130 Search Results for isaac
June 8, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Learn about the ways that Canada promotes access to justice through the use of Communication Intermediaries (CIs) for individuals with AAC needs and other communication disabilities. In today’s featured video, SLP Caitlin Buchel explains the way that trained CIs to provide accommodations and other supports within the legal, police, corrections, and justice services in Canadian society. Many thanks to Caitlin, Communication Access to Justice (CAJust), Communication Disabilities Access Canada (CDAC), ISAAC Canada, and ISAAC International for their role in supporting this important work and making the webinar recording available to us all. There is a lot for us all to learn from this archived presentation, AAC friends. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-kE1UNisF8&t=4s&ab_channel=InternationalSocietyforAugmentativeandAlternativeCommunication%28ISAAC%29
May 4, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
‘Bad’ words are fairly common in conversations among non-disabled individuals but we often censor the words available to AAC users based on what we think is appropriate or proper. In today’s featured video, SLP Hali Strickler helps us think through the decisions about curse words, profanity, slang, and more. This archived webinar is made possible through a collaboration between USSAAC and ISAAC. We are grateful to them both, and to Hali for this important presentation. You can obtain the handouts for this session here. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDbs7ogNHLw&ab_channel=InternationalSocietyforAugmentativeandAlternativeCommunication%28ISAAC%29
March 7, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Professionals who teach people with complex communication needs to express themselves with AAC frequently ask about the evidence base for AAC devices and apps. Evidence-based practice (EBP) has three basic pillars: Clinical expertise, external and internal evidence, and the perspectives of clients and caregivers. We have good evidence for the effectiveness of SGDs and AAC apps as a general category of communication tools, rooted in a strong array of research studies, a great deal of clinical expertise, and extensive experiences of consumers and families. As in many areas of clinical practice, though, more work still needs to be done. It’s not as easy to get this sort of research evidence as it may seem. A medical device like a speaking valve may have an evidence base tied to a specific brand and model of the equipment because there isn’t a great deal of variability in what it is expected to... [Read More...]
February 7, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Terminology has always been a challenge in the field of AAC, at least in English. Why does it take 14 syllables (“aug-men-ta-tive and al-ter-na-tive com-mu-ni-ca-tion”) to refer to a field that emerged to support individuals for whom speech is intensely problematic? I remember spirited discussions on what to call this work back when I was at Purdue University on an AAC doctoral fellowship, just after the birth of the International AAC Society (ISAAC) in 1983. When the US Society for AAC was started in 1991, those debates continued. The terms ‘nonvocal,’ ‘nonoral,’ ‘nonspeech,’ and ‘nonspeaking’ were used by many in the early days. Those terms eventually dwindled in popularity, primarily because so many children and adults who needed the support of AAC were able to talk and/or make sounds. Often, their speech was difficult to understand, slow and exhausting to produce, and limited in terms of conventional structures for expressing... [Read More...]
November 11, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
We love learning from people who use AAC and sharing their perspectives on things related to supports and services. So when Mike Hipple reached out with an offer to guest post, we jumped on the chance to publish his thoughts. In this post, Mike, an AAC user who founded the Wisconsin AAC Network, shares his experiences and thoughts on AAC and special education. Enjoy! ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: There are many false facts about the augmentative alternative communication community that may interfere with students getting what they need. One AAC false fact that always bugs me as an AAC communicator is all AAC Communicators have a cognitive disability. Mmm, this couldn’t be more wrong. Yes, some do but there is a large number like me that do not. Google says 5.7% of students in public schools during the 2018-19 school year had a cognitive disability. Sadly, when doing research for this paper, I... [Read More...]
October 20, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
“The lack of connection is by far the most difficult part of having a communication disability.” It is hard to overstate the value of learning from people who use AAC. Today, we are pleased to share an archived webinar from USSAAC and ISAAC featuring Lance McLemore, who began using AAC as a young adult. In this video, Lance shares his story and provides a unique perspective that is important for AAC service providers to hear. You can access the handout for this session here. Many thanks to USSAAC, ISAAC, and the presenters for making this important information available to all. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGdvWG1ySVI&t=10s&ab_channel=InternationalSocietyforAugmentativeandAlternativeCommunication%28ISAAC%29
September 30, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Tonight we’ll be turning the page on the calendar and preparing to celebrate AAC Awareness Month! For the past decade, October has given us some extra opportunities to spread the word about all things AAC, and it’s pretty exciting to think back on all we’ve done and also to plan for the current year. Each week during AAC Awareness Month we’ll share suggestions for things to do to help others learn about a field that emerged to support children and adults with complex communication needs. This week, we’ll focus on hands-on activities. A popular approach to AAC Awareness Month is to invite a group of colleagues or families to come together and communicate only through AAC for the event. Some years, we’ve held ‘Silent Snack’ events before class where we put out a variety of board games and invited some of our AAC clients to come in and play along.... [Read More...]
August 4, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Visual scene displays are an underutilized resource in AAC systems. In today’s featured video, six researchers discuss their work and apply it to clinical practice. Many thanks to ISAAC for hosting this panel presentation and the researchers, Michelle Therrien, Christine Holyfield, Emily Laubscher, Nimisha Muttiah, Jessica Caron, and Salena Babb, for sharing their work in this panel format. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2uE6R7yKOE&ab_channel=InternationalSocietyforAugmentativeandAlternativeCommunication%28ISAAC%29
June 4, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
AAC friends, we are back with the June edition of our AAC Link Up in Spanish. If you have materials or videos in Spanish that you would like others to know about, we’d love to have you add that information below. Also, please share this with anyone who might be interested in contributing to or using the materials that get added to these posts. In today’s post, we hear from Gabriela Berlanga, AAC specialist and ISAAC Conference Vice-President. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Ya estás listo para compartir tus links en español, este primer viernes de Junio. Queremos compartir con ustedes una gran iniciativa que tiene entre uno de sus propósitos principales unir esfuerzos y crear comunidad para las personas vinculadas con CAA de habla hispana. ISAAC ESPAÑOL – UNIENDO ESFUERZOS Y CREANDO COMUNIDAD Por: Gabriela Berlanga, especialista en CAA, vicepresidenta de congresos ISAAC ISAAC, es la Sociedad Internacional de Comunicación Aumentativa y Alternativa... [Read More...]
May 26, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Communication is personal. There’s no way to overstate the importance of having AAC apps and SGDs represent various races, ethnicities, and languages so that AAC users have appropriate options from which to choose. Today, we feature the work of Jill D’Braunstein, Christina Royster, Alma Partida, and Yoosun Chung. In this archived webinar, they address topics related to diverse representation, such as personalizing the voice, language, and dialect. Many thanks to USSAAC, ISAAC, and the presenters for making this important information available to all. You can download the handouts for this webinar here and here. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzevyTe4Nec&t=20s&ab_channel=InternationalSocietyforAugmentativeandAlternativeCommunication%28ISAAC%29