Assistive Tech Trainings from ATEC

Training from ATEC

To register or for more information please contact Lauren Wetzler at (714) 361-6200 x226 or laurenw@ocgoodwill.org.  Space is limited, registration is required. 

Proloquo2Go Crash Course

A Professional Development Workshop 

Presented by: Randi Wasano, M.A., CCC-SLP, certified Proloquo2Go trainer

When: Thursday, February 27th, 2014 from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Cost: $125

Description: Everything you wanted to know about Proloquo2Go! Topics covered include; getting started, adding and editing vocabulary, options, tips and tricks and much more!

Spaces still available, registration is required. Reserve your spot now!

  

Word Prediction Apps for the iPad that Support Writing

A Professional Development Workshop

Presented by: Kevin Daugherty, Rehabilitation Engineer, AT Professional

When: Tuesday, March 25th, 2014 from 3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Cost: $35

Description: Participants will learn how to use the Co:Writer, iWordQ and iReadWrite apps, how word prediction apps support the writing process, and implementation strategies for school and home.  

  

Sounding Board Crash Course

A Professional Development Workshop

Presented by: Randi Wasano, M.A., CCC-SLP

When: Monday, April 28th, 2014 from 3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Cost: $35

Description: Overview the features of the Sounding Board app, implications for using Sounding Board, creating editing, linking boards, switch scanning and other options within Sounding Board.

  

Individualized Workshops & Trainings for Organizations

The clinical and technical staff at ATEC can provide individualized workshops and trainings on specific areas of assistive technology for your organization! Topics include, but not limited to;  Introduction to AT, Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC), iDevices and Apps, Microsoft Accessibility, and specific AT equipment and software, such as Dragon, ZoomText, JAWS, and much more.

Contact Lauren Wetzler at laurenw@ocgoodwill.org or (714) 361-6200 ext. 226 to inquire about an individualized workshop or training for your organization.

Save the Date & Submit Questions: Spring Quarterly Meeting 5/20/14

The topic of our Spring SoCal AAC Network meeting will be "Ask an Expert: AAC Assessment." And we need your questions! AAC Experts from near and far will be asked to weigh in on their assessment process from referral to scheduling, tips, tricks, resources, and pitfalls. Answers will be released on May 20th at our quarterly meeting in Pasadena, CA and May 21st online at scaacn.blogspot.com.

Here are some initial questions: (but we want to hear from you, too!)

• How should I prepare candidates for an AAC evaluation? What should parents do? What should teachers do? What can the speech therapist do? to help the candidate shine when the evaluator comes calling.
• What models/timelines/flowcharts have you seen for the referral process? In school districts, private clinics, through regional center, in hospitals...
• What models/timelines/flowcharts do you use for your assessment activities (both indirect and direct)?
• What can SLPs, SLPAs, and teachers do today to get more AAC into the hands of students that could benefit?

Submit your burning AAC Assessment questions for our experts before March 14th one of three ways:
- Confidentially via email to socalaacnetwork@gmail.com, enter "Expert" in the subject line 
- Facebook Message to SoCal AAC
- By leaving your comment HERE (link at the tail of this post)

We will host a live panel of experts to take this conversation further on 5/20/14 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in Pasadena, CA. Don't miss it!

LA Abilities Expo - FREE Admission (2/28-3/2)

The Annual LA Abilities Expo 2014 is next weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) at the Los Angeles Convention Center (There is no charge for admission so pre-register today, then come and see:

• The latest products and services for people with ALL disabilities
• Accessibility and special education apps at the Assistive Technology Showcase, sponsored by the Team of Advocates for Special Kids (TASK)
• Low-cost daily living aids
• An adaptive climbing wall for people of all abilities who don’t believe in limits
• Watch your kids express themselves through art, and even take their creation home!(A donation of $5 is suggested to cover the cost of supplies for the art activities only.)
• The latest hip-hop dance moves, social dancing and interpretive dance
• No charge tax preparation for eligible taxpayers with disabilities and their families earning less than $58,000 annually
• Meet Tiphany Adams, star of the Sundance Channel hit docu-series Push Girls, and hear her tips on how to live well
• Laughter and empowerment at the Handicap This! live show
• Face art for kids
• Compelling workshops on the issues that make a difference to you
• Canine assistance demos to learn how dogs can help their human partners
• Adaptive sports like rowing, power soccer, hand cycling, tennis, skateboarding and off-road cycling
• Meet Paralympian and Guinness Book of World Record holder for rowing, Angela Madsen
• No charge loaner scooters, wheelchair repair and sign language interpreters
• Essentials for kids and seniors
• And more!

Visit www.abilitiesexpo.com/losangeles as often as possible to check out new show features. Or start the conversation now on our Abilities Expo Facebook Page, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our monthly e-newsletter.

Click here for directions and parking information.

Gateway Vocabs from TouchChat

A tale of two Gateways...

