Integrating Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) into music therapy practice: disability affirming applications

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is increasingly recognised as an essential tool for supporting people with communication access needs, including within music therapy. AAC includes a variety of methods that enhance or serve as spoken communication, functioning as either a supplementary (augmentative) tool or a primary (alternative) communication approach. Integrating AAC into music therapy practice fosters disability-affirming practice by reducing communication barriers and creating accessible, inclusive spaces for self-expression and autonomy. This position paper explores the theoretical and practical intersections of AAC and music therapy through the lens of the biopsychosocial model, the social model of disability and the principles of Universal Design for Learning, illustrating how music therapists can actively contribute to dismantling systemic barriers through disability-affirming practice. We advocate for embedding AAC into music therapy higher degree education, further professional development opportunities, increased interdisciplinary collaboration, and the adoption of disability-affirming practices in order to further the integration of AAC into music therapy praxis. Our perspective is informed by our positioning as music therapy academics and practitioners with sustained engagement in AAC across practice, education and collaborative contexts.