Let’s Connect!
“When a friend calls to me from the road
And slows his horse to a meaning walk,
I don’t stand still and look around
On all the hills I haven’t hoed,
And shout from where I am, What is it?”
Famous lines from the poem, “A Time to Talk”, written by Robert Frost, one can never over emphasise the human need for connection, a need that is met with a nice and long conversation. But what about those of us with complex communication needs; those of us who talk ‘differently’, for we use a device to talk. Can this very difference become a gateway to open up conversations?
I would like to recount an incident from a couple of months ago. I was out at a popular cafe in a friendly neighbourhood mall, meeting my educator. We sat down to have a conversation over watery coffee -on -the -rocks, that the place is rather famous for, when we observed a couple, of more or less my age, who were sitting on the table next to us and observing me using Avaz on my iPad rather keenly.
The female in the sketch seemed particularly distracted and barely paid attention to what her friend was saying. The male in the sketch, quite obviously, was not pleased about the fact that his conversation was falling on deaf ears. He stopped mid sentence and remarked in Kannada, ‘since you are so curious, why dont you ask them about the device, and why the device is doing the talking for her.’
Here’s the thing about me meeting people and chatting with them when I am out and about- I need little pockets of sensory breaks to manage the larger than life social anxiety, and this usually involves taking a small stroll before coming right back to the conversation at hand. As I headed out of the cafe space, my educator decided to strike a conversation with the curious young woman and ask her if she wanted to talk to me. Turns out she did; and talk, we did, once I got back. Someone who had never heard of autism before got a sneak peek into the world of someone whose interactions with the world has, for better or worse, been defined by autism. Such is the power of communication, and of connection.
Each and every one, including those of us with complex communication needs, crave connection – and connection without communication is impossible. Novelty attracts curiosity, and when curiosity is met with factual information, it results in organic awareness. So, the next time someone is curious about your or your child’s AAC, do take the time to address their curiosity, and open the door to communication and connection.
Avaz Megaphone is a platform for neurodivergent individuals to express themselves through the written word. We accept opinion pieces, short stories and poetry. Authors of accepted works will receive an honorarium. To make a submission please email us on: collaborate@avazapp.com
WRITTEN BY
Aditi Sowmyanarayan
Student & Writer
Aditi Sowmyanarayan is a nineteen year old who uses Avaz, a text to speech app, to communicate. She goes to Ishanya India Foundation, a special school in Bengaluru. Aditi is an avid blogger and an aspiring writer. She blogs on www.smallstepbigthought.blogspot.com
She can be reached on Instagram at writeaditi and on her Facebook page : small step big thought
