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JCPSLP Volume 18, Number 2 2016 73
to reputable service providers. Trusted AAC advocacy
organisations such as Agosci or the International Society
for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC)
may play a role in this dissemination. With regards to
content certification, third-party verification schemes such
as MedCERTAIN have also been proposed to improve the
reliability of on-line health information through the use of
expert review processes and recognised “trustmark” seals
(Eysenbach, Yihune, Lampe, Cross, & Brickley, 2000).
Finally, user feedback may be valuable for webmasters
of disability sites in tailoring their content to consumers’
needs and guiding the attention of other users (Greenberg
et al., 2004). Indeed, facilities for users to rate the quality
and usefulness of information were already present on
several of the disability and parenting “hubs” included in the
current study. Uptake of such quality-assurance practices
by webmasters in the field of disability may further improve
consumer knowledge and acumen.
Study limitations and future directions
Keyword research is modelled from patterns of established
search behaviour in the general population, and yet little is
currently known about the actual search strategies of AAC
consumers and their support networks. Until these are
ascertained, research into this area remains speculative.
Future studies using interviews, focus groups, surveys, and/or
user-observation methods will shed light onto the information
requirements of AAC consumers, their approaches to
information seeking, and their ILC support needs.
Like most exploratory research, this study raises more
questions than it answers. We had limited capacity in
the current project to evaluate the quality of on-line AAC
information. Nonetheless, the measurement of content
quality remains an ongoing challenge in on-line health
informatics (Greenberg et al., 2004), and should be a
priority focus for disability in the NDIS era. Another valuable
area for ongoing research is the role that AAC- /disability-
specific forums, peer support, and social media play in
networking and disseminating asynchronous information
sources. Emerging research into the use of Twitter by
people who use AAC (Hemsley, Dann, Palmer, Allan,
& Balandin, 2015) indicates that, for some individuals,
social media has become another important vehicle for
information exchange and social connection.
Conclusion
In today’s digital world, it is safe to assume that many AAC
consumers will turn to the Internet for information. Internet
users researching AAC for the first time are likely to encounter
high volumes of variable quality information, covering a
range of agendas. As self-directed support becomes the
norm, the ability of consumers to access and appraise
information will become a pressing requirement. Improving
digital literacy of health consumers is only one part of a
complex puzzle; supporting professionals, service providers,
and web content developers should also play a key roles as
they consider issues around digital accessibility, readability,
and search-engine optimisation. Future investments in this
area by the general AAC community and/or NDIS service
providers could include the implementation of a unified
quality rating scale, and the use of centralised hub sites to
guide information gathering by service users. In the
meantime, AAC professionals can act as a conduit, guiding
consumers towards quality on-line advice or resources, and
assisting them to evaluate their findings.
Appendix. Full coding schema for website metadata
Criteria Coding
Relevance M = Mostly relevant
S = Somewhat relevant
N = Not relevant
Purpose P/T = general information about AAC/AAC products/ AAC techniques
S = information about AAC-related services
G/R = implementation guidance and resources
N = networking members of AAC community (consumers, family, professionals)
APR = academic publication or research (presenting, reviewing, or evaluating research findings)
C = commercial marketing or on-line sales
H = information hub (links to other information only)
OPN = opinions and perspectives, news items, journalism
PE = sharing personal experiences
O = other (specify)
Citations Do authors cite other publications or include references to support their content? (Y/N)
Recency Year last updated (not copyright year)
N/S = not specified
Domain First order domain name (e.g., .com, .co, .edu., .org, .net)
Specify also public repository sites: Youtube, Pinterest, etc.
N/S = not specified
Country Country of website sourced from domain name or other page information
N/S = not specified
Population focus Autism, cerebral palsy, aphasia, other
N/S = not specified
Population focus (age) Child, adult, or both.
N/S = not specified