Initially recorded on October 28th, 2020
What's NEW? What's NEXT? with Krista Howard A.A., AAC Mentor with We Speak AAC
Highlights:
Modeling in a time of COVID
Limitations of tethered AAC when you are unable to use your hands
Becoming an SLPA who is an AAC user
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every Wednesday!
Initially recorded on October 21st, 2020
What's NEW? What's NEXT? with Gil Addison, PathPoint Community Integration Manager
Highlights:
Challenges of remote services during COVID-19
What’s NEXT? Control & Communication
Coming together to provide services in a time of remote
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every Wednesday!
Initially recorded on October 14th, 2020
What's NEW? What's NEXT? with Joel Ward, Technology Strategist.
Highlights:
XR- Extended Reality
The mix between AR and VR
Combining current technologies for new solutions
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every Wednesday!
Initially recorded on October 7th, 2020
What's NEW? What's NEXT? with Larry Goldberg, Head of Accessibility for Verizon Media, former Senior Director of Accessible Media for Yahoo.
Highlights:
Creating accessibility in film & TV
Ever wonder how closed captioning works?
The need for dynamic image recognition and scene description
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every Wednesday!
Initially recorded on September 30th, 2020
What's NEW? What's NEXT? with Glenda Watson Hyatt, BA, Author, Keynote Speaker and a Badass Agitator.
Highlights:
International Keynote Speaker
How will people with communication disabilities be included?
Communication within healthcare settings
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every Wednesday!
Initially recorded on September 23rd, 2020
What's NEW? What's NEXT? with Richard Ellenson, Founder of Talk Suite, former CEO of the Cerebral Palsy Foundation and creator of Blink Twice and Panther.
Highlights:
Started new inclusive school program in NYC
Changing the brand of disabilities
Anticipatory Communication
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every Wednesday!
Initially recorded on September 16th, 2020
What's NEW? What's NEXT? with India Ochs, Attorney & Social Justice Advocate
Highlights:
20th Consecutive Show Celebration
High achievement combined with a productive and fulfilling lifestyle
Disability Advocacy
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every Wednesday!
Initially recorded on September 9th, 2020
What's NEW? What's NEXT? with Lydia Dawley, AAC Consultant and CEO at Click Speak Connect
Highlights:
AAC consultation by a professional who also uses AAC
The value of teaching social skills through organic conversation
Exciting ideas about the future of AAC and BCI
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every Wednesday!
Initially recorded on September 2nd, 2020
What's NEW? What's NEXT? with Yannick Roy, CoFounder & Executive Director of NeuroTechX
Highlights:
Intro to Brain-computer Interface
How SLPs and other professionals can be an integral part of a neurotech creation team
Future neurotech opportunities
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every Wednesday!
Initially recorded on August 26th, 2020
What's NEW? What's NEXT? with Rachael Langley
Highlights:
Importance of making AAC information accessible to everyone.
Talking AAC Workshops beginning 9/14/20
Increasing awareness of AAC
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every Wednesday!
Initially recorded on August 19th, 2020
What's NEW? What's NEXT? with Kacy Barron
Highlights:
New ways to offer AAC coaching and education to professionals
Coaching and supporting parents
Supporting individuals with limited physical abilities
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every Wednesday!
Initially recorded on August 12th, 2020
What's NEW? What's NEXT? with Tim Jin
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A little background on Tim:
I was born with Cerebral Palsy and graduated from Cal State Long Beach in speech communication. I’ve been an active member on several advisory boards, such as In Home Support Service, USC University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, Self-Determination Program Local Advisory Committee for Regional Center of Orange County, TASK in Brea, California, Disability Voices United, and California Communications Access Foundation and Ability Central.
I have been using an AAC device ever since I was in elementary school. One of my passions is for everyone to communicate through technology, whatever that happens to be. It doesn't matter what your disability is, everyone needs to communicate.
What differences have you experienced during the pandemic in terms of AAC or accessibility during the pandemic?
When the State reopens again, the disabled community won’t be the first people that will go out of their doors and our lives won’t be normal. Most likely, we are all staying at home and being isolated from the virus because we are most vulnerable. The disabled community is one of the poorest people in our society. Many of us don’t have the means to have access to the Internet in our homes, yet alone a computer. Many of us don't have the ability to communicate through a communication device to message our basic needs, or our devices are so outdated or broken that it becomes a paperweight because it is no longer optimized to our needs, because of limitations from our health conditions.
For example, I have a friend who has the same disability as myself and he lives in the next city from me. We have been trying to get him on Zoom to have some kind of social interaction because of the lock down. He has no computer or basic internet connection. My friend has a cell phone, but he has a flip phone and cannot install any apps on it. What is my friend supposed to do for the next six months or whenever the pandemic is over? I fear for my friend because he is not getting the services that he should be receiving to maintain his mental health.
There are a lot of unheard stories like my friend.
What are you looking forward regarding future accessibility technology?
With the recent innovation with artificial intelligence, I like to see better word prediction. The current word prediction system is very outdated. I like to see word prediction that uses some form of artificial intelligence to make me communicate even more effectively and faster. The app will know what setting I am, either at home or work and it will predict phrases or words that I’ve already used for that environment.
For example, let’s say I’m at a show, seeing my favorite bands. With artificial intelligence and GPS, the app will know where I’m at and switch vocabulary to fit to that environment. Like, albums to the bands or songs.
Here is a better example, let’s say you are having lunch at your favorite restaurant and you are about to order. Instead of typing what you want to eat, the word prediction should adapt to the environment that you are in and the restaurant menu should be appearing in the prediction library, as you order your food. This will save you time with your device and make you more efficient at communicating with others.
Initially recorded on August 5th, 2020
Meaghan Azlein , M.A. Ed., Marketing Operations Associate & Customer Advocate for Cognixion
Highlights:
Early days with Cognixion
Marketing and Customer service in the disability community
Special education, disabilities, and future tech opportunities
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every Wednesday!
Initially recorded on July 29, 2020
Dr. Caroline Ramsey Musselwhite, CCC-SLP, Assistive Technology Specialist of AAC Intervention
Highlights:
Reviewing a little history of AAC
Individualizing language systems to increase user independence
Eye Gaze and Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) as future AAC technology
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every Wednesday!
Initially recorded on July 22, 2020
Vicki Clarke CEO, of Dynamic Therapy Associates Inc
Highlights:
"Makers" revival in digital resource creation
Increased focus on deep dive coaching and supports
Creativity and flexibility providing remote AAC evaluations
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every Wednesday!
Initially recorded on July 15, 2020
Sarah Pearce, Senior BCI Software Engineer, Cognixion
Highlights:
Career in UX and website design leads to brain computer interface research
BCI and AAC opportunities
Future BCI and AR technology
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Initially recorded on May 6, 2020
Lucas Steuber, MA Applied Linguistics, MS CCC/SLP
Director of Product Development, Cognixion
Highlights:
Telepractice and AAC
Long term changes in national telepractice services
Building tools and supports
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every Wednesday!
