Effective instruction in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) must involve hands-on training with modern AAC devices, yet few universities can afford to invest in these expensive systems. For practitioners and AAC users, interactive training opportunities are even more restricted than for students. To address these shortcomings, a web- based delivery mechanism for AAC instruction is proposed. Unlike other distance learning initiatives, the proposed paradigm will allow learners to interact with a Virtual Augmentative Communication Device (VACD) that mimics the appearance and functionality of actual AAC devices. Written in Java to facilitate delivery via the Internet, the VACD will be embedded within instructional web pages to provide dynamic demonstrations and interactive simulations of augmentative technologies. The virtual device implementation will be based on IMPACT, a powerful and flexible AAC software package. A comprehensive tutorial on a representative subset of AAC - scanning techniques - will be designed, complete with laboratory exercises. Versions of the tutorial appropriate for practitioners and consumers will also be developed. The tutorials will then be converted to a series of web pages with embedded VACDs and multimedia content. The web-based instructional system will be assessed by pre-practitioners, practitioners, and consumers to establish the viability of the VACD approach.
The proposed web-based tutorials will be targeted at persons involved with augmentative communication at various levels, including pre-practitioners (30,000+), practitioners (100,000+), and consumers (with family and friends, 2,000,000+). With additional research and development, the virtual device at the core of the tutorials could be extended to provide a web-based communication solution for AAC users.
