Everyone Communicates - Communication Partners

Everyone Communicates is a site dedicated to people who are still waiting for a means to communicate more effectively. They hope thier site helps to bring access to communication to more people so that someday soon everyone will have the opportunity to communicate effectively, and no one will have to spend days or years or a lifetime in silence.

Learn More Links

Membership organizations & electronic mailing lists
Courses & Tutorials
Positive supports and accommodations
* Communication partners — how to be a good one  (highlights, below)
Teaching tips for AAC
Quality in AAC supports and services
Overcoming resistance to AAC techniques
Literacy
Internet, e-mail, web browsing
Specific challenges: various disabilities and conditions which affect communication
AAC and adults
Health and safety and emergency issues
Technology, various methods and equipment
Other sources of information

Communication Partners

 

Education of Service Providers who Deal with Persons who Communicate Using AAC, A Speaking Differently Position Paper. "... [of] greatest concern is the tendency for persons such as doctors or government employees to ignore persons with little or no speech in favour of their attendants or facilitators during examinations, treatment, meetings and other interactions." Includes recommendations for training of professionals. http://grassrootsaac.com/Speaking%20Differently/Speaking_Differently/position1.htm

Strategies for Supporting Friendship for All Students by Carol Tashie and Zach Rossetti. "Some strategies that students, teachers, and families in New Hampshire have found useful to value and support all students to have the rich and enviable social lives they deserve ... As you think about strategies, it is crucial to keep in mind that unless a student is truly valued, fully included, and consistently treated with the highest of expectations, well-meaning strategies can easily result in relationships based on benevolence and pity, not mutual respect and appreciation." http://ici.umn.edu/products/impact/161/prof5.html

RERC (Webcast): Supporting Communication of Individuals with Minimal Movement

Not a new post, but a valuable one to tide you over during these quiet summer months...

 

Webcast Description

Susan Fager, Ph.D. CCC/SLP and David Beukelman,Ph.D. CCC/SLP 

For many years we have provided AAC services to people with minimal movement capability. Their medical conditions include brainstem stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Guillan Barre’ Syndrome, and chronic myasthenia gravis. As with others who rely on AAC, these people are multi-modal communicators in that they use high and low technology options depending upon the situation and the listener. High technology options include commercially available devices as well as technology under development. During the past year, we have provided presentations related to our work in this area at RESNA, the World Congress on Disability, and ATIA. In this webcast we present the content of those presentation through an interactive discussion format.

Slides and handouts

Transcript of presentation (pdf)

Transcript of presentation (txt)

Powerpoint slides as a handout (pdf)

Technical Requirements for Viewing Webcasts

Pittsburgh: Core Vocabulary Series

Core Vocabulary Learning: Make It Fun!  Make It Interactive! Dates and TimesTuesday, September 11, 2012:  8:30am - 4:30pm Wednesday, September 12, 2012:  8:30am - 4:30pm Thursday, September 13, 2012:  8:30am - 1:00pm Location1000 Killarney Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15234 This program is part of the Pittsburgh AAC Language Seminar Series and is provided "FREE OF CHARGE."  Lodging and meals are provided. This seminar provides clinically proven ideas for using the Unity® language system with children and adults who are both nonspeaking and possibly language impaired.  Participants will learn how to enhance language growth leading to successful use of communication devices including the SpringBoard™ Lite, Vantage™ Lite, and ECO™2.  Bruce Baker, A.M., L.H.D., (Hons. Caus.) will provide an in-depth, research-based discussion on language development and core vocabulary as it pertains to AAC. He will also present various methods of representing vocabulary, a comparison between the referential and descriptive methods of instruction and a discussion on motor automaticity. Guest Speaker, Caroline Ramsey Musselwhite, PhD, is a speech-language pathologist and assistive technology specialist with over 25 years of experience working with students with severe disabilities in educational settings.  She has presented hundreds of workshops and is a founding member of the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication.  Caroline will provide a quick-paced, interactive session providing strategies that will support students in using core vocabulary for authentic purposes, with peers, and using repetition with variation.  Strategies include:  barrier communication games, using interactive apps, combining core vocabulary and literacy, and determining authentic purposes for all practice.  Participants will engage in multiple ‘try-it’ activities to help learning generalize, just as we hope to make core vocabulary generalize for our AAC users!  Participants will receive a CD with sample activities and forms.    Katya Hill, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is a professor in the Departments of Communication Science Disorders and Rehabilitation Science at the University of Pittsburgh.  She is the founder of the AAC Institute, a web-based resource for parents, professionals and AAC consumers.  She is the founder of the ICAN Talk® Clinics.  Katya will provide an in-depth discussion of evidence-based AAC assessment and how to generate successful funding requests.  Russell Cross, BSc. (Hons.) DipSCT, MRCSLT is the Director of Clinical Applications at PRC. He will demonstrate tools to enhance clinical practice within the PASS software and further explore symbolic representation and metaphor with regard to representing language in AAC. Learning Outcomes: 1.   Participants will be able to explain why core vocabulary should be emphasized in AAC intervention rather than extended vocabulary. 2.  Participants will be able to describe the relationship between the use of core vocabulary and normal language development. 3.  Participants will be able to discuss the use of Minspeak® as a strategy for representing core vocabulary and promoting language development. Here's what some of the previous participants have had to say about attending the Pittsburgh AAC Language Seminar Series:   "I learned so much, became so empowered and energized to meet the challenges my career brings forth." "It was an incredible experience and I learned more in 3 days with you than had I previously learned in years of practice." "I really learned a lot and I am excited to start implementing the tools that I learned."  "We came for the Language Seminar and were truly amazed, both by the quality of information and presenters and the absolutely marvelous hospitality of our hosts."   AAC devices are not required for participation in the seminar.  Participants are encouraged to bring personal computers to practice using Unity® via  PASS, a free-emulation program. Download PASS.  For more information about the seminar, housing and the schedule of events, please click here. Registration is limited to 22 participants.  Priority will be given to those who have not attended a previous seminar.  Additional registrants may be placed on a waiting list in the event that there is a cancellation. To register, please click here to download a registration form. For additional information, please contact Renee McGough at (412) 885-8541 or via email at rmcgough@minspeak.com. Faculty  Bruce R. Baker, A.M., L.H.D., (Hons. Caus.) Adjunct Assistant Professor University of Pittsburgh Guest SpeakerCaroline Musselwhite, Ph.D. Katya Hill, Ph.D., CCC-SLP Associate Professor University of Pittsburgh Russell T. Cross, Bsc. (Hons.) DipCST, MRCSLT Member, Royal College of Speech-Language Therapists

