October 4, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
We’re back with another post featuring learning resources about AAC apps, software, and SGDs. This week, we’ll look at CoughDrop, an open source AAC program, and hear from a young clinician who uses it in her work. If you are new to CoughDrop, consider taking a little time to get to know it using the links below. Ready to explore? Here are some resources to get you started. Video overview Links to various versions: iOS app; Android app; Windows 64-bit; Windows 32-bit; Kindle app Video Tutorials Where to go for help: Support Requests; Contact page; Frequently Asked Questions My Experience with CoughDrop by Samantha Cutler Primarily, I’d like to issue a disclaimer that I am in no way affiliated with CoughDrop nor do I receive any financial gain from them. It is merely a program that I enjoy using and I wanted to share my experience with the AAC community. In the... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC app, open source, Teach Me Tuesday
July 20, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
What’s better than a bunch of bright, dedicated professionals who love improving the state of AAC? How about a group that facilitates the collegial sharing of this kind of information?! In today’s post, Dr. Joe Reddington discusses his efforts to promote open-source AAC solutions. You can read about an earlier project, CommuniKate, here. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: AAC Wins the Inclusive Technology Prize A few months ago, the nonprofit I run was given £50,000 to make open licensed resources (both materials and software) a key part of the AAC world. Figure 1: Kate McCallum and Dr Joe Reddington, winners of the Inclusive Technology Prize There are lots of definitions of open-licencing that make it sound more than what it is. Open-licencing is nothing more or less than letting people share. One of the reasons we really like PrAACtical AAC is that they release their work under Creative Commons, letting people make use of... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: collaboration, emerging technology, open source
December 10, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
We’ve talked a lot about innovative communication displays and today we’re going to highlight a recently released one. I was delighted to hear about CommuniKate from Dr. Joe Reddington, who blogs at joereddington.com. Joe is a principal of White Water Writers, a project that trains teachers and youth leaders to run inspiration literacy camps, and works toward a world where all children can hold books they have written. He researches ethical issues around power and control in the context of communication disability, and produces open datasets for AT provision, among other things. In this post, Joe introduces us to CommuniKate. CommuniKate 20 is a socially focused page set designed exclusively for people who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). It was designed so that it could be easily used in conjunction with a low-tech communication book and as a progression from a book to a dynamic display device. It covers core vocabulary and... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: CommuniKate, free, Joe Reddington, open source