They say that necessity is the mother of invention. If this holds true, then ACC is in its infancy.  As people with speech, as well as other, impediments continue to use devices, such as AAC, they will continually design and engineer better devices to fully integrate individuals with disabilities into mainstream society. This is evident by the evolution of the DynaVox products. The DynaMyte 3100 that I used to use is outdated compared to the latest product line. The DynaWrite that I use now is much easier to use and to program presentations.  It also has great capacity to adapt to any disability.   

For me, speech is my biggest hurdle in life. Though I have some partial paralysis on my right side, it has not slowed me down.  However, cerebral palsy affects others more profoundly and they need different adaptations to their AAC devices, such as switches, the ability to make selections using eyegaze or, bigger buttons to access their device. The best example of this is theoretical physicist Dr. Stephen Hawking, who is living with ALS. He epitomizes what a person can accomplish with AAC technology if they have the right accommodations.  Check out this article in Business Week to see how technology is an intergral part of Dr. Hawking’s life.