Stuart Duncan, the founder of Autcraft, revealed the AAC plugin for Minecraft. The communication plugin is only available to the Autcraft community for now, but a public release is planned so anyone can benefit. Update: see the end of this article. AutCraft is a Minecraft server specifically intended for autistic children and their families. Their focus is on providing an accessible and safe space to play and this plugin seems to fit that mission perfectly.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication
You might be wondering, what is AAC? AAC stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. This complicated name stands for something simple; any means to support a person in expressing themselves. Generally these are ways to communicate in addition to, or replacing speech. From low-tech solutions such as writing or picture boards, to high-tech systems like Stephen Hawking’s speech-generating device.
AAC in Minecraft
The AAC plugin provides players with an in-game picture board. When holding this AAC tool object, the player can open the communications panel by either mouse click. By selecting one of the icons, the player can then quickly and easily choose something to be placed in the chat for them.
This can help players who have difficulty finding the right words, or who might struggle to type messages with a keyboard. One player on the Autcraft forums mentioned this might also be helpful for players in VR, as typing messages there can be quite slow.
The plugin was tested and developed with the help of players who use AAC in their daily lives. Now, all players on the Autcraft server can use it in a final testing phase. After any remaining bugs are squashed, they intend to release the AAC plugin for all Minecraft servers. All the names, icons, and output of the plugin is customizable making it usable for servers in any language.
With ease of use and customization to match a server’s player-base and theme it surely will prove useful in a wide range of situations. It may become yet another example of an accessibility feature being useful beyond its initial target audience.
Update March 27 2024: plugin released
We have learned that the AAC Minecraft plugin was released publicly today. It is available for use on Java Minecraft servers. Those interested can download the AAC Minecraft plugin from SpigotMC. The plugin is open-source, with the code shared on GitHub as well.
