Community

Meet Jennifer O., she is our spotlight story for January. Jennifer is an excellent AAC user and has been since suffering from a Traumatic Brain Injury 12 years ago. She currently lives in an assisted nursing facility however she is very independent when it comes to her communication. Jennifer was extremely excited to receive her new Nova Chat 10 this past year.  Her favorite accessory was the PURPLE cover that comes with it since this is her all time favorite color. Jennifer has a wonderful sense of humor and whenever she can she pipes in with her Nova Chat to make a silly comment, or crack a joke!

Jennifer has an immense vocabulary so the 80 button ChatPower vocabulary set is perfect for her. It allows her to spontaneously type words/phrases that are not already programmed in the vocabulary set as well as assist with speeding up her communication with the preset messages. One of Jennifer’s favorite features is the Nova Chats ability to open applications such as Facebook, Calendar, Google Voice, Websites, games and many other fun apps. Jennifer loves to keep in touch with her friends and family via text messages. Before receiving her Nova Chat, Jennifer was texting on a small cell phone which was hard for her to operate with just one hand. The Nova Chat is able to open up Google Voice allowing Jennifer to text with the device keyboard and increasing her independence in communicating with friends and family. Jennifer’s quality of life has greatly improved since receiving her Nova Chat and she is so thankful that this device was made possible.

If you are heading down to ATIA Orlando in a few weeks, you'll defnitely want to stop by booth #812 for a chance to enter our HUGE giveaway.  I'm not kidding- we are giving away something that we have never given away before!  You won't want to miss it!

When you aren't at booth #812 entering for your chance to win that amazing prize, you'll want to make sure to check out these very helpful and educational sessions:

Thursday, January 31

9:20-10:20am,  By the Way, I Use a Communication Device

Session Code: CATT-05

Venue: Caribe Royale All-Suites Convention Center

Room: Bonaire 2

Young adults with cognitive impairments and who use AAC devices maximize self-expression by customizing AAC through integrating mobile technology and apps. Community partners provide opportunities to form new relationships and engagement in diverse activities. AAC users are now exploring their identities and becoming integrated members of caring communities. Jamel collaborated with a Pace University Service-Learning partner to create an iMovie showcasing his talents as a writer and dancer. Jamel states he is now defined by these “non-speaking” activities. Adil is employed part-time at a national department store and serves as a Saltillo Ambassador. He is now a role model for younger AAC users by raising awareness of the possibilities of their lives. Adil is now a young man defined by his hard work, winning personality and Muslim faith. At home, Adil uses an Ipad and “Skypes” to stay in touch with his family in Pakistan.

Primary Speaker : Lorraine Cohen, CCC-SLP, Assistive Technology Specialist, AHRC New York City

Co-Speaker : Karen Deckman, Assistive Technology Specialist, Saltillo Corporation

1:15-2:15pm, AAC Device Implementation in the School Setting with Saltillo

Session Code:  AAC-13

Venue: Caribe Royale All-Suites Convention Center

Room: Bonaire 7

AAC Device implementation should be a simple process. Many times, a device is placed with a child in a school setting without proper team training beforehand. This leads to confusion and frustration not only with the child who requires the device to communicate, but also for the team who is supporting him. During this presentation, we will focus on simple ways to implement the AAC device in the school setting.

Co-Speaker : Elisa Robinson, Assistive Technology Consultant, Saltillo Corporation

Friday, February 1

3-5pm, Building Relationships through the Tools of Communication

Session Code:  AAC-66

Venue: Caribe Royale All-Suites Convention Center

Room: Poster 9

AAC has become more of a requesting tool, and therefore people that use AAC are having a difficult time seeing the big picture. This has caused expectations for people with a complex communication disability to be low. I believe AAC is so much bigger. I believe AAC gives a person a chance to be educated. It gives a person a chance to build relationships. Those relationships develop into a great community. That community helps and support you. AAC gives you the chance to live life to the fullest!

Primary Speaker : Chris Klein, President, BeCOME AAC

Speaker : Lisa Timm, Saltillo Corporation, Board member BeCOME AAC

Saturday, February 2

8-9am, WordPower for the TouchChat App and New NOVA Chat Devices

Session Code:   AAC-49

Venue: Caribe Royale All-Suites Convention Center

Room: Bonaire 8

This session will provide an in-depth overview of the WordPower and ChatPower AAC vocabularies that have been designed for the TouchChat App and the new NOVA Chat devices. New WordPower vocabularies will be reviewed, including those with 24, 30, 42, 48, and 80-locations. Various access strategies including manipulation of touchscreen sensitivity, and scanning will be explained and demonstrated. Unique features for TouchChat and NOVA chat vocabularies such as use of "gestures," sharing/copying information from the WordPower vocabulary to a document, email and Facebook will be demonstrated.

Primary Speaker : Nancy Inman, M.A.T., CCC-SLP, Program Manager for Assistive Technology Department, Kennedy Krieger Institute