How to Start the Conversation

Cruising along the interstate, you are confident because your GPS is calling out all the turns and exits. You simply have to listen to her commands. Then suddenly, for no apparent reason, the GPS starts to reroute you. You watch the swirling circle in terror. The road ahead is splitting and you need to pick a lane. You slow down to buy yourself time, and the car behind you starts to honk impatiently. How to decide? You start to panic, and you swerve a little, angering your neighbor in the next lane. Mean people taunt you as they pass, “Learn to drive!” they yell. You are too scared and embarrassed to think clearly. You try to tell yourself not to worry, but rational thought is impossible. You start to scream and Siri says,“I didn’t get that.”

How often does this happen to you? Apart from the car, this is a regular occurrence in my life. I know where I want my body to move, but the annoying GPS is not giving the instructions. Some people around me interpret my indecisive movements to mean I don’t know the direction I want. Others assume my erratic movements are purposeful. When is the GPS working? When is it rerouting? How do you know the difference?

Learning to use a letterboard, and later a keyboard, made deciphering my movements possible. I have had all kinds of communication systems, from simplistic stick figure cards to apps that have pre-programmed word libraries, but none of them really captured my intention. While pointing to random icons on an Ipad is better than sitting silent, it is not the same as conversation. To use our driving analogy, it is the difference between saying you want to go to New York and saying you want to go north of Washington. One is the precise destination, the other is only an approximation.

Real understanding requires the people involved to communicate. The act of communicating requires a free exchange of thought. A free exchange of thought requires that all the participants have a chance to express themselves the way they choose. Until speaking and non speaking people have equal opportunities to participate in the conversation, true understanding is not possible.

#The right to communicate is a human right!