Who can pay for a communication tablet and the support that goes with it? It depends on the person’s needs and on where you live: in the UK, the NHS, education services, charities and, for adults in work, Access to Work can each play a part, and arrangements differ between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This guide points you in the right direction without replacing advice from your local services; check the current rules on the day you apply.

What needs funding?

If the app is free or pay what you want, the budget goes on equipment and support:

• The device and its protection: tablet or smartphone (the one at home may be enough to start), a rugged case with a handle, a screen protector, possibly a strap.
• Mounting and positioning: a table or wheelchair mount, a stand, and sometimes a keyguard (a grid that stops two cells being pressed at once).
• Optional: an external speaker for noisy places, a smartwatch for the schedule and reminders, breakage insurance.
• The paper version: printed, laminated boards for the bath, the swimming pool or a flat battery.
• Support: a speech and language therapy assessment, sometimes an occupational therapy assessment for positioning and access, follow-up sessions, training for the family and the school.

Support matters as much as the equipment: a short training for family members in modelling clearly changes how they communicate (Kent-Walsh and Binger, 2013, cited in Beukelman and Light, 2020).

Step 1: get an assessment, often free of charge

Most funders ask for a professional’s opinion, which also helps choose the grid size, the screen position and the access method (see Setting up AAC as a team).

• Speech and language therapy: NHS assessment and therapy are free; your GP or the person’s school can usually refer you.
• Occupational therapy: an occupational therapist can help in particular with positioning and access to the tablet.
• Specialised AAC services: in England, NHS specialised AAC services assess people with the most complex communication and access needs, on referral from their local team; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own arrangements.

Step 2: find the right funder

Who pays depends on the person’s age and needs, and on where you live. Ask the speech and language therapist which route applies. The usual routes are:

• The NHS: local speech and language therapy services and, for the most complex needs, specialised AAC services can provide communication aids.
• Education: for a pupil, the school or the local authority may fund a communication aid needed for learning, often as part of the child’s support plan.
• Charities and grant-giving trusts: they can help with what other funders don’t cover. Ask in writing.

Adults in work: Access to Work

• Access to Work: this government scheme can help pay for special equipment a person needs to do their job, beyond the adjustments the employer has to make. You apply yourself, on GOV.UK in England, Scotland and Wales; Northern Ireland has its own Access to Work scheme.

Try before you buy

Some AAC services, resource centres and settings lend equipment or offer trials. A free or pay-what-you-want app can be tried on a device you already have at home. Judge over several weeks, not a few days (Beukelman and Light, 2020): see how to organise a trial.

Building a strong funding request

• Start from the situations where the person can’t make themselves understood (school, shops, the doctor’s).
• Attach an assessment that explains why a communication aid is needed and why this particular equipment (screen size, durability, battery life).
• Say whether the software is free or pay what you want: the request then only covers the hardware and accessories, which makes it simpler to process.
• Add two quotes, including protection and mounting.

Printable materials: see the resources page.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a paid AAC app to get funding?

No. What matters is an aid that suits the person, not a particular piece of software. With a free or pay-what-you-want app, the request only covers the hardware.

Should you wait for funding before starting?

No. A request often takes months, and AAC has no prerequisites: a tool you can use straight away is better than an ideal system in a year’s time (Beukelman and Light, 2020). A printed board or the app on a family phone is enough to start (see Myths about AAC).

Pictalk Buddy brings together AAC boards, a visual schedule, guided sequences and notebooks, with the same symbols, on Android, iOS, the web and the watch. A pay-what-you-want app, developed by a non-profit association. Discover Buddy

Sources

• Beukelman, D. R. and Light, J. C., 2020, Augmentative & Alternative Communication (5th ed.), Paul H. Brookes; Kent-Walsh and Binger (2013), cited in this book.