Do you live in Pennsylvania and need technology to help you lead your life? The Assistive Technology programs at the Institute on Disabilities have a new website. It is now easier to find out about all the services, including the…
Author: Kathryn Helland (page 2)
All The Words
This AAC Awareness Month, I have been thinking a lot about what it means to have inclusion in the field of augmentative and alternative communication. It is near impossible to reach the goal of inclusion if we don’t presume the…
AAC Awareness Month is here!
October is upon us and it is time to celebrate AAC Awareness Month. It is a great time to recognize, and honor, all the ways in which we, as humans, communicate. I have just returned from the Closing The Gap…
Wallpaper your Home(screen)
When we bought our house in Bucks County, we had to contend with lots of wallpaper. There were wallpaper bricks, flowers, metallic ‘splashes’ on an orange background…even the ceilings were wallpapered. Taking down all that paper was like conducting an…
Emergency Preparation for AAC
The past year has given us a stark reminder of how important it is to be prepared for the unexpected. Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria have impacted the lives of millions. In Puerto Rico, 3,000 people died. People have faced…
AAC and Vision Impairment
Sometimes we assume that someone who is blind or has low vision, won’t be able to access and use AAC. This is not true. There are ways to make AAC accessible for those who can’t rely on their sight for…
Core Words for the (rest of the) Month of August: Get, Make, & See
August is a month of warm temperatures, vacations, and leisure activities. Whether it be a trip to the shore, or a trip to the park, we all need words to describe what gives us pleasure. Here are some core words…
ACES Takeaways
It has been a blink of an eye. Our participants have gone back home, and it is hard to describe how much I already miss these people. I am sad that more opportunities like ACES don’t exist in their…
ACES Week Two: Check In
We are reaching the final days of ACES. Goals have crystallized and most technical glitches have been solved. S now can send emails from her new Tobii I 110. J is up and running with the CoughDrop app, and his…
ACES Day Three: Check In
The community is forming and the days are flying past! We are getting to know each other and working hard. One unexpected hitch has been tons of rain. This is not a typical Philly summer. It can make it…