(Tw for ableism that isn't explicity described)
I want to talk about some of the struggles of being an AAC user. I won't cover all of it obviously, because that would take an intense amount of time. I assume it'll all be covered by my blog at some point, spread throughout lots of posts.
Some AAC users (Including myself at times) experience frustration and difficulty with their AAC (whether high tech or low tech), perhaps because it is difficult for them, or because it takes too long. They might also face stigma and discrimination due to being nonspeaking. This can lead to feeling isolated, frustrated, and not understood. I have experienced both quite a bit, as well as embarrassment because I worry about being viewed as an "I-Pad kid". I am currently working on being less embarrassed, and something that has been helpful for me is seeing other AAC users online (though in person would be even cooler), and adding fun stickers to my case.
Another hard thing faced by some AAC users is the need to constantly educate others about their communication needs and how to interact with them. This can be exhausting and emotionally taxing, especially when you don't have friends, family, etc. near you who understand and support you. I am lucky to have those types of people. I hope my Tumblr blog can reduce these types of scenarios, even slightly.
I also feel sad because I don't see people like me represented much on tv, and when we are (which isnt often) the entire show is usually about our disablity.
