JCPSLP Vol 18 no 2 July 2016

National Disability Insurance Scheme

Googling AAC: Exploring the relevance, scope, and credibility of online information about augmentative and alternative communication Kate L. Anderson and Paul Andres

Under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Australians who use alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) and their support networks can increasingly expect to make decisions about technology, intervention, and service providers. Knowledge is key to informed choice and agency, and yet little is known about the quality of online information available to people who use AAC and their support networks. This study analysed the relevance, purpose, and credibility of 300 webpages resulting from 15 AAC-related keyword searches in Google. Eighty-one per cent of the sites were judged to be at least somewhat relevant to AAC. Search results included sites for commercial marketing and sales, independent reviews, service networking, and implementation guidance, and varied greatly between general and product- / diagnosis-specific searches. The presence of credibility indicators was also variable. Based on the findings of this and other studies, we suggest strategies for improving accessibility and uptake of high quality on-line AAC information. Areas for future research and development are also flagged. A s the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is rolled out, people with disability, including people who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), will gain greater control over the type, context and providers of their support, and many will self-manage their support budgets. One focus objective of the NDIS scheme falls within the category of “information, linkages, and capacity building” (ILC), which includes knowledge and capacity building for individuals with disability, and for the broader communities they are part of (Disability Reform Council, 2015). ILC supports have particularly high relevance to the Australian AAC community, whose individual members will be expected to make informed decisions about intervention approaches, goal-setting, and assistive technology. As a complex and rapidly evolving field, such decisions necessitate the availability of current, high-quality information. Indeed,

Australian parents of children who use AAC have described several information priorities, including well-timed advice about AAC services, products, and home implementation (Anderson, Balandin, & Stancliffe, 2014). Nonetheless for many, time and logistics are major barriers to in-person consultation or training (Anderson et al., 2014). As an alternative, information may be presented on-line, either synchronously (e.g., webinars, on-line product demonstrations, and real-time social media), or in asynchronous formats (e.g., webpages and discussion boards). Relatively little is known about the utility, scope, and quality of asynchronous on-line information sources pertaining to AAC. In general, health consumers and their families report a range of benefits to on-line health- information access including privacy, convenience, and the breadth of available information (Roche & Skinner, 2009), yet it is important to note that not all information seekers benefit equally from on-line information, and not all on-line information is equal. For instance, individuals without internet access or on-line capability are frequently excluded from the same health information access as on-line peers (Blackburn & Read, 2005). Even on-line, health consumers may face additional hurdles to information access. Parents in Roche and Skinner’s study (2009) cited a range of access barriers to on-line health information, including a lack of search confidence, Internet knowledge, or necessary technology, while 85% of parents in Blackburn and Read’s study (2005) reported difficulty in finding the specific information they required. Given the written complexity of most on-line health information, searchers with intellectual disability or low literacy skills are at an additional disadvantage (Zaidman-Zait & Jamieson, 2007), and for those with physical disability, lack of assistive technology provisions may be an additional barrier to access. The Internet also creates potential risks for misdirection and information overload. Still, 74% of health-information seekers report feeling reassurance at the information they find (Fox, 2006), suggesting that the Internet is a valued knowledge source among people with illness or disability. Before we can critique existing asynchronous on-line information for AAC consumers specifically, it is first important to understand typical approaches to health-information searching on-line. What do we know about health- information seeking on the Internet? On-line asynchronous health information reaches the typical searcher through a number of routes. In a US survey, 77%

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN PEER- REVIEWED INTERNET NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE SCHEME (NDIS) CAPACITY BUILDING HEALTH- INFORMATION SEEKING KEYWORDS AUGMENTATIVE AND ALTERNATIVE COMMUNICATION (AAC) AUSTRALIA

Kate L. Anderson (top) and Paul Andres

67

JCPSLP Volume 18, Number 2 2016

www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au