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Tag: AT for Education

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Announcement News and Events

Center for Educational and Assistive Technology Partnering to Expand

The Center for Educational and Assistive Technology (CEAT) at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) is excited to partner with the Special Education Department and the Assistive Technology Program to increase community partnerships. Bogdan Zamfir, the Director of CEAT, is working with Dr. Lauren Tucker, assistant professor in the Special Education Department and Director of the Assistive Technology Program, to offer assistive technology services and trainings across the state. Through a partnership with the Connecticut Tech Act Project, the CEAT already offers a technology loan program for teachers in Connecticut, loaning out iPads and computers with assistive technology. Now, they are excited to also provide individual and group assistive technology trainings, consultations, and more.

In addition to building capacity around assistive technology in schools, the CEAT is interested in supporting the use of widely accessible built-in features for employment and higher education access.

At SCSU, the CEAT also has a lab with a wide variety of assistive technology available for interactive demonstrations and many of the assistive technology courses at SCSU provide hands-on experience for practicing teachers. To support SCSU undergraduate and graduate students, the CEAT loans computers, iPads and LiveScribe pens, trains students on note-taking strategies with the tool, and offers computers with a variety of assistive technology, such as speech-to-text, text-to-speech, graphic organizers, screen readers, and screen magnification.

Last school year, the Special Education Department at SCSU offered two free, mini-professional development sessions. The first focused on Assistive Technology Tips for Virtual Learning and the second provided examples of using Google Keep for Reading and Writing. These recordings can be accessed on the Assistive Technology Program website: . The CEAT is excited to customize trainings for individuals or organizations to build the assistive technology capacity across the state.

If you are interested in learning more about collaborating with the CEAT at SCSU, please contact Bogdan Zamfir, zamfirb1@southernct.edu.

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News and Events Product Spotlight

Movia Robotics Shares a Look into Robot-Assisted Instruction

Written by Muniba Masood​, Vice President, Movia Robotics

Kebbie RobotChildren with autism have always had to change for the world; but now the world is starting to change for them! Devoted to improving the lives of children with autism through Robot-Assisted Instruction, MOVIA Robotics is an innovative tech company that designs products for both the home and school environment. MOVIA’s Robot-Assisted Instruction (RAI) system integrates cutting-edge software and evidence-based curriculum delivered through captivating robotics platforms to engage children with autism in order to improve outcomes. The RAI system supports a pre-programmed curriculum with the ability to uniquely configure the experience based on each child’s educational and social-emotional learning goals. What’s more, MOVIA’s dedicated team of experts works with each family or classroom to tailor the experience to the individual, making sure each child is given all the tools he or she needs to succeed.

young boy with his parents using the Kebbi robot at home

MOVIA is also beginning to work with older students with autism, as they learn to transition from school to prevocational services and will eventually work with adults in vocational settings as well.

Teacher with young students using a MOVIA robot for instruction

Learn more on the Movia Robotics website.

MOVIA's 4 robots

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ICT Accessibility News and Events

Digital Accessibility Tip! Link Text

Written by Adam Kosakowski, M.Ed., ATP,  New England Assistive Technology (NEAT) Center

Links are everywhere and are used in every type of digital content. As such, making links accessible is incredibly important. But, how to do so is not common knowledge, and there are many wrong ways to do it that will make the experience worse for people using assistive technology. Thankfully, doing it right is fairly easy once you know how.

Proper Link Text

The worst way to provide a link is to copy and paste the URL into your writing. Imagine a screen reader reading an amazon link with countless numbers, special symbols, and slashes; it does not make an accessible reading experience. Instead, create proper link text. To do this in Microsoft Word or Outlook, do the following:

  • Put your text cursor where you want the link and right click.
  • Choose Link to open the Insert Hyperlink window.
  • In the “Address” field, paste that URL.
  • In the “Text to display” field, type in a few words to describe the purpose of the link. Do not put the URL here.
  • Click OK.

