SECTION TWO:  What is Leadership and what does it mean to people who use AAC?

When the questions, what is a leader and what makes a good leader – were posted to the forum, our thoughts and view point were similar yet we still have an individual expectation of how we perceive the model of a leader.

I think it is fair to quote that it is difficult for people with disabilities in general to gain the recognition and be valued as a Leader; which makes it twice as difficult for someone who has little or no speech to demonstrate the role as a leader and be regarded and respected as a leader. However in saying this, it is important to acknowledge and recognize that this perception is being challenged and that changes are beginning to take place. The leadership forum has been a significant breakthrough and an example of leaders with AAC leading the way, not just for their generation, but also for our younger generations to come of people who use AAC.

The forum contributors discussed their views on general qualities of a good leader. These are some of the highlighted points. A good leader is someone who listens to and learns from other people. A good leader is flexible in working well with the people he/she has been asked to lead. A good leader encourages others to speak their ideas, supports everyone's participation in the group, motivates or inspires the group to achieve its goals and then celebrates their successes. A good leader is someone whose goal is to develop other good leaders.  A leader should be  patient, and what the forum contributor means by that is that the leader has to listen to every view of the group and then come to the best possible decision.  The leader has to tolerate some criticism.

How a good leader interacts with the team

A good leader surrounds himself or herself with great advisors. A leader gives each team member their own space in which to move and to be creative. A leader is open, honest, frank and a diplomat and to bring those qualities out in all.

Leaders and communication

A leader must be certain that everybody on the team understands what the main goals are by continually reminding all team members what the chosen end results are and how far the goals are from being obtained. Good communication skills are essential to leadership.

Being able to perform these qualities well as a person who uses AAC ( for and people who are non AAC users connected with AAC users in AAC leadership roles)  – means there must be  Leadership quality guidelines documented and consistently used first. These  can be adapted and added to, to ensure that AAC users are fairly included in ways that allow their leadership qualities to be demonstrated in the same way as non AAC users.  For a personal example to explain the point, I trust that the forum contributors don’t mind me doing so. In 2005 I was one of 25 participants with a disability who graduated from a year long leadership course. The challenge for me as an AAC user was to develop a stronger understanding of what makes a good leader, but to also develop a stronger sense of assertiveness and confidence to ensure my voice as an AAC user is heard as well as my voice as a leader.

Within ISAAC in general, the potential for AAC users to lead and be recognized for their leadership is a tremendously powerful goal and I speak on behalf of all AAC users and non AAC users that we must work well together to increase the awareness of endless possibilities for AAC users to lead the way.

SECTION THREE: Suggestions for Training

After looking at the barriers to leadership for people who use AAC and prioritizing them, and discussing what it means to be a leader, the committee also discussed possible suggestions for improving leadership skills for people who use AAC in the future.

Any program to support the development of leaders who use AAC must be two-pronged. One portion must help those who use AAC to develop their skills and confidence, the other, equally important component, must help those who speak to view people who use AAC as potential leaders, instead of “consumers” or “clients”, and to become familiar with things they can do to eliminate barriers for those who serve with them and who rely on AAC.

Training for students

For normally developing individuals, learning leadership skills starts early, when they are still in school. Students participate in scout groups and clubs, may serve on student council or work on a school yearbook or newspaper. In each of these situations, they are learning leadership skills while being mentored by an adult.

For people who use AAC, beginning to develop leadership skills at an early age is also desirable. Our committee suggested that some sort of Junior Auxiliary for students who use AAC might be a good way to do this.

In Germany, ISAAC-GSC has set up a mentoring program where people who use AAC progress through 5 specific modules as they learn to share their experiences with AAC with a variety of audiences in a variety of settings. Mentors walk them through the process and document their progress.

In Italy, special educators and family of a student who uses AAC are developing a course that will help him understand his strengths and weaknesses and share how AAC affects his life: a start towards developing leadership skills.

Training for adults

In addition to planning ways for students to learn leadership skills, leadership training must also provide ways to increase skills for those who are no longer students, but who would like to improve their leadership skills.

In the United States, a person who uses AAC shares the seat with a member of the USAAC (US ISAAC Chapter) Board of Directors who is a non-AAC user, with the intention that he learn how the board works so that he will eventually serve on his own.

Several people who use AAC have felt that business courses they took helped them to learn things important to leadership.  An important part of leadership training should be learning how committees work, how organizations do business, and so on.

Training for non-AAC users

In addition to these ideas about developing skills for people who use AAC, an important component of any program to encourage leadership for people who use AAC must include training for non-AAC users.

This training should include the basics of how AAC works, accommodations or supports that might be needed and, most importantly, some basic AAC etiquette. This part of the training would be most effective if done, at least in part, by someone who uses AAC.

An important side effect of this training would be to increase the awareness that people who use AAC can be more than a client; they can be a leader, a peer and friend!