"An Old Bastard in Bright Orange Satin!": Zuzenna'sAphasiaDiary

Widespread abandonment continues to hinder the long-term adoption of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices among communities living with aphasia. Challenges with AAC are complex - ranging from poor personalization and stigma to prohibitive costs. Critics argue that many AAC tools reflect top-down, medicalized models shaped by ableist assumptions and commercial agendas. In response, this paper presents bottom-up perspectives from a four-month qualitative study of Zuzenna’s DIY AAC: a self-made communication diary. Far from a prescribed device, her diary is a bespoke, organically evolving tool that empowers her daily life and recovery after stroke. We offer a re-imagining of AAC design grounded in lived experience, highlighting how future tools might: (a) foster genuine communion through share-ability, (b) uphold agency by empowering self-expression, (c) value personal labour and support growth. Zuzenna's diary reveals that AAC does not have to be techno-centric or expensive to be powerful -- it just needs to be personal.