After my accident, I was partially paralyzed on my right side and I was unable to speak. I began to question my fate. What did I do to deserve this fate? I had gone from somebody who cares for others, to someone who now relies on others for some of the basic activities of daily living. This threw me into a depressed state for a long time after my incident. Then one day I read the above quote and it hit me. God has a plan for all of us. I had heard my parents say that hundreds of times before but until then, I didn’t really understand what it meant for me.

Fate is a funny thing. I never would have guessed that I would be living on my own again and working as a consumer representative. It makes me proud to say that I am still able to help others as an AAC user. Fate may have thrown me a curve ball but there is a saying that is very true for me.  It states: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

As it always goes, the first time had a few kinks that needed to be worked out.  For the first half hour of the meeting the leader’s microphone wasn’t working. But with some help he was able to get it working.  Then we were having trouble getting one of the web cams up and running. The only other problem that we had was the amount of reverb that I would get whenever I would increase the volume on my DynaVox V. 

Besides those few small hiccups the meeting went pretty well. I can’t wait to get a chance to use this platform to present to as many people that I can.

When growing up, I had two sets of friends.  One set was my neighborhood kids and the other was at the school.  I was happier at home with my “normal” friends – whatever normal was.  Though I couldn’t run or ride a bicycle, I felt accepted by my neighborhood friends.  My limitations didn’t affect our relationships.

One day, I was chasing four friends in their house in the walker that Dad had converted from my baby stroller.  Though the contraption seemed to carry my weight, it was too bulky for me to catch up with them.  They darted through the kitchen, and I did too.  They opened the screen door and went into the back yard.  Mom told me not to go out this door as the porch had several steps.  On this day, I was having fun so it was easy to ignore her warning – I wanted to catch my buddies.  So, I rammed the screen door with the converted stroller/walker, which made me mobile.   As I went out, however, I was suddenly all too aware of why mom had warned me to watch out for the steps.  There were about six steps.   I was leaning forward as I headed down the stairs and lost control.   I took a gasp of air before landing on my forehead.  I saw many stars before everything went black.  I awoke with a cold, wet blue rag on my face.  This incident helped me to realize how different I was from my friends who walked, ran, and played without anything to help them.

I remember when I first wished that everybody could have had understood my speech.   In my classroom, I usually sat in my leg braces with legs straight out to keep my tendons loose.  My hips were also locked in a sitting position for maintaining good sitting posture.  An aide would always come to put me in my standing table.   Once, he was too much in a rush, as he stood me up without unlocking my hips.   This was the first time that I wished that I could have spoken, as I was in great pain from my pelvic band digging into my back.  My back was bent like a kitchen pipe.   It was lucky that I couldn’t speak intelligibly, as I called the aide stupid and other things for forgetting to unlock my hips.   He continued in a hurry to close the door of the standing table with me in it with my arms on top.   Because I was in an enclosed hole, nobody saw my back bent in an “L” shape.  My closest friends who could understand my speech a little had no idea what I was saying, crying out in pain.   I wanted them to understand me so badly. Fortunately, the teacher called for the aide to get me out of that torture chamber and into my wheelchair again.   

Yes, life’s lessons have taught me that I am a little different and that I need a speaking device to communicate. However, I am just as normal inside as everybody else. My DynaVox gives me the freedom to express my normalcy; I can joke to say to watch out for your steps.

Growing up with sisters, I learned the art of compromise very early in life. Being the oldest of three, and then becoming the second of five at 13 years old, compromise became an art form.  My mom married my stepdad and he had two daughters of his own.  Getting ready for school was like controlled chaos but it worked because we all had a routine that worked.

AAC users, as with anyone else, are frequently faced with maddening situations.  We have a responsibility to learn how to adjust to the demands of daily life. If we are not able to work together to overcome our differences, we will never learn the best of what of what we have to offer to society. For example, if I had not received my first AAC device in college, I would not have graduated with my bachelor’s degree in social work or be writing this blog.

If more were willing to compromise and see the bigger picture, the world would be a more peaceful and safer place to live. There is no doubt in my mind that the unwillingness of a few to compromise is at the root of today’s global societal problems.

Everyday life is actually complicated because at any moment a rule or policy can change that can affect how you live and get around.  And rules and policies change from one business or company to another.  So if you assume that things are a certain way when they are not, you might find yourself in a huge mess! 

As an augmented communicator, how do you avoid this?  Create a question page that will address an upcoming situation.  Think about the way you assume things will be and ask yourself how you know it will be that way.  If you don’t know, program questions about it in your question page.  And ask about every little step that will involve your ultimate goal.  This is important because if you are used to doing something a certain way and for any reason you need to change how you do something, you need to know beforehand so you can prepare. 

The only stupid question is the one you don’t ask.  With questions you get answers, and with answers you get power – the power to know how to do things so you can get farther in life.

Speaking at conferences is essential to me as an AAC user. This is a critical educational opportunity for the public at large. Also, it allows me to stay up to date with the latest AAC technology. A major priority for me and for any AAC user is the education of the general public of AAC technology and all of its benefits.

