This book explores how IT can help people with learning and communication difficulties increase their independence, communicate in more direct ways and express themselves as part of society. It examines common problems, and shows how IT can help solve them.

Information technology (IT) has great potential to be an effective and empowering means of communication for people with communication difficulties. Getting IT explores how IT can help such people increase their independence, communicate in more direct ways and express themselves as part of society. Authors Dinah Murray and Ann Aspinall examine common problems faced by people with learning and communication difficulties ? being judged on appearances, encountering impatience from communication partners, problems identifying and understanding key information and difficulties communicating decisions. They show how IT can help solve these problems: for example internet search tools for accessing information at home, typing and email as socially neutral, universally acceptable modes of expression, anonymous, non-judgmental internet chatrooms and discussion forums. Getting IT shows the power of IT to help people with communication difficulties satisfy the universal human need to communicate.