Iu Mien Communication Board

 Iu Mien Communication Board Link

Here is a communication board created specifically for the Iu Mien population. This was actually part of a project for my AAC course in graduate school, where I had the option to create a customized communication board for a hypothetical client. One of the hypothetical scenarios I was given the choice to work with was a bilingual client. Naturally, I chose to use my second language and decided that this would be a great way to contribute to my community. I was then reminded of my deaf uncle, who never learned sign and was illiterate. I remember during every event how much he loved to communicate with the children and connect with family members through gesturing and holding their hands. He never had a consistent communication modality, besides gesturing and approximations of oral speech, therefore, only his immediate family members could communicate with him, but even then it would still be difficult. 

When I told my mother about wanting to create a communication board for him, she recalled an event told to her by her cousin. The event took place a few months earlier, my uncle visited the room of a recently passed family member. As one might imagine, a room where a loved one used to occupy holds dear memories and reminders of that individual. My mother's cousin could tell that my uncle looked somber and probably wanted to express how sad he was and how much he missed our relative, however, he was unable to communicate these emotions and my mother's cousin could only give him a hug to comfort and affirm his feelings. Communicating our emotions is a behavior innately human and a way for us to cope and grieve. Due to the barriers in communication, my uncle was unable to access this ability to grieve and connect on a deeper level. I hope this communication board will be a step towards allowing him that right. I dedicate this project to him and hope to continue refining this throughout my AAC journey.