The result is a link that looks like this, Candy on Amazon, rather than a garbled mess that any one wouldn’t enjoy reading let alone people using assistive technology.

Best Practices using Proper Link Text

Like Alternative Text (see my previous column), proper link text is easy to learn but a bit tricky to master because of the question, “What should I use as the link text? The general idea is that link text should be concise and describe where the link will bring the user. Here are some best practices and things to avoid:

  • Avoid “Click here”, “Read more”, “link to [some link description]”, etc.
    • Reason: Screen readers will inform the user that a link is a link even if the text on screen does not say so. “Click here” does not inform where the link goes and is not meaningful.
  • Links can be standalone or be a part of a complete sentence, just make sure the text is meaningful.
    • Standalone example: Amazon Products.
    • Part of a sentence: Read more about Amazon Products. Notice how I used “Read more,” that is OK here because it is not part of the link text, instead it is put in context of a meaningful sentence.
  • Avoid creating very short link text, take the alphabetical index for example:
    • Reason: Small links like this are small targets to access, people with motor challenges trying to click on the right letter here will have a hard time!

Alphabetical Indexes

  • Links should have an underline and be colored differently than the surrounding text.
    • Reason: People need a way to distinguish a link from the surrounding text. The best way to distinguish a link is by color AND a non-color indicator. By underlining a link, people who are colorblind will have an easier time distinguishing it from surrounding text than by color alone.

To learn more about color contrast, read this WebAIM article on Links and Hypertext.

Adam Kosakowski works as an Assistive Technology Specialist at New England Assistive Technology (NEAT), an Oak Hill Center. He can be contacted at Adam.Kosakowski@OakHillCT.org and followed on twitter: @NEATWithAdam

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News and Events Resource

SCSU Partnering for Virtual AT Success

Written by Dr. Lauren Tucker

The COVID-19 Pandemic resulted in all educational settings unexpectedly converting to alternative teaching formats. Although a challenging conversion, this transition revealed a huge opportunity to collaborate with practicing teachers for the Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) Graduate Program in Assistive Technology. Two initiatives were implemented in the 2020-2021 academic semesters to authentically build skills in assistive technology and consultation practices within the program.

SCSU graduate students were virtually paired with practicing teachers, with the goal of using the SETT framework to analyze classroom needs and the virtual environment. The SETT Framework, created by Joy Zabala, focuses on investigating the Student, Environment, Task, and the Tools to identify appropriate AT solutions.  After this analysis, assistive technology tools or strategies were presented to meet students’ learning needs.

The SCSU Assistive Technology graduate program partnered with two special education schools for this project. The first school is based on the University’s campus which focuses on reinforcing vocational and life skills for individuals ages 18-22. The second partnership was established with a newly developed private school for elementary students with autism spectrum disorder.

The collaboration had two phases. The first phase occurred in Fall 2020 in the “Assistive Technology for Access” course. The professor coordinated the communication between the graduate students and practicing teachers. The teachers identified gaps in their virtual instruction and requested specific activities aligned to students’ goals and objectives.  Graduate students then created the activities and presented them to the building administrator. During this presentation, graduate students provided specific rationalizations for choices (accessibility features, content, audio, visuals) aligned to classroom needs. Some of these projects included custom Boom Card (https://wow.boomlearning.com/) decks to practice filling in personal information, simulating signing up for a website or online membership.  Another was using Thing Link (www.thinglink.com) to create a virtual job shadow for students to learn about the components of working at a bakery. This activity can be previewed here: https://www.thinglink.com/card/1390830714894680065.  You can also access the activity by scanning the QR code below. This collaboration built relationships and allowed the SCSU graduate students to explore initial consultation phases to build their AT implementation and technology skills.

