This week, Chris interviews Daniel O’Conner and Bradley Haven of All Access Life! All Access Life is a nonprofit that showcases the latest trends and movements in adaptive products and assistive technologies on their website allaccesslife.org. Daniel & Bradley share about how they met when Daniel was Bradley's Aide in high school (Bradley has nonverbal Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy), how they came to decide to create a nonprofit together, and how they developed their mission to share information about adaptive products. They also discuss Bradley’s AAC journey and how the technology has progressed from the switches Bradley used as a teenager to the current eye tracking he uses on his TD Pilot device.
Before the interview, Rachel shares about a family who had a very strong emotional reaction to having their child’s voice changed from a child’s voice to a teenager’s voice, and why we need to include the family and give lots of advance warning if we want to make a change to voice output for maturity purposes.
Key Ideas this Week:
🔑 We should try and spread the word about current accessibility gaming options, like Copilot with the Xbox Adaptive Controller, that allow people like Bradley to play video games. Accessable gaming opens up social opportunities and allow users to engage with friends and family in new ways!
🔑 A lot of companies don’t think about the fact that people with disabilities use their product. Big companies like Microsoft embracing inclusive design with their Xbox Adaptive Controller helps move the field forward, but there is more work to be done!
🔑 Bradley says “nothing about us, without us,” meaning he wants companies who create products to get feedback from actual people with disabilities at every step of product creation.
🔑 Playing video games in schools shouldn’t be a carrot at the end of a difficult task, but rather something woven in (e.g. tallying up classroom scores on Rocket League to practice addition) to make learning more engaging.
Links from This Weeks Episode
Miles Harvey - Esports Research and Its Integration in Education (Advances in Game Based Learning)
How to Use Copilot on Xbox
TWT Live from New Jersey - Part 3
TWT Live from New Jersey - Part 2
Talking with Tech LIVE from New Jersey - Part 1
Cuyahoga AAC Podcast Social Group: Benefits of a District-Wide AAC/AT Social Group
Codi & Jennifer Mendenhall: Using Social Media and Making Videos as a Teen AAC User
Stephen Kneece: Making Core Word & Speech Therapy Music Videos
Erin Sheldon & Karen Erickson: Why Literacy Matters for People with Significant Disabilities - Part II
Erin Sheldon & Karen Erickson: Why Literacy Matters for People with Significant Disabilities - Part I
Kaylie Gustafson: Supporting Eye Gaze Users Through Telepractice
Shawnda Saul: Telepractice AAC Coaching for Teachers, Parents, and Staff
Lauren Kravetz Bonnet & Brittany Thomas: Short-Term, High-Intensity AAC Intervention in the Schools
Alison Bono: Transitioning from Low Tech to High Tech AAC
Alexis Martinez & Natalie Fry: Increasing Access to AAC for Grad Students
Kathy Howery: Making Modeling a Better, More Meaningful Experience
Krista Howard & Deanna Wagner: Creating a Successful Community AAC Group
David Moehn: Supporting Students More Universally with Technology
Karen Wilson: Technology Supports for ADHD, Dyslexia, and Language-Learning Disorders
Teaching with Tech: Picseepal
Kevin Williams & Lateef McLeod: Black AAC User Perspectives on Racism and Disability
Erik Raj: Apps That Make Learning Language Fun
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