Participatory Design and Research: Challenges for Augmentative and Alternative Communication Technologies

User-Centred Design (UCD) and Participatory Action Research (PAR) have laid the foundations for Universal Accessibility. The inclusion of disabled end users in the design of digital Assistive Technology (dAT) is now an expectation within the accessibility field. However, some areas of dAT research fall short of this gold standard, especially when end users have speech, language and/or cognitive impairments. This is a particular challenge when developing technology for individuals who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). In her ASSETS 2021 keynote talk, Prof. Waller provides a brief history of the development of AAC technologies since the early 1970s with a focus on users with severe speech and physical disabilities, illustrating that, despite significant advances in technology, the underlying design of AAC has not changed. This is in part due to challenges associated with the inclusion of a diverse user group in all stages of research from project ideation to product evaluation. She will demonstrate how a more inclusive approach might be achieved and will challenge the research community to consider the nature of interdisciplinary research teams and their role in setting the research agenda.