Barriers and Facilitators to Communication Accessibility as Perceived by People With Aphasia

Purpose: Communication access is a human right, but many individuals with communication impairments face challenges accessing their environments. As part of a larger study investigating barriers and facilitators to communication access in the retail/service industry, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the experiences of people with aphasia (PWA) accessing goods and services in their communities. Methods: Nine PWA were interviewed about their experiences accessing retail businesses and services. Interviews were coded and thematically analyzed to identify key themes related to barriers and facilitators to communication during business interactions. Stakeholders on the research team included two PWA, who provided input throughout the research process. Results: Three main themes were found: supporting communication, aphasia awareness and education, and respect for PWA. Codes within each theme comprised facilitators that led to positive experiences and barriers that led to negative business interactions. Discussion/Conclusions: People with aphasia identified tangible ways that retail businesses can be made more communicatively accessible. Stakeholders with aphasia made meaningful contributions to the research process. Future work will investigate how these findings, integrated with business perspectives, can be used to support businesses in applying strategies to become more communicatively accessible.