The second phase integrated sessions between the graduate students and practicing teachers within the “Assistive Technology for Reading and Writing” course.  The graduate students and teachers meet 4-5 times across the semester discussing challenges, identifying needs, exploring tools, and finally presenting possible solutions. Graduate students were provided with a consultation framework and guidance to identify opportunities for improvement within their practice.  They also utilized a classroom based SETT framework to identify assistive and instructional technology to support the classroom.  Based on these discussions, the students created custom activities and recommendations for the teachers. They also designed training supports and provided individual training to teach teachers about the recommended tools or strategies.

The SCSU Assistive Technology Graduate program is excited to continue partnering with Connecticut schools and teachers to build assistive technology capacity while designing authentic learning opportunities for graduate students. If you would like to  learn more about partnering with the SCSU AT graduate program or to  learn more about the course offerings, you can visit our website: or email Dr. Lauren Tucker at tuckerL7@southernct.edu. We are excited to continue evolving our program content and collaborations to reflect our dynamic field.

Categories
AT Success Stories News and Events

Interview between Ann Bedard, M.S., CCC-SLP and Kevin Williams, Prentke AAC Distinguished Lecture at ATIA 2021

How were you chosen to give the Edwin and Esther Prentke Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Distinguished Lecture at ATIA?

Kevin WilliamsI was nominated by Celeste Helling, a Charlotte based SLP who works at the North Carolina Assistive Technology Program (NCATP). Celeste submitted a written nomination to the review committee for the lecture. The review committee chose me from the pool of nominees they had this year. It wasn’t much to do on my end as Celeste knows most of my history, because she has helped me get my AAC devices since I moved to North Carolina from Ohio. There was just a quick e-mail exchange asking for my consent to be nominated, my topic for the lecture, and a 5-minute video of me speaking in order to demonstrate I could answer questions spontaneously after I completed my talk.

What could other PWUAAC (People who use AAC) learn from your journey?

I hope that people learn that each person’s journey to communicate is unique to them, and the journey is hard work for everyone. Yes, I have a love and talent for using technology, but I also put in the time to learn my communication system outside therapy sessions and time with my family. Being raised by a single mother putting herself through school, I saw and learned to always appreciate the help but strive for independence with a strong determination. A person will know what I am trying to communicate by any means necessary.

I’m always trying to figure out how to increase consistency for the AAC user and it’s often hard to figure out where the breakdown is. How did it work out so well in your case?

I know SLPs love having everyone “buy-in” to AAC, but I think you are looking at it from the wrong direction. The only person that needs to “buy-in” into the AAC strategies is the augmented communicator. Parents, teachers, and friends that the Augmented Communicator encounters rarely care or really grasp the nuts and bolts about the new strategies learned in therapy. They just want to reap the results of the application of the strategy in communication. The “buy-in” for them is having the patience to listen, keep the system running, and keep the system available to the communicator at all times. Any other things are done in therapy.

To use a sports analogy comparing it to basketball: in a training session, a player and trainer work on playing skills like footwork and form on their jump shot. The player and trainer can get excited over the strategies to improve skills on the court. Other players, who are peers on the court, may notice and have interest in the drills the player does to improve skills on the court. But coaches and family members may concentrate on the results of applying those skills to make plays and score. They may not know or care about the drills. Yet if the player “buys into” the drills, they will then be successful.

My mom didn’t know any Bliss (symbols set) when I was little, nor did any of my family or friends. They just read the labels. Yet my SLP worked on an advanced Bliss while I was in therapy sessions. My friends and family don’t know Minspesk, and still they support me 100% just by talking to me. I still finger spell and use my natural voice to communicate with close family and friends. Yet I can easily use my device when in public.

Look at how the person augments their communication strategies in therapy, in class, or at home. Can the person employ a strategy to say something more effectively?

How did you come up with the term “augmented communicator” and why is it better than the alternatives?

I came up with the term Augmented Communicator myself. I believe through hard work and a level of mastery in the methods we use to communicate, it actually changes (“augments”) how we communicate or at least how we approach communicating. Optimizing our approach to fit our methods, makes people better communicators.

