130 Search Results for isaac
October 2, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Welcome to ISAAC‘s 10th Annual International 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. They enjoyed serving as our AAC Ambassadors,... [Read More...]
December 7, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Encounters with healthcare providers can range from the mundane (e.g., getting a prescription filled) and routine (e.g., doctor’s appointment) to situations which are more complicated and urgent (e.g., Emergency Room visit, hospital stay). People who use AAC are part of a larger group of individuals whose communication challenges make these situations more complex. In today’s featured video, Dr. David Beukelman discusses ways in which effective communication between patients with communication challenges and their healthcare providers can be supported. This video was part of the USSAAC webinar series, which is made possible through the support of ISAAC. Many thanks to those organizations and the Patient Provider Communication organization whose free resources and information are shared in the presentation. Please consider joining and supporting these organizations so that they can continue to serve the AAC community with information, advocacy, and resources like these. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uxd-hWODfm8
November 17, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
One of the best things about providing AAC services in a university-based clinic is that we have regular contact with parents and other caregivers. That gives them the opportunity to observe the session, or, better yet, become an active participant. This allows us to talk to them about issues with the AAC system and help them develop the skills and routines to support AAC learning outside the therapy session. Most practitioners, however, don’t have this luxury. How can we impact AAC use outside of therapy and the classroom when we have infrequent face-to-face time with families and other caregivers? Here are some things to try. Video: Make a short screencast using free tools (like Jing, from Techsmith). In less than 10 minutes, you can make a recording of your computer screen and narrate it with implementation tips and information, then upload it, and share the link with families. For more... [Read More...]
November 16, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Have you been tuning into the USSAAC webinar series? If not, this is something to add to your calendar. Offered with the support of ISAAC, this series has had some wonderful speakers and topics. In today’s post, we share the most recent presentation with John Costello as the speaker. Enjoy! US friends, please consider supporting these efforts by becoming a USSAAC member. It is the only US organization to bring together people who use AAC, their families, and professionals from various disciplines. Direct Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2vmiH9tqUQ
August 28, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Here are a couple of AAC posts you may have missed. Monday: LiveBinders: 5 Online Notebooks on AAC Implementation Wednesday: Video of the Week: AAC Around the World with the 2016 ISAAC Film Festival
August 22, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
At the ISAAC 2016 conference in Toronto, I had the opportunity to talk about using technology to share information with families, colleagues, and pre-professionals. LiveBinders, is one of the tools that were discussed both in the pre-conference session with Chris Bugaj and in my seminar on pre-service AAC education. LiveBinders are digital notebooks that make it easy to collect, curate, and share information. We’ve been writing about this tool for the past four years, but there is new material being created all the time. Here are some AAC-related LiveBinders that I’ve been exploring. AAC by Jill Beall/Region 7 ABCs of AAC (Preschool AAC) by D. McLauchlin Literacy and AAC/Balanced Literacy by Deanna Wagner TAAT 2015 by Janice Reese Visuals for ASD by Penelope Arp For more information on LiveBinders and features that you may not know about, check out their tutorials and blog. Do you make or use LiveBinders? We’d... [Read More...]
August 21, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Here are some posts you might have missed. Monday – The World’s AAC Conference: 10 Presentation Handouts from ISAAC 2016 Wednesday – Video of the Week: Living Life Without Limits-Perspective from an AAC User Thursday – PrAACtical Supports for Older Learners: Recipes for Success, Part 7 Have a great week, everyone!
August 17, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Those who had the opportunity to attend ISAAC’s Biennial Conference in Toronto undoubtedly left with lots of information and a big dose of inspiration. Let’s keep the momentum for change and growth going as we turn our thoughts to implementing good AAC practices. Godfrey Nazareth’s talk, The Sky is Only the Beginning: Living Life Without Limits, is a great video, both for the information he shares and the way that he shares it. Thanks to the AAC Team at Penn State and the AAC RERC for making this available. Enjoy!
August 14, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
I had an AAC-filled week at the ISAAC 2016 Biennial Conference in Toronto (stay tuned for posts with info on that and links to presentation handouts). Hope your prAACtical week was a good one, as well. Monday: Goodbye, Summer! A Clinician Preps AAC Materials for the New School Year Thursday: PrAACtical Supports for Older Learners: AT Recipes for Success: Nail Polish and Magazines
August 7, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Looking forward to connecting with some of our prAACtical friends in Toronto this week! Can’t make it to the International AAC Society Biennial Conference this week? Get your fill of AAC with these posts from last week. Monday: Make It PrAACtical: DIY Switch-accessible Scanner Wednesday: Video of the Week: AACtual Therapy Using Pre-stored Messages Thuerday: PrAACtical Supports for Older Learners: AT Recipes for Success, Part 5 – Let’s Cook!