Community

Giving Adil his voice

Adil using his ChatPC Silk

This is a fantastic story about Adil, our Saltillo ambassador. He is such an inspiration to us all! His ChatPC gave him a voice and helps him communicate with others at his job.  Click here to read the article.

ChatPC and TouchChat Training

Join Saltillo trainer Lisa Timm  for two FREE trainings!

 When: November 29, 2011

Session one: ChatPC: Overview and Basic Customization
9:00 a.m. –12:00 p.m.
0.3 ASHA ceus available!


Session two: TouchChat for the iPad/iPod/iPhone – Basic Operation and Customization
1:00 p.m. –4:00 p.m.
0.3 ASHA ceus available!


Where: Illinois Assistive Technology Program

Advanced registration is required.

Click here to print registration form.

ASHA 2011

Join Saltillo at ASHA this week, November 17th-19th.  This is your chance to stop by booth 1119 to check out the new NOVA Chat 7 that everyone is talking about. It's a MUST SEE!  

You also have the opportunity to see TouchChat in action on Friday, November 18th at 8am, as our own Belva Holman will give you an overview of this powerful AAC app.  You won't want to miss it!

Click the link for more details.  http://www.asha.org/events/convention/ 

Catalog Casting Call

Saltillo is looking for pictures of our users for our upcoming catalog. All we ask is that the picture shows the person using the device. 5 pictures will be chosen and those users will receive a $100 prize. Deadline is 11/21 so you only have a few weeks! Submit photos to cara@saltillo.com

ATIA Chicago 2011

Come and see our products, including the new NOVA chat 7 in action at ATIA Chicago, November 3-5.  Also be sure to check out these three amazing sessions.

1. Specialized Curriculum and Augmentative Communication: Putting the Pieces Together, Friday, November 4, 9:15-10:15 AM
 
Learn how to create classroom environments rich in AAC opportunities and educational learning. This collaborative presentation utilizes N2Y's News-2-You educational content paired with Saltillo's dynamic communication devices. Together they provide practical solutions to increase device use while improving overall academic knowledge

2. Practical Strategies, Games and Activities for Teaching PalmChat and MultiChat!, Friday, November 4, 3:25-3:45 PM
How can I teach the AAC Device Vocabulary to my user? If you struggle with this question and if you have AAC users with the popular PalmChat or MultiChat Vocabularies come to this session and get some tips. The presenters will show some proven ways to use the device in everyday settings that allow a user to learn the vocabularies and no more boring drill! You will see videos of actual users in a variety of settings. These techniques have started from real teachers and SLP's struggling with this very concept. Learn from their experience. A CD will be given at this session that has several activities included
 
3. Help Me Do That: Using Core Vocabulary in Saltillo and PRC Devices, Saturday, November 5, 8-9 AM
 
Core vocabulary is well understood to be essential in providing AAC services.  This has been documented across device companies, research studies, and clinical papers.  This presentation will use the expertise of three clinicians to explore differences in representing core vocabulary on PRC and Saltillo AAC devices. A school-based clinician will share her experiences of assessment and implementation using different levels of core vocabulary on different AAC devices. Two consultants will highlight the differences between four vocabulary systems: The MultiChat and PalmChat (Saltillo Corporation) and Unity 1-hit and Unity Sequenced (Prentke Romich Company).  Case studies and videos of children using various AAC devices/ vocabulary systems will be presented, demonstrating how to implement core vocabulary across a wide range of language abilities.
 
 

Unique/N2Y

Saltillo Corporation is proud to announce that you will now be able to obtain interactive Unique Learning System communication pages for the ChatPC Silk and ALT-Chat along with the regular News2You Pages.  N2Y pages are on our website and the Unique communication pages can be obtained at http://unique.n2y.com/members/partner/ .

