title: An activity systemic approach to augmentative and alternative communication.
abstract: The purpose of this paper is to discuss and highlight how Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) can contribute to the understanding of the different factors at play when a person is using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). It is based on data from a 3-year project concerning activity-based vocabulary design of voice output communication aids (VOCAs). Four persons who used AAC and their assistants were interviewed about shopping activities and their views about a vocabulary that included pre-stored phrases. A CHAT model, the Activity Diamond, was applied in an analysis of the data. The result was a multiplicity of human, artifactual, and natural factors, in which six themes were identified: Attitude/Preference, Expectation/Trust, Goal/Power, Place/Space, Time/Learning, and Usability/Accessibility. The themes are exemplified and discussed in relation to AAC.
authors.affiliation: Lund University, Lund, Sweden. per-olof.hedvall@certec.lth.se
authors.forename: Per-Olof
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Hedvall
authors.forename: Bitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rydeman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016477:Artifacts; D001290:Attitude; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003143:Communication Devices for People with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D057240:Patient Preference; D035502:Trust; D014825:Vocabulary; D055815:Young Adult