By Brandon Williamson, PRC-Saltillo Blogger
First of all, I like to use my device to communicate. But to be honest with you, I do not like using my device all the time. When people do not understand me or do not have patience with me when I’m using my device, I feel frustrated. I am good at using my device, but it can take me a little extra time to input my message correctly. Sometimes I don’t have patience with myself to use my device. When people do not have patience with me or when I don’t have patience with myself, I use ASL fingerspelling, gestures such as shrugging my shoulders or giving a thumbs up, or I verbally say yes or no. The problem with fingerspelling is that many people, such as my nieces and nephews, do not know sign, so most of the time I have to use my words anyway to get my message across. When I use gestures instead of using my device, my ideas are not always understood by the other person correctly. I like to talk to my family and friends and need to have more patience with myself to use my device more often. This will help with having my message correctly heard by other people and will also help me with continuing to get faster at using my device. I also need to let others know they should have some patience with me while I use my words. When other people give me enough time to type and say my message, I feel great. I don’t like being rushed while talking.
With the holiday season around us, even if you're seeing family and friends virtually, you can let your loved ones know if you need more time to talk when using your device. Besides telling them with your words to wait for you to finish, I have also used strategies such as gesturing for them to wait by raising my index finger or by pointing to my device. It’s important for you to have patience with yourself and let other people know if you need more time to communicate with them. Everyone should get the opportunity to say what they want to say, even if it takes just a little bit longer.
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Communicators In Action - aac,communication, sign language, ASL, accent