What are your priorities?  This question should stay in the back of your mind. Just as our lives continually change, our priorities do too. For example, my priority changed from getting to get my Bachelor’s degree to getting my MBA. Whatever your priorities are, don’t lose sight of them.

I write faster using word prediction on my Maestro than laboriously typing one character at a time on a typewriter using my head pointer. By typing so slowly, I would lose my train of thought. In taking over five minutes to write one sentence, for instance, I had 10 other ideas running in my head of what I wanted to convey. Of course, after writing the sentence, I was lucky to remember half of the ideas. Now, when I use my Maestro, I recall my thoughts quicker. My creative juices flow much easier.

Writing letters and emails is so effortless now that it amazes me for this same reason. It used to take me a solid day or two to type a full page, single space letter. Using word prediction on my Maestro, I can crank out a communiqué with the same amount of words in one or two hours. My preference is to write a paragraph on my device, and then send the text to my computer via my infrared AccessIT.  The difference is like night and day. When I finish writing, I can move forward to the next item in my agenda instead of blocking an entire day or two to press one character at a time on a typewriter.

Another reason why I believe I am a better writer is because I can hear each word going into the message window, as I do in talking to people. When I used a typewriter, I would invariably skip words, used the incorrect tense, etc. In short, my grammar was lousy. It isn’t quite so bad now, especially with hearing each word as I write. In addition, I get a second chance by hearing a paragraph sent to my computer so that I can correct any mistakes.

Before my first version of my autobiography ran out of print, it was in a loose-leaf binder. My intention was to have it self-published in a normal paperback book format. However, my friends noticed too many mistakes in my manuscript so I agreed to let them edit it at their leisure. Since then, I have written an epilogue for the book. My friends noticed a vast improvement in my writing – so much so that I am considering rewriting the manuscript. This is a testimonial of how AAC has brought success to another area of my life.

I have put a profile on the website Care.com, which links up nannies with families. Children are always very inquisitive about my device. I have applied to a few jobs in my area and went on an interview. It seemed to go well and the kids were intrigued with my DynaWrite. Hopefully, the parents thought so too! Though this job has little to do with AAC, it still affords me the opportunity to educate others about this technology. The fact that I’m getting paid for it is just icing on the cake. Along with this blog, I am able to educate people of all ages about AAC, which really has become my task in life.

This is just my latest opportunity to come my way. What are your new opportunities? I saw mine and seized it. So, it’s up to you!

I’ll never forget the day the special education teacher exploded at the class.  I was in special education and no one knew I was helping with an after school play for extra credit.  The teacher overheard someone say “I wish we could do something after school.”  Someone else said “Yeah but we never get asked.”  I was sitting there trying to ignore the conversation because they never even tried out for anything.  The teacher couldn’t take any more and I remember him just totally exploding.  He told everyone to stop, just stop.  He said there was one person in the room that was getting extra credit for doing something after school.  Everyone looked around not knowing who, how, or why.  I was in shock when the teacher told everyone was I was doing because I didn’t think he even knew.  But he told everyone how I went to a try out, arranged for a later bus to bring me home, and he told everyone that they can’t sit and wait to be asked, they need to go after what they want in life. 

As I write for Voice for Living, and as it’s the start of a new school year, I want to encourage everyone to try out for something.  If you can’t cheer lead, maybe you can write cheers.  If you can’t act, maybe you can direct.  If you can’t play sports, maybe you can take care of the equipment.  The only limit anyone has is when they never go after their dreams.  Who cares what you can’t do, the only thing that matters is what you can do!  Never give up, because once you give up you set your own limits.

Do all that you can and let your success become your voice for living.

There is one aspect of body language, however, that may be more prevalent than all others is eye contact. Human eyes are said to hold the key to the soul. In the professional world, as well as in the dating world, understanding how to convey messages through your eyes, as well as read the minds of others through interpretation of their body language and eye contact, will go a long way in interpreting what may not be said through verbal conversation. My family says that you can read my eyes like a book and often I don’t even have to say anything.

As a nonverbal person, I understand the importance of eye contact during personal and professional communications. The eyes, for example, can say a lot about you during a presentation. Eye contact is essential when giving a presentation. This is something that I know that I need to be aware of when giving a presentation. People will tend to lose interest in what you are saying if you are staring at the screen or looking at the floor. 

In a personal conversation it is just as important to remember to make eye contact whether giving a presentation, talking with coworkers or just speaking with your family and friends. Eye contact can relay our innermost thoughts and desires. It can let the person we are speaking with know our emotional connection and interest in what we are conversing about. Failing to maintain eye contact during a conversation can send mixed signals to the person with whom you are speaking. It is often construed as a lack of interest or an indication of a short attention span. 

All of us, regardless of whether we are augmented communicators or not, are equipped with a powerful tool in eye contact. It can be used in positive ways to effectively express confidence, intellect, honesty, and more.