This week, we share Chris’s interview with Sydney Elcan Birchfield, an OT Assistant working in the schools and a graduate student in Assistive Technology at George Mason University! Sydney interviews Chris about his career and approach to assistive technology, including what Chris’s focus on inclusive design, including more AT in the IEP, the need for AT considerations vs AT assessments, free AT professional learning resources, and more!
Before the interview, Rachel and Chris discuss one of Rachel’s clients who, prior to working with Rachel, was not making much progress using his AAC device. Rachel shares that, when an AAC user comes to her who hasn’t made progress, their system is often not set up for success - too few buttons, scrolling home page, etc. Rachel recommended a new AAC layout for her client with more language, but everyone in this client’s family was worried about moving to the new layout. They started with progressive vocabulary masking some words, and after 7 months, he is using the full layout successfully!
Key Ideas This Week:
🔑 Considerations are better than “assessment” because the time it takes to do an assessment can become a barrier - a team approach can be faster and more thorough.
🔑 The word “trialing” can be misleading when it comes to AT/AAC, because it sounds like a scientific trial. However, scientific trials control for all the variables before measuring change, but we can’t control for a large number of variables when exposing a student to different AT/AAC options. Even the choice of which option to put in front of a student first can change the user’s responsiveness to each option.
🔑 Inviting students into the considerations/assessment process helps us know what is motivating for them and if there are any roadblocks to AT (e.g. the student thinks using word prediction makes them look different) that can be discussed ahead of time.
🔑 We should remove the word “assistive” from assistive technology and just say “inclusive technology” or even just “technology”. It should be something that isn’t just for people with disabilities and special education, but technology can be used to redesign the experience for every student.
Resources From This Episode:
QIAT Listserv - https://qiat.org/qiat-list/
#ATchat Wedesdays at 8pm Eastern on Twitter - To follow the discussion, search “#ATchat” on Twitter, and to participate, include #ATchat in your tweet.
Brittany Dube: Author, YouTuber, and Part-time AAC User
Colleen Warn - Improving Equity in AAC Evaluation and Implementation
Amy Fleischer & Corinne Nelson - Implementing a Specific Language System First Approach to AAC Selection - Part 2
Amy Fleischer & Corinne Nelson - Implementing a Specific Language System First Approach to AAC Selection - Part 1
Kim Albrecht: Learning to Model AAC as a Family
Mary Van Donsel & Anne Kuhlmeier: Creating a Successful AAC Camp
Coaching Call w/ Nikki Stempien (Part 2): AAC Coaching Strategies
Coaching Call w/ Nikki Stempien (Part 1): Increasing High-Tech AAC Buy In
Jennifer Edge Savage - Using AAC with Alexa & Other Voice Assistants
Alissa DeSousa: Using Video to Support Cortical Visual Impairment
Julia James - Improving Special Ed Online Instruction
Chris Sawka: AAC User & USSAAC Committee Member
Lydia Dawley: AAC User, CEO, and Co-Creator of the NadPen Stylus
AAC After Work: Digital Storytelling to Foster Communication Partner Skills - Part 2
AAC After Work: Digital Storytelling to Foster Communication Partner Skills - Part 1
TWT Live: Access to Education Conference - Part 2
TWT Live: Access to Education Conference - Part1
Talking with Tech Year in Review 2020
Coaching Call w/ Michaela Ball: Supporting a Severely Apraxic Emergent Communicator (Part 2)
Coaching Call w/ Michaela Ball: Supporting a Severely Apraxic Emergent Communicator
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