Communication is something most of us take for granted. But for people with speech impairments or learning disabilities, not being able to express a need, a frustration, or a simple thought can be one of the most isolating experiences imaginable, and it can lead to behaviour that’s often misunderstood.

This is the story of a gentleman in his 50s who lives at Manor Community, and how the introduction of an AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) device has changed the way he connects with the people around him. We’ll refer to him here simply as “the person we support.”

The Challenge

The person we support has a speech impairment and a moderate learning disability. For a long time, communication was difficult, not just for him, but for the staff supporting him. This difficulty was a major contributor to the challenging behaviour we sometimes saw, including physical damage to property and self-harm.

Before he had access to a communication device, staff relied on knowing him very well in order to interpret what he was trying to say. He would often use his phone to show pictures, of the farm he loves visiting, or his favourite football teams, just to get a conversation started. It worked, but only up to a point, and it placed a huge amount of pressure on both him and the staff around him to “get it right.”

Our staff are NAPPI-trained, which means they have the skills to respond safely and calmly during moments of frustration or distress. This training gave the team a solid foundation to keep everyone safe while the longer-term work of finding a proper communication solution was underway.

Getting the Right Support in Place

The person we support had been receiving support from the Learning Disability Team, and it was through their Positive Behaviour Support work, including sessions using a talking mat, that the team recognised he would benefit from specialist input. A referral was made to a Speech and Language Team.

It took some time to secure an initial appointment, but by mid-2025, a speech and language therapist and her colleague began spending time with him both at Manor Community and at the farm, looking for patterns in his communication and the struggles he faced.

Shortly after, it was clear he could benefit from a dedicated communication device, so a further referral was made to a specialist AAC service, the part of the Speech and Language Team who focus on communication technology. This step followed a trial using an iPad with a communication app, which he responded to really positively.

Getting the Device

The process wasn’t quick. His first appointment with the AAC service took several months to come through. He was assessed and found eligible for a device, and not long after, he attended an appointment to collect it, fully programmed with things that mattered to him: the animals at the farm, by name, places he loves, and activities he’s known to enjoy.

At that first appointment, he spent time exploring the device and learning what it could do, before taking it home to practise using it independently, with support from staff at Manor Community and out at the farm.

Putting It Into Practice

One of the proudest moments in this journey came when the speech and language team visited him and the staff team, and together they took a trip to the local community centre to practise using the device somewhere new: ordering food at a cafe.

He did brilliantly, helped along by a wonderfully patient cashier who was happy to let him take his time. It was a real, everyday moment of independence that simply wouldn’t have been possible before.

Where He Is Now

He has since had a further review appointment with the Speech and Language Team to check his progress against the goals set at the start of the year. The team were genuinely impressed with how far he’d come, using the device confidently in different situations and with different people.

Several goals have already been achieved, and work continues on others, including building full sentences and playing them back out loud. A new speaker has also been ordered for the device, after the team found the playback was a little hard to hear in a busy cafe environment.

Why This Matters

This story is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when we take the time to understand why someone is frustrated, rather than simply managing the behaviour that frustration produces. Giving the person we support a reliable way to communicate hasn’t just reduced incidents of challenging behaviour, it’s given him a genuine voice, more independence, and the chance to be understood on his own terms.

It’s a project we’re incredibly proud to have supported, and one that reflects what person-centred care should always be about: adapting to the individual, not asking the individual to adapt to us.

  -Manor community