Looking at the use of the phrase as a tool for advocacy, all of my assistive technology, wheelchair and AAC Devices are just extensions of my identity as a disabled person. The phrase Augmented Communicator is used in the spirit of the identity-first language model in order for the communication disability to be seen as a limitation put on by surrounding society rather than something to overcome with the aid of technology.

The goal is not to be seen separate from my Assistive Technology. The goal is to see my assistive technology as just how I speak, walk, cook or whatever I use it for to accomplish success in my daily life. My assistive technology is an essential part of me and how I interact with the world. It goes everywhere I do, and it can’t be turned off or put away (e.g. in a bag, or on a shelf) at any time I need to interact. The label, Augmented Communicator, captures all of that in two words and allows people to take ownership of their communication. Anybody can be a person who uses AAC, but not everyone can be an Augmented Communicator without putting in the work, or that’s at least how I feel.

Like any label, Augmented Communicator is no better or worse than any other label. They are a personal choice of how we perceive ourselves and how we organize things to make sense from a particular perspective. Not everyone will agree with my perspective, but having the ability to put it into words for people to disagree with is something to savor.

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News and Events Product Spotlight

Instructional Robots have Moved into Oak Hill!

By Adam Kosakowski, NEAT, Assistive Technology Specialist

Image of Kebbi. A classroom robot with a very cute digital face.Meet Kebbi!

Kebbi is an educational robot that integrates artificial intelligence, software, and hardware technology to provide a variety of facial expressions, body movements and communicative interactions. Kebbi provides a unique set of capabilities that offer students with autism and other special needs a unique approach to learning and engagement in the home/school environment.

The robot-assisted instruction comes with fundamental skills-training, using evidence-based techniques. The software supports a pre-programmed curriculum with the ability to customize, based on the student’s educational deficits as well as achievements.

 

The NEAT Center at Oak Hill has received two of these beautiful devices: one, which was donated to Oak Hill from MOVIA Robotics, and the other purchased for NEAT by the CT Tech Act Project. The CT Tech Act Project provides a great deal of programmatic support to NEAT, especially for the Lending Library and Adaptive Equipment Services. Both devices have been entered into the Lending Library at NEAT and can be borrowed to help make informed decisions about purchasing. Borrowing a device allows individuals time to see if it will meet their needs, both socially and educationally. Want to learn more? Please reach out to Adam Kosakowski from the NEAT Center at Adam.Kosakowski@OakHillCT.org.

Want to see more right now? Check out the links below:

Two young boys happily interacting with Movia Kebbie Robot

Young boy using Movia Kebbie Robot

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AT Success Stories News and Events

Lending Library Brings a Voice to Transition Student

by EASTCONN’s Ann Bedard, M.S., CCC-SLP, Assistive Technology Specialist/ Speech-Language Pathologist

Chris using TouchChat appThe TouchChat app was recently trialed through EASTCONN’s AT Lending Library by Chris, a transition-age student with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Several AAC options were ruled-out prior to Chris’s device trials, after matching specific software design features to his abilities and needs. For example, Chris had demonstrated his ability to make requests to meet his needs and he had a large, receptive vocabulary. Yet, he was often impatient, so he benefited from automatic navigation and grammar guidance to produce full sentences quickly. Trials began with Chris observing the examiner using an 8-inch dynamic display, speech-generating device (SGD) with synthesized voice-output running research-based AAC software, called TouchChat. TouchChat is designed and manufactured by Saltillo for individuals who need efficient access to a robust vocabulary with a mix of single words, phrases and complete sentences. It is an app for iOS only, not Android devices. Chris’s support coach said he needed the smaller size of the 8-inch iPad, as compared to his current, 10-inch SGD. Chris enjoyed using the custom messages in the About Me page to express how he liked ketchup and other favorites. He quickly demonstrated the ability to imitate a model, and even learned to sequence three buttons independently to express, “I want to play music.” As a result of Chris successfully trialing several assistive technologies and devices, his school district could determine which device would best meet his needs.

