Being able to spell out everything I want to say has transformed my life; but when it comes to relationships with family and friends I have found that it is the questions I ask, more than the answers I give that has deepened the connection between us.  

Last year during AAC Awareness month I set a challenge for people to try being non-verbal, which you can see here.

On Friday I was honoured to present at the Angelman UK Communication and Literacy Conference, where I also got to meet one of the international gurus on the topic of literacy for AAC users, Jane Farrall.  Apart from telling her she was a hero, I also got to ask her important questions about how to best spread the message of Teach Us Too, and how I should spend my time promoting the message that literacy transforms the lives of people who use AAC.  

During the summer I asked every family member and friend I met what I should write next, and I got almost as many ideas as times I asked the question.  But, on the last day of my school holidays, my godmother responded to my question with a question of her own: “What is on your heart? What do you think about the most?”  With a question she had cut straight to the nub of my conundrum and the way forward became very clear. 

So my challenge to you this year is to think about the questions you ask more than the answers you give.