 Unique Learning System is the ONLY online, dynamic, standards-based curriculum specifically designed for special learners. Subscribers download monthly instructional thematic units of study. Each unit contains 29 lesson plans and downloadable materials that teachers can readily implement into classroom learning activities. All materials are created using SymbolStix graphics. The unit lesson plans define three levels of differentiated tasks to accommodate the diversity of learners with significant disabilities.

N2Y pages are weekly current events communication pages that improve communication through fun and educational activities for individuals of all ages and abilities.

 

 

Closing the Gap

Please join us October 12-14 at the 29th annual Closing the Gap Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Use this exhibition pass to stop by our booth (#201) free of charge on Friday, October 14th, from 9a-1:30p.

http://www.closingthegap.com/MEDia/pdfs/friday_exhibit_pass.pdf

For more information about location, registration, presentations, etc., visit the Closing the Gap, website at http://www.closingthegap.com/conference/ .

Don't miss the following presentations:

Friday, October 14, 2011

Out and About, AAC in the Community: Working with Vendors to Start Your Own Group

Time: 8am to 9am
By: Kristen Klenk, Occupational Therapist, Glendale Elementary School District, Glendale, AZ: Caroline Musselwhite, AT Consultant, AAC Intervention, Litchfield Park, AZ; Jane Odom, Educational Segment Manager, Prentke Romich Company, Surprise, AZ; Cory Sneeringer, Sales Consultant, Maricopa Children, DynaVox Mayer-Johnson, Cave Creek, AZ; Deanna Wagner, SLP, AT Specialist, Madison Elementary School District, Phoenix, AZ; Jean Walsh, AAC Consultant, Saltillo Corporation, Black Hawk CO.

In previous years, we have reported success stories about AAC community groups, and participants have wistfully observed that they would LOVE to replicate "Out and About" but simply can not seem to get started. Thinking about doing it alone can be incredibly overwhelming. Don't forget one of your biggest local resources - vendor representatives in your area. Sometimes all it takes is asking the right questions, such as: Where do I find users/mentors/ambassadors? Where can we meet? What happens if more than one system crashes at the same time? Come learn the answers to these and other questions.

TouchChat: The New Communication Solution for iPod touch, iPhone and iPad

Time: 11am to 12pm
By: Belva Holman, Assistive Technology Consultant, Saltillo Corporation and Nancy Inman, SLP, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD.

During this presentation, we will discuss the new Silver Kite TouchChat communication application for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Many questions surround the communication applications for the Apple hardware platforms. Who would TouchChat be appropriate for? How could it be implemented in a school setting to build language? Will the vocabulary meet the client's needs? Would it be a suitable alternative to the more expensive communication devices? Join us to discuss this new application and see how it can benefit individuals who need an AAC device.

ChatPC User Video Contest

ChatPC users- Don't forget to get your videos in soon.  You only have a few weeks left to enter!!!!!

Attention ChatPC users:  Would you like to appear in a video for Saltillo for the chance to win a $300 gift card to iTunes, ToysRUs or Target?  We want you to show others how you are using your ChatPC device out in the community.  Creativity is KEY!!  Videos will be judged on how you are using the device, how engaged you are, and showing techniques/ideas that would help other users.  These videos may be featured on our website, Facebook page, YouTube Channel and/or Twitter.  Try to keep videos 10 minutes or less and email them to cara@saltillo.com .  The deadline for video submissions is November 30, 2011.

**NOTE:  You will need to complete a media waiver allowing us to use the video for promotional purposes.  When you submit your video, we will email you the waiver.

New Resources

As you already know, we have just launched our new website!!  We hope you are as excited as we are and that you are able to find all of the information you need here.  We also have a few other resources we would love for you to check out, including our Saltillo Facebook Page, our Twitter account (which is @SaltilloCorp) and our YouTube Channel.  All of these resources can be accessed using the social media icons on the main page.

from PECS to ChatPC

This article originally appeared in the April / May 2005 issue of Closing The Gap, Vol. 24, No. 1.

Read the article.

Newer Posts