Young Adult Rejects Communication Device in Public

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Greetings!
I'm hoping this is the correct section to present this issue to. (Parenting was my second choice)
My young adult son with Autism will be graduating out of the school system's program in a few months.
He has overcome many obstacles in his 21 years. However, with him having Apraxia, communicating with others hasn't been one of them. This fact is unfortunate since he is a social butterfly -- friendly and touchy feely (too much if you ask me).

Now to the issue at hand...

When my son leaves home, the classroom etc, for the 'outside world', he refuses to take his tablet with him to communicate. This poses a problem since his speech isn't clear enough for others to understand. His tablet is thin, has two programs on it and is enclosed in a leather case with a strap that drapes across his body.
I've made it quite easy for him to use, however he is totally against taking it in tow. Perhaps he doesn't want to be different from his classmates, but I what I really feel is that he simply wants to socialize without the need for a 3rd party, no matter how convenient it is. Although, it causes frustration to those trying to decipher his words, he never gives up until those involved nod their head as a sign of defeat.

Please tell me...
Are there other ways my son can communicate without the need for a tablet? His teachers and I are stumped at this point and we feel as though we are running out of time.
Any suggestions would be appreciated and I thank you in advance.

perhaps if the other people new sign language then he could learn that but maybe if he doesn't like the tablet then he can use gestures or maybe he just needs help being comfortable with the tablet and maybe the problem is not that he feels different even though that might be it but he also might not just want to bother caring it on him that much and finally maybe he could also have something to write on like a whiteboard. i don't know much but that's the best advice i can give for now.