title: Tweet reach: a research protocol for using Twitter to increase information exchange in people with communication disabilities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To (a) outline the background to research evaluating Twitter use by people with severe physical and communication disabilities participating actively in online communication forums for increasing information exchange and (b) illustrate a range of potential methods that might be applied in furthering research on the use of social media by people with developmental and acquired communication disabilities.
  
  
  METHODS
  The literature on communication disabilities, augmentative and alternative communication, and social media research informed the rationale for and design of three studies investigating the use of Twitter by people with communication disabilities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  To date, there is little information in the literature about how people with a range of communication disabilities might use Twitter to increase their access to information and help them to feel knowledgeable and in control of their own lives.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this paper, three studies are proposed to investigate the use of Twitter by people with communication disabilities.
authors.affiliation: School of Humanities and Social Science, The University of Newcastle , Callaghan, NSW , Australia .
authors.forename: Bronwyn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hemsley
authors.forename: Stuart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Balandin
mesh_terms: D022126:Access to Information; D000328:Adult; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis; D001037:Aphasia; D002547:Cerebral Palsy; D003143:Communication Devices for People with Disabilities; D003147:Communication Disorders; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018579:Patient Selection