UNIVERSAL ACCESSIBILITY AND AUGMENTATIVE AND ALTERNATIVE COMMUNICATION THE KEY TO GREATER SOCIAL INCLUSION

Abstract

The objective of this literature review is to analyze the relationship between universal accessibility and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), highlighting how both concepts complement each other in promoting the social inclusion of people with disabilities.

The aim is to identify the main strategies, models, and technological resources that promote communicative accessibility from the perspective of speech-language pathology, considering the most relevant theoretical and empirical contributions from the literature. Providing environments enriched with technologically supported communication resources that stimulate individuals' communicative abilities benefits their cognitive and social development and facilitates a better integration process within their families, schools, society, and work. This is where the role of the speech-language pathologist, as a health professional, becomes relevant, providing the necessary tools so that individuals can choose, make decisions, communicate, and interact with others as autonomously as possible. This includes providing strategies that have an impact not only in the office or in institutions, but also at home and in the community. A bibliographic search was conducted in specialized databases on various online platforms, including PubMed, Redalyc, Dialnet, Google Scholar, Scielo, Asha (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association), the ARASAAC portal, and recognized books in the field. It is concluded that access to information and augmentative alternative communication systems should be planned, programmed, and integrated into the widest possible variety of social contexts, enabling all people to transmit and receive information, regardless of disability, age, or other conditions.