I just came across something which caught my eye on my friend Beth’s Facebook page: Communication Matters is hosting some kind of awards project for communication aid users. The text said “Here’s your chance to nominate an inspirational, supportive or forward thinking AAC user, family member or carer, professional or team, project or product.” To be honest the idea initially struck me as a bit odd – what would be the point? To me, a communication aid is just a fact of daily living; I use mine for everything from telling the guys at Tesco what I need to buy to asking people to help me get my powerchair out of the hole I have driven it into. I don’t think I would deserve an award for that. It’s just how I communicate, the same way everyone else uses their (natural) voices. As a blogger, I try to do my bit to show the world how someone like myself can lead a productive, independent, happy life, but that’s about it.

When you think about it though, this is actually a nice way for Communication Matters to encourage AAC users, especially young ones. They clearly want to foster a culture around communication aid use, in which good examples are highlighted and rewarded. In that sense, then, this scheme is clearly a very good idea. You can read more and indeed nominate people to receive an award here. And if I were to actually receive such an award, well, I would be honoured….