I’m a follower of Sara Pyszka’s blog. I was reading her May 24 blog and I was inspired to tell people what it’s like for me what it’s like not to have a backup device.
I guess I was a junior in high school. I’ve had my Dynavox VMAX for 3 years. I’ve noticed it was malfunctioning. Pages were missing and other problems were starting to occur. We had to send it in.
I had no backup device. Instead, I had to use my communication board in school. Communication at home was no big deal since I use sign language with my family, but I felt voiceless at school. The Dynavox is my voice. Without it, I feel like my mouth is taped. I’m so dependent on it that I feel lost without it.
Everybody who has an augmentative device needs a means of communication to fall back on. I had my communication board to use in school and sign language to use at home. Pyszka had an extra device. No matter how you communicate, you need a second way to express yourself. Don’t think you can be silent until the problem is fixed. Communication is vital for survival and people need to express their needs. Otherwise, nobody can help them.