The Pennsylvania State University Augmentative and Alternative Communication Mentor Project

Penn State AAC Mentor Project - Sharing the Knowledge of AAC Users

About This Site

Establishing a Mentor Project

Outcomes

Further Information

Conclusion

What were the outcomes of the Penn State AAC Mentor Project?

What were the benefits and challenges of providing a mentor program via the Internet?

What were the outcomes of the Penn State Mentor Leadership Training program?

Outcomes of the AAC Mentor Project
What were the outcomes of the Penn State AAC Mentor Project?

The Penn State AAC Mentor Project resulted in many positive outcomes. First and foremost, the community of people who use AAC was broadened. New friendships were developed. People who used AAC from across the country were connected.

Adolescents and young adults who used AAC were able to get to know another individual, like themselves in many ways, who had overcome similar challenges and achieved comparable goals. For many of the protégés, having a role model like this was a unique experience.

At the outset, the goals of the AAC Mentor Project were focused on problem solving and setting goals. As the mentoring relationships developed, however, it became evident that opportunities for the protégés to socialize with their mentors and share life experiences were also very important. The friendships, the support, and the encouragement that the mentors provided were just as significant to the protégés as reaching their goals.

The overwhelming majority of mentors and protégés reported that they were very satisfied with the experience.

At the end of the project, protégés completed consumer satisfaction surveys to evaluate their satisfaction with the mentor program and to determine ways to improve the project. 96% of the protégés indicated that they were very satisfied with the AAC Mentor Project. 100% of the protégés reported that they would recommend the program to others.
At the end of the project, mentors also completed consumer satisfaction surveys to obtain feedback and recommendations for improvement. 97% of the mentors reported that the mentor program was a very good use of their time. Furthermore 97% of the mentors believed that the program had been beneficial for their protégé. The remaining mentor reported that at times the program had been beneficial to both him and his protégé, but sometimes it had not been. 100% of the mentors indicated that they would recommend the AAC Mentor Project to others.

The AAC Mentor Project was also effective in supporting protégés in meeting their educational, vocational, social and personal goals.

At the end of the project, goal attainment data were collected for each of the protégés’ goals. The protégés had made progress toward or had attained 85% of the goals that they had set at the start of the mentor program.

Many of the protégés also said that they benefited from the AAC Mentor Project in ways they could not have anticipated. Issues, concerns, and goals came up over the course of the year and were addressed in turn, even if they weren’t the same as the ones the protégés indicated in the beginning.

Finally, another important result was that the project helped us to learn about critical concerns for individuals who use AAC. These concerns and problems cut across many domains including education, employment, AAC systems, assistive technologies, independent living, personal care attendants, transportation, and so on. The unmet needs and issues identified by protégés and mentors should form the future research and service delivery priorities for the AAC field.