AAC and the Workplace

Working for a living is a part of life, and choosing the right career pathway is a big decision for us all.  It is quite possible that most of us will be working for a very long time. It is important to be passionate about what we do, and enjoy our work. We all want to achieve greatness within ourselves, make a difference in our communities, and leave a legacy.

But, what if the person in the job cannot communicate verbally to their colleagues? That’s when AAC comes in. It allows the person to get their message across to their co-workers. However,  people in the workplace might not of had experience or training in communicating with someone who uses AAC. What can make things easier? Try and get the conversation going by visiting your non-verbal colleague one to one, to get to know them and get a feel for how they communicate. Remember that an AAC user is bursting to interact with their team. Be open minded and be open to feedback around the communication. We can all learn from our experiences and opinions of others.

After a few months, co-workers will realize that the AAC user is the same as everyone else. Colleagues might find the AAC user brings a different set of skills to the table and has valuable knowledge/insights from a different perspective. It is also really beneficial for the company or organization to hire someone who uses AAC. An organization should create a diverse workplace encouraging workers with different abilities. This sets an example for others, sending the message that it’s good to hire someone who communicates differently. This will bring greater awareness around the disability community working in the workplace. So, hire someone who uses AAC, or anyone for that matter with different abilities and diversity to make your workplace more inclusive. Who knows? This person may secure a significant grant or deal for the company. With that said, the employee might land a big promotion too!