buttons, puffs of air, eyebrow wrinkles, or other means. People who have significant
speech or language impairments often rely on gestures and facial expressions and body
movements.
There are a number of augmentative communication systems available to people who
are non-verbal. Blissymbolics, one example, is a graphic language often printed and
presented on the surface of a tray, but sometimes in books and increasingly frequently on
personal computers. Symbols accompanied by the equivalent word are written within
squares. Symbols may have to be presented one at a time. Each can be pointed to and
the client asked if it is the desired one, or a light can scan the symbols and be stopped at
the desired one. Some people who use Blissymbolics have mastered a few thousand
symbols and can express virtually any idea using them. In addition to Blissymbolics, other
codes such as numbers, letters, or shapes can also represent phrases. Many people with
communication disabilities may use an electronic device for communication such as an
ipad, iphone or other tablet.
For people who use symbolic languages, a communication assistant who is familiar with
the person's particular method of communication may be very important, especially when
it comes to interpreting symbols that are newly generated from existing vocabulary.
However, because communication assistants often are family members of, or provide
care to, the client, lawyers must be aware of potential conflicts of interest between the
client and the assistant, and the possibility that the assistant may try to influence the
client. It may be necessary to bring in a neutral communication assistant to ascertain the
client’s wishes.
Resources for the legal community in relation to accommodating the communication
needs of people who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication are available at
http://www.accpc.ca/ej-resources.htm.