Oliver he/him

O if for Oliver My AAC story

O is for Oliver.
This is my AAC story.

#AAC #AACuser #AACawarenessMonth #MyAACstory #Communication

open.substack.com/pub/thetudor...

M is for mental illness and AAC Read for the three ways in which being an AAC user relates to being severely mentally ill.

#AACawarenessMonth

How me being severely mentally ill impacts being an AAC user in more ways than one.

#AACuser #AAC

open.substack.com/pub/thetudor...

L is for low tech So what is ‘low tech’ AAC and how can it help

Low tech is just as important and vital as high tech.

But what is it? Find out here.

#AACuser #AAC #AACawarenessMonth #Communication #LowTechAAC

open.substack.com/pub/thetudor...

K is for keyboards Keyboards are just as important as finding the correct AAC device or app.

Keyboards are important for getting the best AAC setup.

#AAC #AACuser #AACawarenessMonth #Communication

open.substack.com/pub/thetudor...

J is for joining in As a full time AAC user I use AAC to communicate for absolutely everything.

I use AAC in all areas of my life, but people often forget that.

#AAC #AACuser #AACawarenessMonth #Communication

H is for hearing my voice I sit in my active manual wheelchair.

Hear AAC users.

#AAC #AACuser #AACawarenessMonth #Communication

G is for getting a start with AAC Some tips for starting to use AAC

Getting started with AAC

#AAC #AACuser #AACawarenessMonth

open.substack.com/pub/thetudor...

E is for eye gaze What is eye gaze and how does it help me

Eye gaze.

#AAC #AACuser #AACawarenessMonth #Communication #EyeGaze

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D is for do’s and don’t’s The do’s and don’t’s when around AAC and AAC users

#AACawarenessMonth

Do’s and don’t’s regarding AAC

#AAC #AACuser

open.substack.com/pub/thetudor...

Trying to navigate the world as an asexual, non binary trans man, who is disabled, neurodivergent and severely mentally ill, is exhausting.

So often people don’t want people like me to exist.

Sleep well. #NotAloneTalk

Can’t share. But thank you. #NotAloneTalk

Hey it’s been a really tough few days. My anxiety is really bad.

#NotAloneTalk

Today has been super hard.
Just trying to distract myself.

Write some more of my #AACawarenessMonth blogs to then schedule to post them at a later date this month.

Thank you. Me too.

Definitely is. It’s my communication. And I feel really vulnerable even with back ups. It’s not the same.

Turning it off and on and doing updates has sorted it.

It’s ironic that this is a temporary device whilst my device is away being fixed.

As a full time AAC user when my device has a bit of a breakdown it’s more than just an inconvenience. It’s my communication.

Yes I have some back ups but it’s not the same as my actual device.

#AAC #AACuser #Communication

B is for being heard (or not) AAC awareness month and being heard (or not)

#AACawarenessMonth #AAC #AACuser #Communication

B is for being heard (or not)

open.substack.com/pub/thetudor...

Often get scared to say what my autistic special interests are. As people then ask you questions and expect you to know everything about said interest.

Because of my ADHD, and my schizophrenia, OCD and CPTSD I struggle to take part in learning about my interests as much as a lot of other autistics

Don’t use my trauma for your joke How being sectioned isn’t a funny joke, it carries real long term trauma.

Being sectioned isn’t funny and shouldn’t be used as a cheap way for people to get a laugh.

#Sectioned #Trauma #MentalHealthAct #NotYourJoke

open.substack.com/pub/thetudor...

It’s #AACawarenesMonth and I’m writing 26 blogs to share over the month.

Do you have any questions about AAC?
Anything at all. No questions are silly questions.

#AACuser #AAC

A is for AAC What is AAC, the basics

A is for AAC this #AACawarenessMonth

I’m going to post a piece on each letter of the alphabet over October.

#AAC #AACuser #Communication

open.substack.com/pub/thetudor...

It takes practice & hard work, I struggle with things like copying and pasting, editing. I’d like to build up my speed and build up fluency and accuracy. I have written this whole post using eye gaze only.

#AACuser #AAC #EyeGaze #Tourettes #Autism #Schizophrenia #Disabled #Neurodivergent

End/

works with my irlen glasses. wish I could use it more when at home, to help manage pain but only accessible when in bed

On a mount with wheels but doesn’t fit through doors so can’t move rooms

I use it to navigate the Internet, word documents, social media, communication and so much more

9/

At first I was moving my whole head when it's much more subtle eye movements. I make more mistakes the longer I am using it, but that will improve with use. lot of typing alongside tics & self propelling make my joints in fingers, hands and wrists hurt and stiff. Eye gaze is a welcome break

8/

I have gotten quicker and quicker.
This is due to getting the best set up in terms of light and the position of both me and the device.

I take regular breaks, which could mean just shutting my eyes for a few minutes, or giving myself a longer break.

7/

I am by no means an expert on all the ways that eye gaze works, so I will briefly state that it tracks a part of your eyes, and some how that then means I control a computer just using my eyes.

This still kind of shocks me every time I use it. Thinking that I’m just using my eyes!

6/

It has taken a lot of hard work to get to the stage of using it freely, and I need regular eye and brain breaks, as it tiring and draining. I managed to do about half of my dissertation using eye gaze, so around 3500 words.

5/

However, I tried it and wow! It was amazing, hard work but also freeing. Like the first time I used a wheelchair. It was explained to me how the technology makes allowances for head sudden and repetitive movements.

So the DSA assessor fought for me to get this expensive bit of equipment.

4/