FAST FACTS ON AUGMENTATIVE COMMUNICATION

                      WHAT DOES THE MARKET LOOK LIKE?
     * There are 14 million Americans with speech disabilities ranging
       from severe to mild.
     * An estimated 4.5 million people in America are without speech
       capability or capacity, either on a temporary or permanent basis
       as a result of traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, stroke or
       other accident or injury.
     * 750,000 to 1.5 million Americans have severely limited speech
       which cannot be easily understood. 30% of people with cerebral
       palsy are in this group and 85% to 95% of all individuals with
       cerebral palsy have a speech disability of one kind or another.

                       HOW MANY DEVICES ARE THERE ?
     * 30,000 augmentative communication devices sold by Prentke
       Romich Co. and 20,000 in use/reuse.
     * Eight companies currently manufacture assistive communications
       devices.

                             WHAT DO THEY COST?
     * Costs range from around $3,000 for the low end Touch Talker type
       technology to $30,000 for the top of the line - a Liberator. (It
       is important that technology access means assuring that the best
       high tech products be readily available and affordable. The
       solution isn't providing only the piece of technology but matching
       the need with the right piece of technology, providing the
       necessary training and support to max out the opportunity to
       communicate as fully as possible.

                                 WHO PAYS?
     * AAC devices are paid for largely by public funds followed by out
       of pocket dollars.
     * Medicaid is a significant source of funds utilized by a third of
       persons with cerebral palsy, another third pay for the devices
       themselves.
     * Private charities pay for less than 10%; other public funding -
       Vocational Rehabilitation state systems fund 9% and school systems
       fund 4%. State Tech, MR/DD agency programs provide some funds.

                      WHAT IS A BETTER WAY/ SOLUTION?
    In an effort to help level the playing field for persons with speech
    disability, equipment such as the Liberator needs to be more readily
   available and affordable, along with more options and choices. Devices
   need to match cognitive ability as well. The right piece of technology
   should be matched with need. Necessary training and support to max out
        the opportunity to communicate must be part of the access to
                    augmentative communications devices.
     * Find a way to make the technology and manufacturing less
       expensive, more available.
     * Create a central revolving loan fund to serve as conduit for
       funding only AAC.
     * Develop a model to document and showcase how state of the art
       augmentative communication devices can level the playing field,
       unlock bright productive people and provide long term payback to
       the system by enabling a greater level of participation.

                        ©1996, United Cerebral Pals