Communication aids can be truly life-changing to the people who need them but the problem is there is no one size fits all. Before we can supply funding for a communication aid, we need to know firstly which device is required.

If you suspect that somebody you know may be in need of a communication aid, you’ll need to be referred to a speech and language therapist who will work with you to determine what sort of device is suitable for the needs of the person in question.

Based on their assessment, the therapist may offer hire use of a communication aid so that you can use it outside of a clinical environment and evaluate how much help it provides. It can take a few trial runs of a few devices to find one that works, so don’t be disheartened if you try a form of AAC that doesn’t work for you at first.

When completing assessments and trial runs it is important to be frank and honest about the pros and cons of your situation, so that the speech and language therapist gets an holistic overview of the needs that need to be met. Some people require a device solely for use at home while others may need a device that can be used at school or within a workplace.

Assistive technology is most beneficial to a person when they have lifelong support of friends, family and support professionals. Once you have found the correct communication aid and we have completed our funding towards the device, we offer lifelong support to our members and will even consider future fundraising if a device needs repairing or replacing as the users’ needs change.

If you would like to find out more information about some of the devices we supply, visit our communication aids page.