Disambiguation (Predictive Texting) for AAC

Mobile phone style predictive texting is called 'disambiguation' and originated in the Assistive Technology and AAC fields. Such systems use 'restricted selection' keyboards to enter ambiguous text. Such keyboards (having restricted key sets) have been widely reported in the Human Computer Interaction field, and can provide efficient input rates by reducing the number of selection steps needed to identify a required word or option.Previous literature and existing theories related to the use of reduced selection entry systems will be reviewed in the context of AAC use. The historical context of the method will be presented as will it's links to other AAC techniques. The question as to why the method is not more extensively used in AAC will be discussed. In addition the development of disambiguation software for the PC and research into it's use in AAC will be presented.