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AT Success Stories News and Events

“Alexa, Can You Help Me Access My Environment”

Written by JoAnne Lambert, M.S. CCC/SLP, EASTCONN

Accessibility. Independence.  Important for all, but especially important for individuals with disabilities who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).  Through a grant obtained by the Eastford School District, two Amazon Alexa Smart Speakers were purchased for use by a student who uses an AAC device to aid in communication.  Through the use of voice-command technology, an AAC user is able to create a message or a question and “ask” the smart speaker using the command word “Alexa.”  For individuals who have difficulty accessing information by traditional means or accessing their environment due to a variety of disabilities, this type of technology can provide the opportunity to be more independent!

Student using her AAC device to access Alexa In order to determine how we were going to implement the device at different opportunities throughout the student’s day, the educational team looked at what the student’s typical day looked like as well as her individualized educational programming.  It was decided that we would start with the following commands; “Alexa, what’s the weather in (town).”  This would allow the student to report the weather to the class during morning meeting.  “Alexa, set a timer for (time)” and “Alexa stop the timer”—this would allow the student to set a timer while completing cooking tasks as well as while performing various other life skills activities where a time limit or a simple reminder is needed.  “Alexa, play music by (preferred music artist)” would allow the student to engage with her peers socially and enjoy the leisure activity of listening to music.  Finally, “Alexa, play calming sounds” to allow the student access to self-calming techniques rather than relying on an adult to anticipate and initiate the calming strategy.  The student’s AAC tool (iPad mini with TouchChat HD-AAC app running MultiChat 15 Student vocabulary), which already contained a folder to access voice command, was customized to meet the communication needs.

AAC screen shot of Amazon Alexa voice command options.

Through use of the Amazon Alexa paired with the student’s AAC Device, the student is able to participate in a variety of activities including engaging with her peers during social opportunities to play preferred music.  She provides an up-to-the-minute weather report so the students can plan on their outerwear or umbrella needs, and can independently set the time when the class engages in baking goodies! As we move forward, we will continue to expand the use of Alexa skills across the student’s day. The possibilities for access to information and environmental control and increasing independence are certainly exciting!

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AT Success Stories News and Events

AT Legend Carolann Cormier Will Retire

Written by Nicole Natale, MS, CCC-SLP, ATP, Senior Education Specialist, CREC Resource Group

Carolann CormierFor the past 36+ years, Carolann Cormier has worked as a speech-language pathologist (SLP) and an expert in assistive technology (AT) and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) throughout the state of Connecticut. Since 1995, Carolann’s career has spanned many different work environments, including public schools, summer camps, the Department of Developmental Services (DDS), children’s hospitals, colleges and the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC). Carolann has presented nationwide, has also published numerous professional articles and written a guide to AT for students with Autism. She has also accomplished so much professionally, having earned a variety of advanced degrees and certifications. However, Carolann’s professional success is far greater than the sum of its parts: It’s her positive influence on students and families that is the true mark of her personal and professional legacy.

There are many professionals and families that can attest to the positive impact Carolann has had on their lives. Anne Selavka story encapsulates this positive impact succinctly.

Anne has twin boys, one of whom – Greg – was born with significant support needs and also had complex communication needs. As Greg was aging out of birth-to-three, Anne received a report from a professional that indicated Greg would never speak or be able to use assistive technology. Anne was referred to a local children’s hospital where she met Carolann. Like Anne and her family, Carolann refused to believe the report and focused instead on Greg’s potential. Since then, Carolann has not only been a tireless advocate for Greg, but a member of his family. Carolann could easily see Greg’s potential and has worked with Greg and his teams throughout the years to help support him. Anne credits Carolann with “opening up Greg’s world.”  Anne says that Greg’s ability to communicate with his family and friends, to bake, to access his community and to experience a positive quality of life can all be attributed to Carolann’s unshakeable advocacy. Carolann helped to give Greg and his family hope that he would reach his potential, even when times were bleak. Greg is 28 years old now, and even though Carolann has not worked with him and his family in a professional capacity for years, her relationship with them has continued, as has her advocacy. Anne wonders where they would be today if Carolann hadn’t come into their lives, and considers they are “lucky to have found her.”

