AMANDA HYNAN FINAL THESIS PDF

App improvements are made he can see this being his main communication aid. Hyatt
(2011) speaks about how buying an iPad has changed her social communication
opportunities and describes using it within a hotel bar with her friends. She liked the
back light and clear display in the dimly lit environment and the good typeface size of
the App made reading at a distance possible. She described how accessing the internet
over the hotel WiFi system allowed her to share a depth of communication about
areas of her life which would not have been possible on her single-function VOCA.
2.3.4. The reaction of the AAC industry and the development of VOCA
devices
As DeRuyter et al. (2007) identified, the high cost and long term procurement of
VOCAs means they may remain in service for longer than mainstream technologies
and can be difficult to update as technological advances are made. They also state
“many AAC technologies have focused primarily on supporting face-to-face
communication” (p.259)
meaning the focus has not always been on the convergence of communication
functions within one device.
However, since 2007, the situation has been changing rapidly and traditional VOCA
manufacturers have been responding to the increased market pressure created by the
mainstream mobile technology market and the development of voice output Apps. On
the hardware side, integrated VOCAs are becoming far more powerful as computers
and some of the latest models (as of 2013) are lightweight, have front and back facing
cameras and full access to the internet and mobile phone technology which enables
users to access, produce and share content on social media sites. Software is
developing to embrace the Apps market and facilitate the use of a wide range of social
media sites. There is also a growing assortment of mainstream Apple and Android
accessories to support access (wheelchair mounting, switch access solutions,
protection cases, speakers, etc.). The strength of traditional VOCA manufacturing
companies is their experience of the AAC field and in-depth knowledge of the type of
challenges people with physical and complex communication needs might face,
especially in terms of access and robust design.
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