Abstract
The aim of this project was to assess the feasibility of harnessing digital video as a technical tool to assist people without functional speech to engage in a beneficial type of interactive communication. An individual’s participation in such discourse plays a crucial role in the development of personal identity, interpersonal bonding, and mastery of language. Sharing one’s personal narrative is a pivotal element. However, for people with CCN who rely upon current AAC methods to supplement their speech, access to constructive spontaneous discourse is often restricted, impacting their access to the benefits of this key developmental mechanism. Ergonomic challenges in the interface design of aided communication devices often result in low output speeds not conducive to the flow of natural conversation. Therefore people who use AAC are often confined to simple transactional utterances, typically not afforded the enriching opportunity to hone their pragmatic communication skills, to share their personal experiences, and to learn from the experiences of others - potentially a socially isolating deficit, with long-term implications. Accordingly, a small-scale study was designed to evaluate a proposed solution to part of this problem by utilising video to capture and manually mark for retrieval key moments throughout each participant’s day. This study took the form of an ethnographic investigation, deploying qualitative research techniques to glean insights into the feasibility of the proposed system. The results were promising, and based upon these, it is hoped research into a fully developed prototype, with automated elements, may be designed in follow up projects.
Original language | English |
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Publication status | Published - 11 Sept 2016 |
Event | Communication Matters - CM2016 National Conference - University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom Duration: 11 Sept 2016 → 13 Sept 2016 |
Conference
Conference | Communication Matters - CM2016 National Conference |
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Abbreviated title | CM2016 |
Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
City | Leeds |
Period | 11/09/16 → 13/09/16 |