Over the last two years every last one of my Dynavox users have abandoned or rejected their Vs and Maestros for iPads. My boys all happen to have autism and use direct selection to access their devices (i.e., no scanning or eye gaze technology required) so that the transition in hardware was a no-brainer. Lighter, cooler, and more reliable - the iPads have been a huge hit with the guys.  

This change in system required that the boys move from their Gateway vocabularies to our school's modified TouchChat WordPower 42 vocabulary. But NO MORE! TouchChat now has Gateway vocabularies for sale (an add on of $149.99) in their Upgrade Store to ease the path for any future converts. "Gateway is a developmentally based set of core word vocabularies enabling efficient message formation by children-adults." Below is a side-by-side of the two Home pages. 

Dynavox Gateway 40                         TouchChat Gateway Child 40

While a transition to a TouchChat Gateway will present the user with new symbols (TouchChat uses SymbolStix, Dynavox uses a combination of PCS symbols and Dynasyms) the layout and navigation paths remain relatively unchanged.  My eyes are drawn to the TouchChat's distinct lack of a Talk pop-up (white) the My Tabs folder (red), "more" and the delete word button. That's no good?! Available vocabularies include: 

• Child 12, 20, 40, 66
• Teen 20, 30, 40
• Adult 66 

From the Vocabulary list page, the Menu button takes you to the Upgrade Store.

Read more about this new development and also the Pixon vocabularies also available from TouchChat, READ MORE HERE.

Assessment that Drives AAC System Development (Live Chat at ASHA.org)

These events are live online chats with a panel of experts using a live-event publishing platform,CoverItLive. Participants type questions in a chat box and the panelists type responses to the questions that will be published in real time. You can view the replays of past online chats below to get a sense for how a live online chat functions. There is no audio for these events.

Assessment that Drives AAC System Development

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

8:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m. ET (5:00-7:00 PT)

Hosted by Special Interest Group 12, Augmentative and Alternative Communication

This live chat event covers assessment issues, strategies, and tools to guide selection for and development of a person’s AAC system. These experts will answer the question: How do you assess someone for an AAC system?

  

• Mary Ann Abbott, SLP.D., CCC-SLP, ATP, Speech-Language Pathologist, AT/AAC Consultant, Ontario Montclair School District; Adjunct Faculty, Communication Disorders Program, California State University, Los Angeles
• Celeste Helling, MA, CCC-SLP, ATP, Speech-Language Pathologist, North Carolina Assistive Technology Program, Charlotte, NC
• Angela Standridge, MA, CCC-SLP, ATP, Education Specialist, Special Education Services, Region 4 Education Service Center, Houston, TX

This free event is open to all ASHA members (must be an ASHA member to participate; it is NOT offered for CEU credits).

Details on where to go to participate TBA! (I will re-post closer to the 3/11/14 date of the chat)

iPads as AAC Devices: Multiple Disabilities (Cindy Cottier, ASHA Live Webinar)

iPads as AAC Devices: Tools for Children with Multiple Disabilities (Live Webinar, 3/12/14)

Author: Cynthia Cottier, MA, MEd, CCC-SLP

This session will demonstrate how to provide a functional AAC communication system for children with multiple disabilities using various iPad applications. The apps are designed for children ranging from limited communication abilities to moderate levels of communication. In addition, use of these apps using direct access, single switch, and 2-switch step scanning will be discussed.

Note: iPads are used exclusively in this session; Android devices will not be discussed

Learning Objectives:
You will be able to:

• Select an appropriate application that will allow the iPad to be used as a direct selection AAC device
• Select an appropriate application that will allow the iPad to be used as a scanning selection AAC device
• Identify the components that are necessary to allow the use of 1 or 2 switches to access the communication application on the iPad.

Group Registration Note: A group registration entitles you to one Web or telephone connection to this program. Any number of people may listen and earn ASHA CEUs on that connection. The person who will act as site leader for the broadcast should register on behalf of the group. After registering, the site leader will be able to download seminar instructions, handouts, and CEU materials. The site leader needs to have, or create, a login to the ASHA Web site.

Live Broadcast: March 12, 2014 (1:00 - 2:30 p.m. ET, 10:00-11:30 a.m. PT)
Last day to register for Live broadcast: March 12, 2014, 9:00 a.m.

• What is a Web Seminar? Learn more.
• Can your computer run a Web Seminar? Consult the PC Checklist.
• To order the On Demand version of this program, click here.

Earn 0.15 CEUs (1.5 professional development hours).

