This is a plain-language summary of a journal article. The article is one of 21 articles in a special issue of the AAC journal (Volume 41, Issue 3, 2025). All the articles are written or co-written by AAC users. The articles are free to read. Plain-language summaries of research are important for accessibility. Providing summaries in plain language helps make complex information easier to read. This helps to better understand and put the research into practice.
Summary of: Beyond access: the intersecting role of AAC, literacy, and technology by Zimmerman (2025)
Jordyn Zimmerman describes her personal experiences with augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). She focuses on AAC, spelling, reading, and writing. Jordyn is an AAC user. She has a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. She works in AAC, education, and technology.
Looking back to look ahead
Jordyn did not have access to robust AAC tools while growing up. Robust AAC is AAC that gives access to writing your own words, and there are no limits to the number of words you can use.
Jordyn learned language when she was young. She learned it from her parents and from TV. She developed the skills to understand, and express ideas. Jordyn wasn’t given structured experiences to learn reading and writing.
Jordyn could not communicate reliably with speech. Her school said she had “challenging behaviors.” Jordyn was left out of the learning experiences that other children had.
Unfortunately, her story is common. People who don’t have access to language-based AAC are left out. They are left out of learning literacy skills, like how to read, spell, and write. Many educators believe that people who need AAC cannot learn literacy skills (Causton-Theoharis et al., 2011).
But, Jordyn was still learning. She learned from the captions on TV, by watching her brother, and being read to. She was so curious and fascinated by written language. With all this learning inside her, it was still believed that she had very limited language.
Learning from what happened to Jordyn
Jordyn’s experience shows three areas we need more research about.
- We need to understand why people are often not given access to AAC.
- We need to understand the systemic effects of this. Systemic effects are the things that happen across many different parts of life.
- We need to understand how we can make sure people get access to AAC starting when they are a baby.
Research is also needed to explore all the ways that people who need or use AAC can learn literacy skills.
Students with disabilities are less likely to read, spell, and write well (National Center for Education Statistics, 2022). Many students who cannot rely on speech to communicate are kept apart from other students. This is called “segregation.” Segregated, disability-specific classrooms or schools offer less literacy instruction. We must agree that keeping literacy instruction from disabled students is not okay.
When Jordyn was 18 years old, she had some literacy instruction at school. Jordyn worked her way on to using AAC. Eventually she wrote her thoughts through “typing view.” Typing view is robust communication. With it, she was able to show everyone that she has intact language – she could read and spell.
Literacy and communication go together
Jordyn says learning opportunities expand in ways we can’t imagine when students are fully included and supported. It is important that people who need AAC are given the same opportunities. They should learn to read and write with their peers. They need to be able to share their ideas fully. It is traumatic to limit what people can say.
Jordyn has had access to robust language-based expressive AAC for ten years. She still has a lingering communication gap. This can impact her socially. Supporting and ensuring expressive communication is essential to literacy skills and vice versa. Neither is enough by itself.
AAC technologies should support literacy learning. Educators, speech-language pathologists (SLPs), and paraprofessionals must receive more training in AAC and literacy. SLPs are therapists who help people find the best ways to communicate for them. Paraprofessionals work alongside students to give them extra help in school. When we have access to literacy and communication, we have access to education, online communities, and employment in our digital world.
The need for AAC users in design and development
Technology can help or make it harder to learn and use literacy skills. Jordyn advocates that limitations of technology should be worked on immediately. AAC technology has come a long way since its start. But, AAC tools are not always designed to meet AAC users’ needs. There must be deep understanding around our needs, desires, and the problems we face. The technology should allow AAC users to try out different words. The technology needs to grow with us. And AAC users need to be part of the design process.
Jordyn reminds us how access to AAC tools that allow people to communicate their thoughts in full is a basic human right. It is necessary for all parts of society. We must make sure that all people get access to communication tools and support. These tools and supports can help us learn.
Citation:
Zimmerman, J. (2025). Beyond access: the intersecting role of AAC, literacy, and technology. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 41(3), 264–266.
Access the full article: https://doi.org/10.1080/07434618.2025.2504499
Portions of this paper were presented at the Future of AAC Research Summit held May 13-14, 2024, in Arlington, VA.
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