Talking to Teenagers: Using Anthropological Methods to Explore Identity and the Lifeworlds of Young People Who Use AAC

The article outlines the methodology used in an ethnographic study of identity with teenagers who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). It is unusual to investigate this population in naturalistic contexts using qualitative methods. Nine individuals are studied, in a range of contexts using ethnography as the main method. The research draws on theory from childhood and disability studies to gain a broad picture of the participants’ lives. The aim was to explore the teenagers’ views of their lives while also contextualizing these with perspectives of people around them and three adult AAC users. The method enabled the researcher to see the many ways in which disabled teenagers experience their worlds. The study shows that they are more interested in the ways that they are like others than anything else and that they identify themselves most importantly as teenagers rather than as disabled.