I’m writing from the ATiA 2019 conference, where I’m eagerly soaking up all things assistive technology (AT) and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The conference continues through noon tomorrow, but I wanted to share just a few of the many things I’m learning.
Outline:
- Places to ask your AT or AAC questions.
- Where to find AT or AAC devices.
- Cool products.
- Related Eat, Speak, & Think posts.
Places to ask your AT or AAC questions
- Twitter chat every Wednesday from 8 – 9 pm Eastern time (#ATchat).
- RESNA AT Forum listserve.
- QIAT listserve.
Where to find AT or AAC devices
- Ablenet – 2 week lending library so you can try a product out before you buy it.
- ATMakers.org – will help connect you with local maker’s groups who may build your project for pennies on the dollar. (For example, if you need a switch or mounting solution.)
Cool products
- Infogrip sells all kinds of keyboards.
- Story Creator – free app that allows you to take photos and add text to create free stories. The text highlights word-by-word as it reads aloud. For adults too! (For Android, try Animoto.)
- Pillo high-tech medication dispenser (and more) that looks like a friendly robot.
- Nymble will cook meals for you, unattended! Not on the market yet, but “coming soon”.
- Now you can connect your mouse to your iPad via Bluetooth connection with AMAneo.
That’s just a very small sampling of what I’ve learned. I’m headed into the exhibit hall which is packed full of vendors and service providers, so keep an eye on the blog for more to come in the coming weeks!
Related Eat, Speak, & Think posts
Lisa earned her M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Maryland, College Park and her M.A. in Linguistics from the University of California, San Diego.
She participated in research studies with the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) and the University of Maryland in the areas of aphasia, Parkinson’s Disease, epilepsy, and fluency disorders.
Lisa has been working as a medical speech-language pathologist since 2008. She has a strong passion for evidence-based assessment and therapy, having earned five ASHA Awards for Professional Participation in Continuing Education.
She launched EatSpeakThink.com in June 2018 to help other clinicians be more successful working in home health, as well as to provide strategies and resources to people living with problems eating, speaking, or thinking.
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