By Kyle Moriarty
I feel that everyone has the right to communicate. Sometimes a person’s form of communication can look very different. Whatever form of communication is used, everyone has the right to speak for themselves, to have a say or voice for themselves.
Communication has always been difficult for me. At work it can be especially challenging to communicate with bosses and co-workers. As a person who types to communicate it takes me longer to get out what I have to say. My advice is that to get what you need for support on the job you have to really advocate and make it clear that the success of your work depends on it. Having access to augmentive and alternative communication is very important for me. I am a person who cannot communicate without the use of an alternative communication device.
I could not do my job without typing. This requires a special keyboard and a trained job coach. It is important that my job coach is skilled in specific techniques to support me to communicate. When I get too anxious to be able to communicate, my job coach needs to know what to do to help me regulate my body. It takes a long time to develop a successful typing relationship with a support person. I am a really tense person who works best with calm people and some job coaches are not a good fit. The worst thing is when I miss work because I don’t have a person who can support me to communicate.
Communicating with the boss can be difficult as a person who does not speak. The time can go by too quickly before I am able to say something that I have on my mind. This can be frustrating when I am in a meeting because the topic may change before I get a chance to respond. Trying to type with my boss can be hard because it can take a long time and she is often very busy. The way I communicate best is by email because I can say everything I need to say all at once. It is a good way to get my thoughts heard and get feedback from my boss.
It is also challenging to communicate with co-workers when you type to communicate. You will want to talk with them but they won’t know it because you can’t get their attention. The really hard thing is when you want to talk to someone about work and there isn’t a way to reach them. The way I work to communicate with co-workers is really with e-mailing. When there is something important to say, this really is the best way.
Having a job is what gives my life meaning. Even though there are challenges and frustrations, it is worthwhile.