Part 1 of a Series on “Dismantling Societal Barriers” to Communication Research

Let’s talk about barriers.

Not just the ones you can see—like stairs without ramps or websites you can’t use with a screen reader—but the ones that quietly block people from being heard. People who use AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) often face an uphill climb, not just to communicate, but to be understood, included, and respected.

Recently, a group of powerhouse researchers—Dr. Janice Light, Dr. Susan Fager, Dr. Jessica Gormley, Glenda Watson Hyatt (who also uses AAC), and Erik Jakobs—published an important paper called “Dismantling Societal Barriers that Limit People Who Need or Use AAC.” It’s a fresh look at critical issues for our AAC users, and I want to spend the next few weeks unpacking it for you in bite-sized, practical chunks.

This first blog is all about setting the stage. We’ll introduce the key ideas and the foundational model that helps us think clearly about the barriers AAC users face.

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Beukelman & Mirenda’s Participation Model: The Foundation

Before we dive into the new research, let’s go back to one of the cornerstones in AAC practice—The Participation Model by David Beukelman and Pat Mirenda. It’s a classic, and for good reason. It gives us a framework for understanding how people who use AAC can gain—or lose—access to communication and inclusion.

This model breaks barriers into two major types:

• Access Barriers: These are barriers within the AAC user—like limited motor access, lack of a suitable device, or not yet having the skills to use it effectively.

• Opportunity Barriers: These are the external barriers—things like team attitudes, lack of training, rigid school policies, or environments that don’t support AAC use.

The Participation Model asks us to look at what’s really getting in the way—and more importantly, what we can do about it. It’s never just about the device or the app. It’s about the environment, the expectations, and the support system around the person.

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The New Research: Building on the Model

The new article by Light and colleagues builds directly on this thinking. It explores six key societal barriers that limit AAC users:

• Policy and practice barriers

• Technology barriers

• Attitude barriers

• Knowledge barriers

• Skill barriers

• And the often-overlooked impact of social isolation

What makes this paper different is that it combines research and data with the real voices of people who use AAC. It reminds us that these aren’t just theoretical ideas. These are real obstacles faced every day—in classrooms, doctor’s offices, workplaces, and even in family homes.

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Coming Up Next

In the next few blog posts, we’ll take one barrier at a time and break it down. What does it look like in the real world? What can teachers, therapists, and families do to make things better? And what changes do we need to push for at a bigger level—systems, schools, and policies?

So stick with me. Let’s start dismantling these barriers, together.

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Research Article:

Light, J., Fager, S. K., Gormley, J., Hyatt, G. W., & Jakobs, E. (2025). Dismantling societal barriers that limit people who need or use AAC: lived experiences, key research findings, and future directions. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/07434618.2025.2508490

Open access available to all:

Full article: Dismantling societal barriers that limit people who need or use AAC: lived experiences, key research findings, and future directions

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07434618.2025.2508490

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