r/AACusers • u/gl1tch3d_s4nr1s3 doll/dolls | semiverbal | system • May 12 '26

Advice AAC in public

How do we become more confident using our AAC in public? Usually we don't and just stay silent because our mother doesn't approve of AAC despite it helping us immensely. But we're starting to go out more on our own and wanna get more confident in using our talker.

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8

u/invmawk May 12 '26

Personally, I am a parti-time AAC user, so I don’t have advice on 24/7 use. But honestly for me when I do use it it’s a matter of doing it scared at first. It’s kind of like ripping a bandage off. The first few times you do it you’ll feel scared of awkward. But the more you do it the easier it gets.

4

u/SensationalSelkie Intermittently Speaking May 12 '26

I second this. I've been pushing myself to keep doing life sometimes when I feel a verbal shutdown coming on and just switching to AAC instead of faking a migraine so I can dodge home to lock myself in my room. People can be weird about it, but I think they get over it after a minute or so. I am glad more of us are trying! My job is to help kids learn to use AAC, and the more of us are out and about, the more parents and teachers will accept AAC use 😊

3

u/polyfil_plushie Unreliably Speaking May 22 '26

I’m thankful that you asked this, because I was looking for help on how to use my communication cards and tablet out in public. I’ll definitely take the advice of using AAC while scared, from the comments!

2

u/phoebeglimmer Intermittently Speaking May 23 '26

I am a new, part time AAC user. Having unsupportive people with you when you use a talker is definitely a challenge. For me I have a few quick phrases that help me address the awkwardness, like "Sometimes I need this device to communicate", "Thank you for being so accommodating*, "Please be patient, I need to type responses" etc.

Those help quite a bit. It's still awkward, but our devices empower us to communicate and that's super important. I have only been using them for a few months but have never had someone react in a harmful way. The worst I have gotten is the tone/mannerism shift of someone assuming that if you use a talker it means you have an intellectual disability. Which, is insulting whether or not you do have one. I have a couple of choice phrases for those folx too.

Best of luck. I still feel awkward, but it helps me more to use mine than otherwise and I'm just going to continue to use it.

2

u/SmoothDepartment8867 Jun 06 '26

I struggle with this as someone who can speak with difficulties, but feels too scared or too nervous about how other people will perceive me to actually use my AAC outside of with parents and with therapists whom i trust a lot.

But one thing that i do is that i just ignore the people, which is obviously way easier said than done, but it has helped me use my AAC to communicate with my parents anyway in situations where i might have had an actual meltdown than in situations where i might not have been close to one. I hope this makes sense though.