This week, we have the privilege of presenting Rachel’s interview with Hannah Foley, a senior at University of Illinois who is pursuing a career in Assistive Technology & AAC. Hannah has cerebral palsy and is an incredible adult AAC user who works as an ambassador for Saltillo!
Before the interview, Rachel & Chris talk about Christine Derse’s article, A Call for Consistency in AAC Picture Systems. Rachel and Chris discuss their agreement that using different symbols sets can be confusing at times, but note it isn’t clear a universal symbol set would lead to better modeling. For example, adults often use labels, rather than pictures, when modeling, and once a motor plan is in place the pictures become less important.
Key ideas this week:
🔑 Initially, Hannah was against using AAC because she felt her dedicated device was unsightly and it made her feel even more different. Working with Matt Baud, she came to see the importance of communication for her independence and started using an iPad.
🔑 Response time is incredibly important when communicating with an AAC user - it is critical that we give enough time to respond and become comfortable with silence.
🔑 People often assume that Hannah is intellectually impaired, can’t go to college, or manage her care independently because she uses AAC. This is, of course, totally incorrect!
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Resources
Elena Dukhovny: Current Research on Motor Planning & Paraeducator AAC Coaching
Teaching with Tech - Speech Blubs Speech Therapy App
Christine Tripoli & Ellen Mazel - Assessment & Treatment of Cortical Visual Impairment
Using Robots & Coding to Teach Core Words and Support Peer Collaboration
Kathryn Dorney: Using Core Words and Aided Language Input to Teach Preschool Children with ASD
ATIA 2020 - Part 2: Building AAC Capacity, Dynamic AAC Assessment, Breaking Through Implementation Barriers, and More
ATIA 2020 - Part 1: AAC in the Classroom, Visual Scene Displays, & More
Jane Odom: Takeaways from the Future of Ed Tech Conference
Matt Levac & David Reno - Partnering with Students to Make New Assistive Technology
Alyssa Hillary Zisk - Experiences of a Part-Time AAC User Researching and Writing About AAC
Interviews from ASHA 2019 - Part 4
XPN Holiday Episode 2019
Interviews from ASHA 2019 - Part 3
Interviews from ASHA 2019 - Part 2
Interviews from ASHA 2019 - Part 1
Nicole Bender - Moving Abroad to Support People with Complex Communication Needs
Small Talks III: Brian Whitmer, Brandi Lee Wentland, Kathy Howery, Shaun Pearson, & Kelly Key
Catherine Fredericks - Increasing AAC Buy-in with Parents and Teachers in the Schools
Amanda Scheriff - Practical Strategies Supporting Literacy & Language for AAC Users
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