Carolann and Greg

The Selavka’s story is just one of many. From Carolann’s direct work with students and families, to her trainings of professionals to build their capacity in AT, to her workshops and to her thoughtful late-night email responses to colleagues, the impact of Carolann’s work on the lives of people with disabilities is immeasurable. When asked why she went into the field of AT, Carolann said that she had met so many people who could not use speech to communicate and desperately wanted to help them because she knew that they could communicate in some way. She was thrilled to be a part of what was then the emerging field of AAC because it brought communication to people who previously could not communicate. Carolann says the most rewarding part of her career has been when she “sees the light bulb go on” in her students. There is nothing better than seeing a student with learning disabilities or with complex communication needs, successfully communicate with a new AT device. “Their look of accomplishment” has driven Carolann’s resolve to pursue solutions because her students’ success is her greatest reward.

While Carolann plans to continue working part-time, she will be officially retiring at the end of the 2019/2020 school year. Please join CREC and the CTTAP community to congratulate Carolann on her illustrious career, and thank her for her tireless dedication, passion and advocacy for students with disabilities and their families. Carolann, you are irreplaceable and will be sorely missed.

Categories
ICT Accessibility News and Events

Accessibility Tip: Everyone Uses Captions!

Written by Adam Kosakowski, M.Ed., ATP, Assistive Technology Specialist at New England Assistive Technology (NEAT), an Oak Hill Center

If you’re deaf or hard of hearing or know someone in that population, you likely know about captioning and how it’s needed on videos in order for them to be accessible. But, did you also know that 80% of people who use captions are not deaf or hard of hearing? I am part of that 80%, and although I do not identify with deafness or being hard of hearing, I always turn on
subtitles/captioning when available because it improves my comprehension of dialogue and increases my engagement with the video.

I love captions!
What I’m saying is, captions are used by a huge audience!
(For this statistic and more, check out this link: captioning statistics article by 3PlayMedia)

Quick fact! Captioning and subtitles are technically different. Subtitles are displayed during a video that includes spoken dialogue. Compare this to captioning, which includes spoken dialogue as well as non-dialogue noises like laughter, coffee pouring, explosions, etc. But, the two terms are often used interchangeably nowadays. This article will use the term captioning in
this flexible way.

So, nearly everyone wants captioning, whether or not they have a disability. But, captioning on videos in social media is rare, especially when you consider how many videos are posted every day. The good news is that you don’t need to be a video editing expert to add captions to your videos. There are a myriad of ways to add captions to your videos and my favorite is Clipomatic on Apple devices.

Clipomatic costs $4.99, but it is so worth it. When you start up the app, you press the big red record button and start recording, just like you would in other recording apps. While you record, the app automatically hears what you’re saying and adds captions to your video. When you’re done, press the stop button. Before you save your video, you can even tap a caption it created and then edit it, which is great when the app makes a rare mistake in its word recognition.

Using apps like this, you can seamlessly add captioning to your videos and post to social media. Taking this small, extra step can help you make a statement as an accessibility advocate!

Contact Adam at Adam.Kosakowski@OakHillCT.org and follow him on Twitter: @NEATwithAdam

Who We Are

The Connecticut Tech Act Project (CTTAP) operates out of the CT Department of Aging and Disability Services. We help people with disabilities, family members, employers, educators and other professionals with access to Assistive Technology devices and services.

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