Device Abandonment

The phenomenon where users stop using an assistive technology device after initial adoption. In AAC, abandonment rates are notably high and stem from multiple factors including devices that do not match users' communication strengths, poor customization, high cost, social stigma, difficulty learning to operate the device, limited reliability, cultural inappropriateness, and insufficient support for non-verbal or multimodal communication. Understanding and reducing device abandonment is a central challenge in assistive technology research and practice.