical Framework: The Cube
Type of Market
The market focus is the BC K-12 school system, where additional training is required to bring equality and inclusion for nonverbal and minimally verbal students within the classroom environment. The use of AAC apps on mobile devices will help promote and bring about equalized classroom education across the province.
Offering Type
AAC apps are tools for multiple means of expression and they reduce barriers for students with little or no oral speech. Using the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework with AAC apps, educators are provided with support for flexible and customizable approaches for learning in an inclusive classroom.
AAC app developers provide content based training and video tutorials that can be accessed by students, parents, and educators. Despite this, more is needed to support users with individual customization, regular practice, and expert guidance.
Visit the CAST website for an interactive version of these guidelines.
Buyers
AAC apps can be purchased by anyone online. Buyers of AAC apps may be AAC users, family members of AAC users, and professionals working with AAC users.
In this Analyst Report, the BC Ministry of Education is currently the buyer and the one who makes the purchasing decision for all the schools within this province. Local schools get the funding to provide support and implement local changes in order to create a true inclusive learning experience for the students.
Our ASK:
- $500 for AAC app
- $500 for AAC device
- $1,000 for training
The total ASK is $2,000 per student (compared to $6,000 per student for $5,000 SGD + $1,000 training)
The Ministry will be able to help more students and expedite the progress in reaching the goals and objectives as specified in its Service Plan.
Global Target
AAC apps are being used in English-speaking countries including the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK. Most of the current AAC apps available globally are built in English. There are very few AAC apps in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Punjabi, Russian, and other languages. There is an opportunity to translate AAC apps into these other languages.
Market Status
In recent years, the landscape of AAC has changed significantly. The ability of AAC apps being put onto consumer devices (instead of only on dedicated SGDs) have made high tech AAC more accessible and affordable for everyone. The local market for AAC is developing. Many people with complex communication needs are able to obtain AAC devices; however, the sharing and knowledge of AAC practices have not been able to develop at the same rate. BC has identified and developed supports for students with special needs and the associated funding has been allocated within the Ministry of Education’s Service Plan.
Competition
Currently, the use of AAC apps is not very well integrated with the rest of the educational system. First of all, only a small number of special need students who are nonverbal and minimally verbal currently receive the AAC supports that they need. In other words, many of these students are still awaiting AAC supports. Secondly, some of the students who have access to AAC apps lack support from educators to fully integrate them into the classroom setting and develop their AAC competencies. An example of this is a student with an AAC device and app, but sitting quietly in the classroom and without the opportunity to participate in classroom discussions. In summary, there needs to be both access to the AAC app and the opportunity to inclusively use this app within the classroom. There is currently a gap in the provision of AAC apps to those in need and also the support from educators to meaningfully include students with special needs into classroom discussions and participation.