Communication
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), is defined as all the forms of communication, except for oral speech that are used to express needs, wants, thoughts, or ideas, for example facial expressions gestures, symbols, pictures, or written words, things we deal with on a daily basis. Individuals with severe speech or language problems depend on AAC to supplement existing speech or replace speech that is not functional. There are many special augmentative aids nowadays that help increase school performance among students with disability.
Low Tech
Hip Talk Communication Aid is a type of AAC; it gives people with speech disabilities a "voice" by allowing them to communicate through messages that are pre-recorded. Some features include: creative learning tools for teaching expressive language and cognitive skills. The Hip-Step Talker, one of the very many communication aids, can be used for a number of different purposes within a classroom: sequencing; testing; instructions; multiplication; memorization; or medical instructions.
High Tech
Proloquo2Go is another type of AAC. Proloquo2Go is for individuals who have difficulty speaking. It provides natural sounding text-to-speech voices, high resolution up-to-date symbols, powerful automatic conjugations, advanced word prediction, full expandability and extreme ease of use. This High-tech tool is recommended it for children and adults with autism, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, developmental disabilities, apraxia, ALS, stroke or traumatic brain injury.
Accessibility
Input devices are defined as something you use to put in information into an information processing system (computer) such as a keyboard or mouse. This can be found in different forms like a software or hardware.
Hardware
The orbiTouch Keyless Keyboard is a type of input device hardware that allows for typing without finger, wrist, or shoulder motion. It’s a fully functional keyboard with an integrated mouse that eliminates finger motion and reduces wrist motion. The orbiTouch it’s useful for people with upper extremity disabilities such as repetitive strain injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, cumulative trauma disorders, and other injuries and conditions. This would be a great tool for students that suffer from of those disabilities within a classroom.
Software
Hardware
The orbiTouch Keyless Keyboard is a type of input device hardware that allows for typing without finger, wrist, or shoulder motion. It’s a fully functional keyboard with an integrated mouse that eliminates finger motion and reduces wrist motion. The orbiTouch it’s useful for people with upper extremity disabilities such as repetitive strain injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, cumulative trauma disorders, and other injuries and conditions. This would be a great tool for students that suffer from of those disabilities within a classroom.
Software
Kurzweil 1000 is a software input device that makes printed or electronic text accessible to blind and low vision people. This tool turns text into synthesized speech. It can work great inside classrooms since you can can bookmark, make notes, skim or summarize text to aid mastery of concepts and details, modify reading speed, pitch, and emphasis to suit specific preferences and purposes. Another features include retrieving information online with features that simplify locating electronic books and magazines, and even encyclopedia articles from the Web.
I was just amazed at all the AAC devices out there for students to use that allow them to communicate. Proloquo2Go sounds like it can help so many students with different needs and also different ages.
ReplyDeleteI like all your AAC devices. Before taking this class I had not idea that this kind of technology exist to aid students with special needs.
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