James R. Connor University Center

The World of AAC

Exhibit Statement

I created an art installment that explores and celebrates the communication device supporting me in fulfilling my life. I painted the 144 icons in acrylic and oils on 10x10” canvases to elevate them to "high art." I wanted this piece to be huge because I had significantly transformed emotions about my communication device throughout my lifetime. I struggled with how flat and childlike the icons looked. My usual style is much more painterly, and I like to deal with light and shade. While painting the icons, I was worried people would think I did a lot of child paintings and they would miss the deeper meaning of the whole communication device. I illustrated the original icons because I wanted to introduce the broader public to the world of AAC. I hope the main piece will support others who use AAC. The icons have categories of words. Similar to hieroglyphs, icons in the Unity language have multiple meanings. Which word the communication device says is determined by the sequence of the icons the person has pressed. There could be thousands of different sequences to select. There are also pre-stored words and sentences; depending on how advanced the users are, they can store personalized words. Likewise, their speech-language pathologist or their caregiver can help program their device. People can select the icons by touching the screen; the device can track the person's eyes, or the individual can scan the device with switches. The Unity program provides tens of thousands with a voice.

In Collaboration with Chatter Matters Camp and Variety the Children’s Charity of Wisconsin

Exhibition Proposal (About AAC Devices)

Artist Bio

Artist: Anastasia Wilson

I created an art installment that explored and celebrates the communication device that supports me in having a fulfilling life.

The piece is titled My Augmented and Alternative Voice. In this piece, I illustrated the 144 icons in Acrylic and oils on 10x10 canvases to elevate it to "high art." Arlene Badman, from the Prentke Romich Company, led a group of people to develop Unity. "The Unity program is the most established AAC language system in the industry. It's used by tens of thousands of people using AAC and has been translated into more than a dozen languages. Individuals with apraxia, cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome, Rett syndrome, and other diagnoses that involve receptive or expressive language deficits are all candidates for the Unity language system." (“Unity Language System'').

 A 1980 ‘s computer program called, Minspeak, created by Bruce Baker, broke the ground for Unity. Baker was inspired by the hieroglyphs of ancient people for the program.

Baker thought the previous communication aides were primitive and did not think they made good use of the linguistic tools. Additionally, he felt that they did not use language in a “real-world context”. He had the insight that people needed more than just letters or phonemes or pictures with single meanings.

Therefore, he developed icons that had categories of words. Similar to the hieroglyphs, the icons in the Unity language have multiple meanings. Which word the communication device says, is determined by the sequence of the icons the person has pressed. In his article, Baker said, “For instance, the Maya Indians of Central America used a picture of a shark to represent not only “sharks” but the ocean as well. Because these people regarded the ocean as green, the shark glyph was used to represent both the color green and the stone jade.” (Bruce R. Baker, “Minspeak™ History”). 

This example closely mirrors how the Unity language system works. There could be thousands of different sequences to select. There are also pre-stored words and sentences, and depending on how advanced the users are, they can store their own personalized words.

Likewise, their speech-language pathologist or their caregiver can help program their device.

People can select the icons by touching the screen, or the device can track the person's eyes, or the individual can scan the device with switches. The placement of the icons will be important to the piece because on the devices they are always in the same locations to develop muscle memory to assist people with faster communication. Therefore, my father hung each painting on strong fishing lines so they would be correct placement.   The Prentke Romich Company did a lot of research when they were developing Minspeak and Unity, and they discovered people with and without a cognitive disability found it easier to say what was on their mind when given single words instead of pre-stored sentences.

I feel lucky because having a communication device assisted me in learning. Being able to ask questions and play around with language helped me to expand my mind. This ability to use language, let my personality shine. Without a voice, I would be captive within my body because no one could fully understand me.

My communication device is paramount for my independence because, with it, I can go out in the community independently, and interact with people. With my device, I am adept at getting assistance whether it is a general or medical need. Additionally, the communication device can do environmental controls such as programming it to the different remotes around the house. Therefore, the person can control their TV or their stereo through their device. I mainly use my device with my laptop. I can write papers, e-mail, and Facebook my friends. Additionally, with the device and the laptop, I can control what I am listening to while I am creating my art, usually a book or music. Importantly, my communication device allows me to express my hopes and dreams. My communication device is my lifeline to the world.

However, accepting one’s AAC voice can be a long journey. My friend said that he waited to receive his first communication device because he felt ashamed that he was using a picture language. Once he got a device, it was life-changing for him. Since his device spoke out loud, he finally felt heard. I remember my journey to fully accepting my robotic voice. I used to feel so embarrassed that I talked differently, that I had my speakers turned off while I was rolling through the halls of my High School. My aide and my friends had to read what I typed. When I attended Authentic Voices of America, a camp for young adults, it opened my eyes. For the first time, I felt like a normal teenager. Seeing other people with disabilities using their devices to talk out loud, let me know that I was not alone, and I truly accepted my device as my voice.

My hope is through this work, users of AAC devices will find personal acceptance for their voice. I want people to see how rich the Unity language is. For people without personal experience with AAC, the piece may look like an abstract work of art. However, for AAC users, it will mirror a familiar device. Seeing an enormous device on the wall will make the people who use AAC feel accepted in the culture and give them hope that our society is becoming more inclusive toward people with disabilities.