Augmentative and Alternative Communication Devices and the Individuals Who Borrow Them A’Dreanna Truesdell Ta’Tanese Epps ABSTRACT: This project will evaluate the effectiveness of SCATP’s device loan service. Participants include 34 individuals who have borrowed a communication device between the years 2012 and 2016. Participants were sent a survey through Survey Monkey. The results showed that over half of the individuals who borrow a device go on to purchase their own communication device. The results also provided information about consumer satisfaction regarding the device loan service. RESULTS: Figure 4. Consumers report their perceived effect that the device loan had on the child’s independence Figure 1. These results show who got their own communication device after the loan service INTRODUCTION: The South Carolina Assistive Technology Program (SCATP) is a federally funded program under the Assistive Technology Act of 2004. It provides assistive technology resources to individuals with disabilities, their caregivers, and the professionals who serve them. SCATP promotes South Carolinians with disabilities to achieve greater independence, productivity, and quality of life through the use of assistive technology devices and services. SCATP provides several services for individuals with disabilities and their families such as: trainings, demonstrations, and device loan. People from all over the state visit SCATP to explore the possibility of assistive technology. One of the most sought after forms of assistive technology is augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. AAC devices are a researched and valid solution for individuals who have a communication disorder. AAC devices are technologies that allow individuals to communicate in ways other than speech. In a study that interviewed six primary caregivers of AAC users, the caregivers stated that AAC devices helped to increase their child’s independent living and social competence. (Bailey et.al, 2006). Approximately 8 in every 1000 people in the United States have communication disorders. This means that approximately 2 million people in the United States could benefit from the use of an AAC device. However, fewer than five percent of individuals who could benefit from the use of AAC devices actually use them. For every 1000 children in U.S. schools, three to five of those are potential AAC users. Students who have communication disabilities can be found within various disability groups such as developmental disability, intellectual disability, and severely behaviorally impaired (Beukelman, 2017). This study will include the dissemination of surveys to AAC device borrowers who have utilized the services of SCATP in the past five years. This survey will seek to answer the following questions: 1) Did the individual who utilized SCATP’s device loan service secure their own AAC device? 2) Is the individual who borrowed an AAC device able to do more now than before the communication device loan? 3) Did the SC Assistive Technology Program staff provide resources for learning how to edit and use the communication device when the device was borrowed? 4) How helpful was SCATP in helping the individual and his family in obtaining their own AAC device? The information provided by these surveys will help SCATP assess the efficacy of its services. This investigation will also help SCATP explore better ways to navigate their consumers through the process of obtaining their desired devices after their loan service is complete. CONCLUSIONS: This study set out to determine the quality of the SCATP device loan service. SCATP’s mission is to facilitate access to and acquisition of assistive technology. The survey allowed consumers who have borrowed communication devices to share their experiences and opinions about the device loan service to assist SCATP evaluate the effectiveness of its program. Overall, this project provided SCATP with valuable information on the effectiveness of their services and also areas in which they can improve in order to obtain greater consumer satisfaction. This project had some limitations. The short length of the survey may have not allowed for more detailed responses. This project had 34 participants. Considering how many people utilize SCATP’s device loan program annually, this was a relatively small sample. Another limitation to this project, was that some responses could not be reported and analyzed due to the use of the “other” option for some survey items. Figure 2. These results show consumers reporting if the SCATP provided them with information and resources to learn how to edit and use the device borrowed REFERENCES: Bailey, R., Jr. Parette, H., Stoner, J., Angell, M., Carroll, K. (2006). Family members’ perceptions of augmentative and alternative device use. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in the Schools, 37, 50-60. Beukelman, D. (2017) AAC practice in michigan: what has changed in 10 years? University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Education and Human Services: Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Retrieved from http://cehs.unl.edu/aac/demographic-information/ Katsioloudis, P., and Jones, M. (2013). Assistive technology: fixing humans. Technology and Engineering Teacher. 26-31. McNaughton, D., Rackensperger, T., Wood-Benedek, E., Krezman, C., Williams, M., Light, J. (2008). ‘‘A child needs to be given a chance to succeed’’: parents of individuals who use AAC describe the benefits and challenges of learning AAC technologies. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 12 (1), 43-55. doi:10.1080/07434610701421007 Severe Speech Disabilities and Speech Communication Devices. DynaVox Mayer-Johnson. Retrieved from http://dynavoxtech.com/download.ashx?FileId=369&DocId=17f924af-04b2-409f-a079- c9f49dc1109d This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number T73MC22233, Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disorders Training Program.  This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. Figure 3. These results show consumer reports on how helpful the SCATP was in helping the consumer receive their own communication device METHODS: Collected names and contact information of individuals who borrowed a communication device through the device loan service in the past 5 years Developed 10 survey questions that addressed the project’s research questions. Used Survey Monkey to design and send out surveys to participants