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Tips
for Justifying Output Features
There are two categories of output that can impact a letter of justification:1) speech output and 2) visual output. For more information and examples of these features, see "Output
Features" in the "Understanding
AAC Features" section of this website.
Speech Output
There are
two types of speech output: digitized and text-to-speech. If you do not
know the difference, you should learn about these features in the "Understanding
AAC Features" section of this website before proceeding.
For letters of
justification in Washington State, in our experience, letters should
include a general medical justification for speech output of any
kind. This means demonstrating that the individual needs to call for help
or get medical attention from listeners who: 1) might have their back
turned so they cannot see the display at the moment help is needed, 2)
cannot see well enough to read visual output, 3) cannot read English well
enough to understand medical vocabulary or 4) are on the phone (e.g. when
calling for help in an emergency). You must use examples from the individual's
real life experiences.
You may also
need to use a specific medical justification for a particular type
of speech output if it makes the recommended device more expensive than
other devices. For example:
1) You may be able
to justify devices with text-to-speech output if the individual
is able to spell medical, health and safety vocabulary well enough to
produce unique messages in unpredictable emergencies.
2) You may be able
to justify devices with digitized speech output in any of the
following situations:
a) the individual
speaks a language for which there is no text-to-speech system (e.g.
Vietnamese)
b) the individual's partners do not understand English well when it
is produced by text-to-speech.
3) It is very difficult
to justify a device with both types of speech output. We have
been successful in doing this only by showing that the individual must
use 1) text-to-speech to produce unique, unpredictable messages through
spelling AND 2) digitized speech for rapid retrieval of predictable,
pre-programmed messages that require the most understandable speech
output. You must use examples from the indvidual's life.
Visual Output
Devices can have either temporary visual output or a hard copy printout
for the partner. For
letters of justification in Washington State, in our experience, you
would have to provide a medical justification for hard copy printout.
You must show why the individual's health and safety require it in
addition to voice output. This justification is possible when:
1) the partner
is hard-of-hearing or deaf or
2) the partner
is unable to understand the speech output for any reason. However, you
must also show why that partner is unable to use the temporary visual
display that comes with most devices.
Be careful that your
justification for visual output does not negate your justification for
speech output. The 3rd party payer might only provide a les expensive
device with no speech output.
Back to Tips for Funding
in WA State
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III. Funding