PARTICIPATE - Online Survey: How SLPs design AAC

Sent to ASHA SIG 12 discussions: 07-16-2012 01:17 PM
From: Jennifer Thistle
Subject: Recruitment for research project: Designing AAC Displays
 

Dr. Krista Wilkinson and I from Penn State University are conducting research seeking to identify in the decisions SLPs make as they design AAC displays for school age children. If you are an SLP who works with elementary school age children who use AAC, please consider participating by completing an online survey.

For more information about this research study, please go to http://aac.psu.edu/?p=1085
To directly access the online survey, please go to https://hhdevpsu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_7Ny8DyDFmLKWpdW 
Or feel free to contact me off list at: jqt5124@psu.edu.
Thank you!
Jennifer
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Jennifer Thistle
State College PA

New from PRC: Accent 1200

A Powerful, New AAC Solution from PRC! Large 12-inch touchscreen display Dual cameras for photos Pre-loaded with learning resources Built-in help tools Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth® Windows® 7 operating system Enter to Win a FREEAccent™ 1200! Go to accent.prentrom.com and register by July 20, 2012. No purchase is necessary to enter the drawing.  For complete contest rules, visit accent.prentrom.com. Follow us on: Get a FREE Demonstration from Your PRC REGIONAL CONSULTANT We Believe Everyone Deserves a Voice™.

Closing the Gap 2012: October 17-19 (Minneapolis, MN)

Over 200 presentation and hands-on lab hours that describe and/or demonstrate successful applications of assistive technology for persons with disabilities will be held during the three days of the conference. Click HERE to download the brochure.

Wednesday through Friday, October 17-19, 2012

 

CTG Regular conference presentations will be announced August 1, 2012. 

Twenty-one, full-day, in-depth preconference workshops (Monday-Tuesday, Oct. 15-16; additional fees) will be presented by experts in the field in very practical and effective ways.  CLICK HERE for all the preconference details (prepare to crave)

Some personal favs:

• Multi-Modal Communication Strategies for Children Who Have Complex Communication Needs — PODD Communication Books (Two-Day Introductory Workshop; Linda J. Burkhart)
   
• Beyond Wants and Needs: Supporting Social Interactions Between Students with Autism and Their Peers (Pat Mirenda)
   
• Jumpstarting AAC: From Light Tech to iPad to Devices (Pati King DeBaun)
   
• i (Need To) Customize  (Judith P. Sweeney)
   
• Secrets of the Balanced Literacy Club: Apps Included! (Caroline Musselwhite)
   
• And many more (SLPs, OTs, Educators, AT specialists, software developers): Eric Sailers, Karen Kangas, Dan Herlihy, David Niemeijer / Mark Coppin / Bonnie Johnson, et. al., Dave L. Edyburn,  Elizabeth (Libby) S. Rush / Celeste Helling / Lori Dahlquist, et. al, Karen M. Casey, Christine Roman Lantzy, Lisa Rotelli,  Paul Hamilton, Susan Norwell / Judy Lariviere, Denise C. DeCoste / Linda Bastiani Wilson, Keri Huddleston / Moira Soulia / Teru Langsdale, Mo Buti / Katharina I. Boser (forgive me if I've overlooked some presenter names...)