If you wake up one day and think "I don't feel like speaking", you deserve access to AAC and accommodation. If you wake up one day and think "I'd like to speak today", you deserve to not be questioned. If you want to switch between speaking and AAC in the middle of the day, you deserve that choice.

Speech loss episodes are so much worse when you have just a phone and then there’s an ad so you can’t even speak.

Lots of love to my fellow folks who struggle with verbality, no matter the reason.

uhh idk, i haven’t seen a lot of suggestion posts for what buttons to add to your AAC so i made one. here are my suggestions for super basic buttons

GENERAL

- hello, goodbye

- yes, no, maybe, i don’t know

- sorry, (it’s) okay, please, thank you

- who, what, where, when, why, how

- like, dislike, love, hate

- this, that

- up to you

- by the way

- excuse me

- is that okay?

- what’s up?

- i don’t think so

- do you have any ideas?

- what were you going to say?

- what do you mean?

- i need help please

add an acknowledgment section for phrases that show you’re acknowledging what people have to say (oh, yeah, that’s interesting, cool, etc.)

ADVOCACY

- i don’t like this/that

- that’s not okay

- that’s a slur

- thats transphobic/homophobic/racist/sexist/ableist/etc.

- that’s rude/fucked up

- intended or not, you’re being rude

- it’s ableist to take away someone’s communication device, either by force, or by asking them to stop using it.

- autism is not an intellectual disability, it’s a neurodevelopmental disability, it can come with commorbid intellectual disabilities, but that isn’t inherent

- no, not everyone is, quote unquote, on the spectrum, autism is a serious disability, not everyone has it.

AAC

- i’m having a verbal shutdown (depends on the user)

- i don’t want to verbalize right now (depends on the user)

- AAC stands for augmentative and alternative communication

- AAC is for anyone who needs or wants to use it

- i use AAC for/to/because… (depends on user)

- i would describe myself as [verbality label such as nonverbal, semi-verbal, verbalflux, selectively mute, etc]

- your verbality label and its definition

- please don’t look at my screen while i’m talking without asking

- please don’t talk on my behalf

- i am using buttons right now instead of typing, so i may be slower than normal

- sorry, i’m still typing

- please be patient

- my device needs to be charged so i can speak

I can't I'm seen as fully verbal

I can speak

Idk why aac is easier

Its more comfortable

I like it

I wish I could use it more

Speaking is tiring it hurts

Unless you’re nonspeaking/nonverbal, then you don’t get it. Yes, even if you’re a part time AAC user. Yes, even if you’re an occasional AAC user. Yes, even if you use AAC the majority of the time but are verbal or demiverbal or semiverbal.

You don’t get it. You don’t get what it’s like to rely completely on a device. On other people. You don’t get the fear, the anxiety, the loneliness, the pain. You don’t get the ableism we face. Or the fact that we can’t experience certain connections.

You don’t get that I can’t say thank you and therefore get weird looks. You don’t get that I can’t say please, or sorry, or anything like that. You won’t get what it’s like to have to make your parent your medical proxy because you can’t make doctors appointments yourself, so therefore they know everything about your medical history. You have no privacy. You don’t get what it’s like.

You don’t get the fear of seeing your devices battery slowly die because you’ve been using it but you still have hours left of class or you are out in public and know you need something to communicate but your device will inevitably die on you.

You don’t get what it’s like to go into the AAC community and see part time users be risen up and supported, then for full time users to be ignored and and told our experiences are so different that they shouldn’t even be talked about in these spaces because it leaves people out.

You don’t get what it’s like to be beyond frustrated with other AAC users because although they’re apart of our community, they’re forcing themselves into our conversations as full time nonverbal/nonspeaking users. You don’t get that frustration. The want to scream.

You don’t get what it’s like to see people push themselves into your community for only their self gain. For their own selfishness. For the sake of saying “I’m an AAC user too!!!! I can say these things!!” When no…I’m not talking about you. I’m not talking about part time AAC users.

I feel like people don’t realize that yes, AAC users are a minority themselves, and a marginalized community, but full time users, they’re a marginalized community and a minority within the very community that they fucking built.

Part time AAC users, occasional AAC users, people who are not nonspeaking/nonverbal, it’s time to start realizing your own privilege within the community. It’s time to start letting us talk too. It’s time to stop forcing your way into our conversations. It’s time to listen to us.

Text Verbal

[PT: Text Verbal]

Text Verbal, a non official term for those who may be in the non-verbal spectrum and may find the only way they can communicate is though the use of texting.

Emoji Text Verbal, a subtype of Text Verbal where one finds using emojis instead of texting easier. (Can be related to texting quirks)

[Text ID: in Alt text]

[Emoji ID: in Alt text]

[Tag] @radiomogai, @liom-archive , @liomarchive , @imoga-pride , @the-mogai-archives , @mad-pride, @madarchive

[Credit] Symbol Used(link)

DNI is listed within my pinned post. Please go read it before interacting with any part of my content. Ask to tag.

stuff!!!!

STUFF!!!!!!

[ID: userboxes with black on white text, and their respective flag placed at the far left.

in order, they say "this user is semiverbal," "this user is nonverbal," "this user is nonverbal" (alt flag), "this user is semiverbal," "this user is verbalflux," "this user is hyperverbal," and "this user is AAC-punk!" /end ID]

[ID: more userboxes, with the AAC user flag! in order, they say "this user needs AAC to communicate," "this user uses AAC to communicate," "this user uses AAC for speech loss episodes," and "this user uses AAC for verbal shutdowns." /end ID]

[ID: blank versions of the previous userboxes. in order, they're the semiverbal, nonverbal, demiverbal, verbal flux, AAC punk, nonverbal (alt), AAC user, and hyperverbal flags /end ID]

flag credits!!!

I'm so tired all of the goddamn time!

It tires me to think.

It tires me to stand.

It tires me to be awake.

It tires me to be asleep.

It tires me to write.

It tires me to talk to people.

It tires me to be around people.

It tires me to talk.