FREE Webinars Tomorrow & Wed. from AbleNet

Tuesday, 02/11/2014

Designing Your Treasure Chest of Tools to Advance Children With Significant Needs
In this final session in this series on advancing outcomes for children with severe and multiple disabilities, you will learn how to provide a variety of support tools to maximally involve your students in learning and strengthen their concept-knowledge to reach desired outcomes. Based on the research-supported Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, the tools in the treasure chest will offer various formats to increase student access to learning and opportunities for them to respond in non-traditional ways. The following tools will be included: 
   • Interactive Books 
   • Comprehension-Story Organizer Tools 
   • Response-Participation Tools 
   • A Object-based Daily Calendar and Activity Schedule
   • Adapted Stamp and Gloves 

• Time: 11:00 AM to 11:45 AM CST
• Presenter: Padmaja Sarathy MA, Author and Educational Consultant
• Level: Beginner



Archived webinars are also available 24/7


Wednesday, 02/12/2014

QIAT Session 6: Evaluation of the Effectiveness of AT
This QIAT area addresses the evaluation of the effectiveness of the AT devices and services provided to individual students. It includes data collection, documentation and analysis to monitor changes in student performance resulting from the implementation of assistive technology services. Student performance is reviewed in order to identify if, when, or where modifications and revisions to the AT implementation plan are needed. 

• Time: 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM CST
• Presenter: Jane Korsten & Terry Foss of QIAT.org 
• Level: Beginner/Intermediate

Apps for Independence Webinar (2/27/14, $55)

Link to more information & registration - HERE

Winter Quarterly Meeting - Tues. 2/18/14

SCAAC-N Winter Quarterly Meeting, 2014

"Assessment to Outcomes, Part I - Autism"

Join us for our FREE, networking and information meeting on Tuesday, February 18th, 2014 where Gwendolyn Meier, SLP of Villa Esperanza Services will reprise her presentation "AAC in ASD: Two Journeys from Assessment to Outcomes" from ATI 2014, sharing two recent case studies. Come and hear about the path that a female high school student with ASD is traveling toward a robust communication system and also the unexpected route an elementary student followed from no-tech to high-tech in two short years.

Where: Villa Esperanza Services, 2116 E. Villa Street, Pasadena, CA 91107

             Brick building on the corner of Craig Ave. Street parking available.
When:  Tuesday, February 18 - 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Cost:    FREE! as always. Snacks and beverages are provided.

Please RSVP by Monday, February 17th, to socalaacnetwork@gmail.com so we can have a chair, handout, and snacks for you and your colleagues...

Hope to see you Feb 18th in Pasadena!

Google in Education West Coast Summit, Palm Springs, 3/22-23

After the close of the CUE Conference (3/20-22) stay for the Google in Education West Coast Summit (Sat-Sun; 3/22-23).

As campuses across the globe adopt Google solutions to support student learning, powerful and affordable professional development is essential. Join us for an engaging summit focused on infusing Google in Education in K-20 environments. CUE’s Professional Learning Program will provide two keynotes and dozens of sessions with hands-on activities led by Google Certified Teachers and Google Apps Certified Trainers, including instructional strategies with ties to Common Core. All attendees will be invited to the Google Workshops for Educators Network (GWEN), an online community focused on supporting educators as they learn more about the power of Google to drive student learning 

Registration Now Open (at CUE), CLICK HERE

CUE 2014 Conference Attendees: $75

Summit Attendance Only: $150

CUE Conference, Palm Springs 3/20-22 (Thurs-Sat)

Keynotes: Sal Khan, LeVar Burton and Dan Meyer

Take a look at the brochure CLICK HERE.

CUE (Computer Using Educators), Inc. is a professional organization of educators that supports the use of technology in education. For over 30 years, technology-using educators have been meeting at the CUE Conferences to advance student achievement at all levels of education and to address the use of Education Technology in instruction, administration, curriculum and management. 

Who Should Attend?
Classroom teachers, administrators, library media teachers, higher education, school board members, technology leaders, IT professionals, parents and those who support CUE’s mission of advancing  student achievement through technology. Students 16 and over are welcome to register.

Come for the conference, stay for the Google in Education West Coast Summit (3/22-23; Sat-Sun)...

SoCal K-12 AT Network Mailing List

Join the mailing list for the SoCal K-12 AT Network (not to be confused with SCAAC-N). This new(ish) group that meets monthly in Alhambra with presentations and a forum for sharing for K-12 AT personnel from San Diego to San Bernadino to Ventura. This group was started over a year ago by Susan Simmons (CA Diagnostic Center) and friends and is a great place to meet, share, and learn hosted by Jenn Park, AT Specialist, at the West San Gabriel Valley SELPA offices.

Join the mailing list CLICK HERE.

The next meeting of the SoCal K-12 AT Network will be March 27 at 9:00 a.m. (15 W. Alhambra Rd) with a presentation on "Systems and Strategies for Integrating AAC in the Classroom" by Sharon Redner, SLP (Ventura County Office of Ed, Adaptive Tech Center).

FREE Special Ed Conference, South Pasadena (3/1/14)

While not an AAC event, per se, the 3rd annual South Pasadena Special Needs Conference is free half day of sessions and vendors that is open to the public of parents, professionals, and carers thirsty for information...

Click HERE for specifics