Teaching Learners with Multiple Special Needs is a blog, led by Kate Ahern, is full of useful resources, reviews on new technology (light and high tech), and a very welcome focus on curriculum and putting ideas into practice. This blog specializes in top quality information and is very readable. It is a terrific resource to utilize in preparation for back to school.
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Look how Origin Instruments helps this drummer reinvent his way to rock. This is one of the best assistive technology stories of the year. This is a must read/watch and share. Accessible drums
Disabled musician reinvents the drum
By Chris Welch, CNN
Here with the best group in the world in Richardson, Texas, we are talking about how to integrate information. Here are some ways to collect new information to integrate.
- Teaching Learners with Multiple Needs http://teachinglearnerswithmultipleneeds.blogspot.com/
- Speech Language Pathology Sharing http://speechlanguagepathologysharing.blogspot.com/
- Schuyler’s Monster Blog http://www.schuylersmonsterblog.com/
- Teaching Every Student http://teachingeverystudent.blogspot.com
- Teaching All Students: http://teachingall.blogspot.com
- Free Resources from the Net for Special Education http://paulhami.edublogs.org
We just received this very well done video shown on the channel 4 news: Reno student with autism uses technology to communicate.
Proloquo2Go is featured prominently.
Adam Bowker and I are having this great ongoing dialogue about the application of a host of new tools that will be become available in the future. Recently Dr. Light sent us information about Sixth Sense, a MIT Media Lab’s new Fluid Interfaces Group project led by Pattie Maes and Pranav Mistry . The basic concept is that your portable computer, in this case a cell phone, combined with a video camera and portable projector create a system that allows you to access relevant information about the environment and interact with that information. This has created a paradigm shift for me and I think you should check out this talk by Pattie Maes from this past February’s TED. What do you think about this type of technology tool in relation to AAC, Literacy, Universal Design for Learning?
by Samuel Sennott
FluidTunes is a free Apple OS X software that uses gesture recognition to control your iTunes library. In other words, by harnessing the power of the iSight camera, the user swipes their hands at the buttons to play the music, stop the music, flip to the next song or flip to the previous song. I first heard about FluidTunes on the fantastic gtd blog Lifehacker. Check out the video I made demonstrating the interface and explaining a few thoughts about how people with the label of special needs could use technology like this.
Okay, so we are not yet in a full on Minority Report experience where Tom Cruise uses complex gestures to control his computer screen that is projected into the air. Nor are we going to see this instantly become a popular access method for individuals with the label of special needs. Yet, it sets our minds ablaze. We have all watched the progression of the eye tracking work move into eye gaze control systems that are really starting to work for individuals with physical disabilities. For nearly four years now, I have been doing a test of the eye gaze systems where I emulate the frequent movements many of my students often display. The systems are now starting to pass that informal test, as of this summer. It seems eye gaze computer control has moved from a potential and a cool thing in the conference exhibit hall to something that works. TobiiAti, PRC, and Dynavox are all committed to its implementation. So what will happen with the concept of gesture recognition? Well, in a way, it already is happening. Just see ASL’s excellent selection of various types of proximity switches. Karen Kangas has championed the concepts behind the benefits of using switches of this type. For these switches, you simply need to move within the right range to activate the electronic switch, which can control your wheelchair, computer, etc…
How terrific is it that the developer, David Frampton, made this application available for free? I am personally having a blast with FluidTunes. Much respect and thanks goes out to him for sharing it and for setting our minds ablaze thinking of the possiblities for individuals with the label of special needs. As we approach the release of Mgestyk, the comercial gesture based control system, we can certainly consider ourselves warned that this is coming to the mainstream. With an estimated cost of roughly the price of a high end webcam, it looks like this technology will be applicable in the assistive technology field. See the following Mgestyk videos.
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I for one am going to have fun playing music with this tool and let my mind wander as I do. Yet, I am not going to go gorilla arm with this concept. Although, even at the moment I can imagine practical implementations of gesture based switches that could be created with a usb hub and a couple different web cams. What do you imagine?
by Samuel Sennott
imagine symbols icon
Do you know about the 4000 Imagine Symbol set that is free for personal use. You can go to www.imaginesymbols.com and download the entire brightly colored set of picture symbols. There are also low cost options to liscense the symbols. Don’t forget that you can load them into your iPhoto library for easy use with various applications.
by Samuel Sennott
Prentke Romich Company announces a wireless switch that should be nice to see in action next week at Closing the Gap. How many times have you wished for this? The Jelly Beamer is cool, but common, they definitely got it right going with the pervasive Bluetooth technology. It will be interesting to get user feedback on this innovation. Here is the press release.
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by Samuel Sennott
Check out the new Family Center for Technology and Disability article featuring the work of Karen Janowski.
Karen Janowski champions universal design and assistive technology. It is terrific to see her work being recognized. Check out her blog too. teachingeverystudent.blogspot.com
Here is an excerpt:
AT & High Incidence Disabilities: Independence is Her Goal
An Interview with Karen Janowski, Assistive and Educational Technology Consultant
and Special Education Instructor, Simmons College, Boston, MA
“In education, there often appeared to be an insufficient level of appreciation for promoting independence among all kids, especially those with high incidence disabilities, and in promoting methods that are successful in that regard,” declares Karen Janowski. “That’s what originally sparked my interest in assistive technology, because AT removes barriers to learning and gives kids additional ways to demonstrate what they know.”
While appreciation for the goal of AT-aided independence has increased in the years since she earned her Masters in AT from Boston’s Simmons College and adopted AT consulting in public schools as a career, there is plenty of room for improvement, she admits.
The independence movement’s ignition button, she recalls, was pinpointed by AT authority Dave Edyburn. “Dave points out that the new language included in the reauthorization of IDEA in 1997, which stipulated that all students on IEPs had to be considered for AT, created four million students who were potential AT users.” Read more from the article
by Samuel Sennott
It is very pleasing to present the summer issue of SpeakUP, USSAAC’s quarterly newsletter magazine.
USSAAC is the United States Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, the national chapter of ISAAC, the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication.
SpeakUP
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NEW SUMMER 2008 ISSUE FEATURE: Accessible Electronic Books AAC and All That Jazz Do You Got Game Seating and Positioning in AT AAC Evidenced Based Practice Conference ReviewNOW IN FOUR FORMATS .PDF .TXT .DOC (WORD) .mp3 (AUDIO) |
As many of you know, I am the new editor for SpeakUP. It is terrific serving in this position and is a great opportunity to connect with so many excellent people. If you have any article submissions you would like considered or ideas for SpeakUP and USSAAC in general, please contact me at samuel.sennott@gmail.com.
There are so many fantastic new ideas surrounding ISAAC and USSAAC right now. Many came out of the USSAAC chapter meeting at ISAAC this past month. It will be great to share them over the coming months. Also, if you end up sharing this on your blog, please do not grab the download links to the issue into your post, as it is important to drive traffic to the USSAAC website. Thank you.
