Hi, I’m Craig, an AAC Assistant Practitioner working in Ace Centre’s north office. I am also doing a Masters in Educational Assistive Technology with University of Dundee. I am in my last year, which means I need to complete a research project and dissertation and am looking for people to interview about my chosen topic of whether loaning AAC equipment results in funding of AAC devices.

One of my roles within Ace Centre has been to work collaboratively to organise and improve the Local AAC Equipment Service (LAACES). This service provides loan equipment to professionals working in education, such as Teachers and Speech and Language Therapists, so they can evidence electronic Assistive Technology use with their clients. This evidence can then be provided to the funders to provide additional reasoning behind the professional’s decision.

Having previous experience as an Assistive Technologist within education, I liked the idea of being able to trial equipment to ensure it was suitable for students. Having seen the loan system in practice, I was surprised that there is no research regarding its effectiveness. To that end, I needed a subject for my dissertation, and it was the first thing I thought of.

I require assistance from people who have loaned equipment from Ace Centre to provide some information about the loan and how it helped in the decision making and funding acquisition process. This will be done through a questionnaire taking less than 30 minutes, or an interview, or both, depending on what you have time for. If you are interested in providing this information and potentially improving the loan service, please click the survey link https://forms.office.com/r/ZjCQT6LLCv which includes the Participant Information and Consent Form. The survey will close by the 26th of October 2022.

If you wish to be interviewed, please send your name and email address to 2447456@dundee.ac.uk. A Participant Information and Consent Form will be sent, and an interview time organised before Wednesday the 26th October 2022.