AI for AAC: How has AI made the world more accessible for people with disabilities?

Delaina has always hadhigh expectations of AAC.  

For most of her life, she dreamt of a communication solution that could keep pace with the speed of her thoughts and reflect her fearless personality.  

 An AAC advocate, professional speaker, marketingstrategist and Co-Founder of Fearless Independence,she believes AI-driven enhancements to AAC are bringing us much closer to such a solution. 

“With traditional word prediction, it was common for family and friends to interpret the gist of what I type with their own words,” said Delaina. “The nuances of personality and tone of voice and expression get lost in this process.” 

Thanks to advancements across different AI technologies, conversations have become much faster and more natural for people with disabilities, while synthetic voices have become more expressive. 

“The way we sound in our head finally matches what we sound like through our AAC devices,” Delaina said. 

 Here are her answers to our most pressing questions about the evolution of AI in AAC.  

(Note: Some answers have been shortened for conciseness.) 

What are some of your favorite AI-driven AAC features? 

Generative word prediction allows me to express my thoughts and feelings more accurately and intentionally. This helps with speed, which keeps conversion more natural.   

Quality and choices of synthetic voices, to help with voices that are more reflective of my identity.   

AAC compatibility with Google Assistant home, so that I can more independently control my own “smart room.”   

How have these features improved in the past few years?    

Prior to the introduction of generative word production, AAC users faced a trade-off between using generic, pre-set statements or spending precious energy constructing tailored messages.  

As a result of AI adaptability, I now have the ability to pivot with the natural flow of conversation or even start a side conversation in a group setting.  The advancements have allowed me to be more descriptive, and sound like another voice in the crowd.  

What aspects of your life would you not entrust to AI? Fashion choices? Writing? Travel itinerary? 

I, like everyone else, wonder if AI (and by extension AAC) is safe to keep our personal data safe, especially with health and financial data. I understand that successful integration can only come withequitable access to information and communication technology.  

But for me it honestly depends on the task and whatI’mattempting to achieve withAI. The output is only as good as what is fed into the AI bot.  

Forexample,  ifI’m planning a trip and gathering information on accessibility, I still perform due diligence for personal safety. It is my responsibility as a human to use AI with caution.  

But I do hope TobiiDynavox will pledge to provide the most advanced training to its employees and superior tech support. It will be interesting to see the evolution of multi-modal communication and its translation capabilities.  

Learn about our ethical approach to AI. 

What *do* you entrust AI with and how has it helped you?    

In my professional career as well as in my work as a disability advocate, AI has been a game changer!  

Notetaking is an excellent feature. I can listen and engage in conversations with full attention, more independently.  Prior to this, I would need todecide to use my AAC device for either typing notes or to use it for conversational purposes. 

How has AI affected accessibility and inclusion for the AAC community?    

I believe the integration and advancement of Artificial Intelligence into AAC is not taking our voices and individuality away fromus, butrather enabling us to be heard more clearly than ever before and in the way that we want to beheard: with emotion and character.    

History and datahas proven that AAC has a direct impact on motivation, attitude,confidence and resilience. It helps to remove barriers and provides support in ourenvironments.  

The purpose of the AAC device has transitioned fromassisting in communication, to empowering support for the whole person.   

Learn more about howwe’re using AI to enhance assistive communication