by Robin Sanford, speech-language pathologist (she/her/hers) and Kathy Smith, retired speech-language pathologist and NWACS board member (she/her/hers)

The views expressed in this post are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of NWACS. No endorsement by NWACS is implied regarding any device, manufacturer, resource, or strategy mentioned.

Part 1 reading time: 5 minutes

Scott Palm to me: "What do you think people should know about AAC users?"

Scott asking me to give him my thoughts on what people should know about AAC users is akin to Captain Kirk asking a tribble how to pilot the USS Enterprise. Did I get that right? (Scott loved to tease me over my general distaste of Star Trek. He, on the other hand, was a massive fan.)

My name is Robin Sanford. I became an SLP in 2018. I worked at PROVAIL for many years before gaining my degree. First as support staff, and then later as a house manager. During this time, I met many colorful people. Including four people who changed the trajectory of my life: Alan King, Sharon Jodock-King, Kathy Smith, and Scott Palm. These four people taught me about AAC, led me to find my passion for communication, and cheered me on as I completed my journey toward becoming an SLP. [You can learn more about Sharon and Alan in this tribute Kathy and I wrote in 2022: https://nwacs.info/blog/2022/2/the-challenges-of-being-a-pioneer-in-aac]

I think I first met Scott at a Mexican restaurant. I don’t think it was Avocados, which later became our regular spot. It was somewhere in Seattle. I was with Sharon and Alan. Alan told me we were meeting his ‘kid’ and gave me no other context. Scott pulled up shouting, “Mom!", "Dad!” - and the rest was history. After that first meeting, we made sure to hang out as a group on the regular. I learned that the three had met while living at the same residential facility (Scott being the youngest). And that they all had worked with Kathy Smith, who served as their SLP for decades. Kathy later became my mentor and friend.

I loved seeing the AAC systems that Sharon, Alan, and Scott used! All three used PRC devices. Sharon’s system was fairly straightforward: a device placed into a lap tray that she accessed using her left thumb. Alan used a dedicated device that was mounted across the front of his power chair that he controlled with a mouse via a footplate. Scott also utilized a device in a tray with direct selection. But he was a techie. He had everything connected to his device:

a battery pack for power,
his cellphone,
television remote,
computer,
even his thermostat.

Scott never knew how impressive I found his set-up. He could do more with technology than I ever could.

About a decade ago, Kathy let me know that Scott needed help fixing some wiring that connected his device to his wheelchair battery for extra power. I found AAC systems fascinating. Alan enjoyed testing the definition of “indestructible”, so I had become pretty good at fixing complex AAC systems. A volunteer named Joe and I headed up to Scott’s home in Everett and did some wire repair. I became pretty invested in keeping Scott’s system functioning. Later, after finding out how much I loved AAC, I headed off to graduate school. Scott and I lost contact.

After graduating with my degree, Kathy asked me if I would like to work with Scott as his SLP as she moved toward retirement. Scott managed his device independently but preferred to have regular SLP services. This is not something that insurance would cover, so I began volunteering with Scott on a regular basis. Scott never really told me how accomplished he was. He didn’t share that he was a PRC ambassador or ran his own business. He rarely shared details about his presentations around advocacy and interacting with people with disabilities. He primarily liked to tease me about my dislike of Star Trek and ask what I thought about current events. After Alan and Sharon passed away, he made sure to keep our group together. Scott, Kathy, and I regularly went out to lunch at Avocados and celebrated years of friendship. In fact, just a few weeks before Scott passed, we ate takeaway from Avocados at his place while taking down his Christmas decorations. He was proud to show us his newest tech gadget: a device that allowed him to contact a third party if he needed help while he was in bed.

When I think about Scott and ways to honor his passing, I think the best way is to answer his question: what do I think people should know about AAC users? So Scott, here’s the best I can do. I hope it makes you proud.

1 - AAC is something that anybody can use. All people involved in a user’s life should know how to use it. You might be supporting a person who is limited by their physical body. For example, Scott could tell a person exactly how to navigate his device, but his cerebral palsy impacted his ability to plug it in independently. He felt nervous having people help him with simple things like this because people were scared of his communication system. It is important the user trusts that their support person can assist them when needed.

2 - High-tech AAC can and will break down. Unfortunately, this is a part of life. So have a backup system! For Scott, this was a simple letter board. He had me make him 9 copies. These small laminated boards were a lifesaver for things like

hospital stays,
mealtimes when his high-tech device was covered,
or even when he was in bed for the night.

3 - Do not interrupt an AAC user. Does it sometimes take the AAC user a long time to express their message? Yes. Should you talk around them while they are formulating their message? No. Should you judge them for things like breaking eye contact? No. Should you try and finish what they are saying out loud if you think you know what their message is? Absolutely not.

4 - Do not speak for an AAC user. This is something that happens often. A person using a device to support their communication is perfectly capable of

answering questions about what they want to eat,
expressing their thoughts on medical care, or
telling where they are headed on the bus.

When interacting with an AAC user, everyone should speak directly with the AAC user.

5 - Do not underestimate AAC users. Sometimes people think that a person using a communication device is not intelligent. When every word you use requires a 1- to 3-hit sequence and you have to memorize it…that requires some serious brain power. Some of the most intelligent people in my life are AAC users. Judging people based on their looks or how they communicate is foolish.

6 - The field of AAC is always evolving and growing. Be a lifelong learner. Invest in taking extra courses. Use the caregiver support courses that are often offered by AAC companies. Ask questions and enjoy the ride!

by Kathy Smith

Part 2 reading time: 1 minute

When David Scott Palm passed away this month, we lost an ambassador for augmentative communication.

I met Scott in 1980 when he moved to the United Cerebral Palsy Residential Center in Shoreline. It was a 110-bed facility primarily serving younger people with severe physical disabilities. The focus of the facility (now closed) was to help the residents become more independent so that they could move to independent living. The staff included physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, recreational therapy, etc. I was privileged to be the speech-language pathologist.

Knowledge about augmentative communication services was extremely limited at that time. We had lap trays with pictures or words displayed. That was about it. Scott and his cohorts wanted more. They NEEDED more!

Scott and I worked together since that time. For over 40 years, we worked to obtain more and more functional communicators for him. He became an ambassador. Not only for the company that made his augmentative communication system, Prenke Romich Company (PRC). But also for the state of Washington and beyond. He was an employee of the state, giving in-services (using his communicator) to people learning how to be caregivers. He was an ambassador at Star Trek conventions showing the movie stars and other attendees a different method of communication.

Wherever he went, Scott was an ambassador. We will all miss Scott not only for how fun he was but also because of what he taught us about life.

Read more about Scott in these previous posts on the NWACS blog:

AAC Spotlight: Scott Palm, AAC User - https://nwacs.info/blog/2017/5/aac-spotlight-scott-palm-aac-user

Integrating AAC with Other Technologies (co-written by Scott) - https://nwacs.info/blog/2018/7/integrating-aac-with-other-technologies

In Memory of Bruce Baker (written by Scott) - https://nwacs.info/blog/2020/5/in-memory-of-bruce-baker