Building communication ramps: An examination of barriers and facilitators in making businesses accessible for individuals with aphasia

• Author / Creator

  Mauriks, Kira A.B.

• The present study investigated barriers and facilitators to making businesses accessible for people with aphasia – specifically, external factors that contribute to communication accessibility. Nine people with aphasia were interviewed about their experiences accessing businesses and services in the Edmonton community. Interviews were coded and thematically analyzed to identify key themes related to barriers and facilitators to communication during business interactions. Four main themes were found: communication strategy use, adaptation of communication, aphasia education, and respect for people with aphasia. The presence of these themes led to positive business experiences, and the absence of these themes contributed to negative business interactions. Future research should investigate how personal factors may affect businesses access, and how to best support businesses in incorporating these ideas to improve communication accessibility for people with aphasia.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • aphasia
  • communication sciences and disorders
  • communication ramps
  • speech-language pathology
  • communication accessibility
  • accessibility
  • qualitative research
  • stakeholder engaged research

• Graduation date

  Fall 2022

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-xv56-4j04

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Library with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.