Martin Pistorius's Ghost Boy

For you and I, how we communicate, nor our ability to communicate takes up much of our thought. We talk to one another with ease, type emails as though it is second nature, and send text messages as if it is automatic. For a segment of the population, however, meaningful conversation and even the basic conveyance of wants and needs takes extraordinary effort; and for some, communication of any sort seems an impossibility. Ghost Boy, Martin Pistorius’s autobiography provides readers with a first-hand account of the struggles a person with a disability or disorder that impedes their ability to communicate goes through to have their voices heard. The book also provides a first-hand account of the techniques and systems used to overcome these obstacles. In Martin’s case, communication, for the most part, can only occur through the use of Augmented and Alternative Communication systems (AAC). These systems are meant to, “supplement or replace the natural language and communication of persons with disabilities” (Kuder, 2013,p. ). They range in complexity from alphabet boards, which are used to spell out words; sign language; to computer programs that track eye movements or use other means to select words or phrases represented as symbols, to construct sentences; and everything in between (Kuder, 2013, p.). Martin, for instance, used a …show more content…
The first concept is that multiple different AAC systems can and should be used by users depending on the situation. As the American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association points out, “AAC is truly multimodal, permitting individuals to use every mode possible to communicate” (ASHA, 2016). Considering that individuals using AAC systems already have issues with communication, the decision of which AAC system or device they use, and when, must be tailored around three main things: ease of use, breadth of vocabulary, and speed of