Sessions

Thanks to all our speakers for sharing their expertise!

Session 1: 9:00-9:45

AAC Evaluations: When Should You Refer? This presentation will address the uncertainty faced by families and providers with respect to referring for AAC Evaluations. Candidacy for AAC, Evaluator credentials and qualifications, evaluation components and funding sources will all be addressed. In addition, recommendations for appropriate implementation following an evaluation will be introduced.- Barbra Seltzer; Access Communication and Therapy & Catherine Fredericks; Wayne Board of Education

Unlock the Potential of Your Device: Free Features of the Chromebook and iPad- Starting with an overview on how to access the accessibility menu, participants will learn how to locate and enable these features. Next, participants will learn features for technology access and watch a live demonstration of several of these tools. • Chrome: Adjust mouse cursor size, Increase size of all items, Screen Magnifier, High Contrast Mode, • iPad: On-screen Mouse, Screen Magnifier (Zoom), Magnifier, Display Accommodations, Dark Mode, Color Invert Next, participants will learn features for reading and watch a live demonstration of several of these tools. • Chrome: Select-to-Speak, Screen Reader (ChromeVox), Highlight cursor and text • iPad: Safari Reader, Select-to-Speak, Speak screen, Speech Controller, VoiceOver Next, participants will learn features for writing and watch a live demonstration of several of these tools. • Chrome: Google Voice Typing, Dictionary • iPad: Dictation, Word Prediction, Typing Feedback Next, participants will learn features for productivity and watch a live demonstration of several of these tools. • Chrome: Google Keep, Google Tasks • iPad: Siri, Guided Access, Screen Time, Notes, Reminders, Split Screen Lastly, participants will be able to ask questions and discuss tools in a live Q&A. The speaker will also provide information on free Chrome/ iPad applications for each of the accessibility categories.-Alexandra Mendez; AT Solutions LLC

Using Jamboard to Create Interactive Learning Opportunities- As the professions of occupational therapy and special education have advanced over time, the use of technology during therapeutic activities has become an integral part of supporting those with disabilities. In this age of distance learning and teletherapy it has become critical. Join me for a session on how to use interactive digital whiteboards to improve student engagement while addressing educational and occupational therapy goals during teletherapy sessions. Specific examples of how to use Jamboard (Google) will be discussed as a part of a therapist’s teletherapy bag of tricks. The session will examine how the interactive nature of digital whiteboards allows a way to engage their school aged participants to work on writing, math, executive functioning, self-regulation, and pre-writing tasks via the computer. We will examine the specific features of Jamboard, including the ability to work on a whiteboard collaboratively, the ability to use a variety of digital writing implements, the ease of adding and manipulating images and text, and the ability to convert hand drawn shapes and handwriting to typed text. Best practices for implementation will be discussed, as well as ways to document and archive student work for progress monitoring. Elisa Wern; AT & OT Consulting and Coaching

Technology to Empower College Students with Disabilities- This presentation will focus on a variety of software that can be used to help students with disabilities succeed in a college environment. I will provide an overview of the software I use at Saint Mary’s College and the tutorial videos we have on our YouTube Channel. I will then dive into algorithmic captioning by providing an overview of some of the vendors. I will focus on Otter.ai and provide a brief demo of the software. I will provide an overview of how Otter.ai can be used as part of a captioning workflow. The next part of the presentation will focus on a variety of organizational and mindfulness apps. These kinds of apps include reminders, yoga/meditation, affirmations and journaling. I will cover some strategies that can help students use these apps successfully. I will provide a brief demo of some of the apps to help the audience better understand their features. I will conclude by going over some accessibility checks for Google Docs, Microsoft Office and websites. I will talk about some organizational strategies that could help encourage administration and faculty to make accessibility a priority. – Auston Stamm; Saint Mary's College CA

Presentation Equity: Giving Everyone a Voice-Presenting can be a challenge for anyone, there are various reasons for this such as heightened anxiety, struggling to keep to a set time and recalling information that you may have just learned. Now, put yourself in the shoes of someone with a specific learning difference (SpLD), this individual may have additional challenges such as visual stress, working memory challenges and cognitive overload. So how do we support individuals with these barriers? How do we make presentations equitable and achievable for everyone? This will be discussed in this session with Chris Hughes, founder and CEO of Present Pal, looking at strategies that can be used to support individuals to deliver confident presentations so that no individual is left behind.- Chris Hughes; Present Pal (Estendio)

From Loathing It to Loving It: Tools to Help People with Print Disabilities Embrace Reading Equipped with the right tools, people facing barriers to reading printed text, such as dyslexia and visual impairments can become successful lifelong readers. Learn about Bookshare, an ebook library for people who read differently, which is free for qualified U.S. students, schools and colleges. Bookshare members have access to 900,000 titles and read in ways that work for them, so they don’t have to work so hard at reading. See demonstrations of reading tools and leave with new inspiration and a list of books to try from our collection! -Vanessa Lombardo; Benetch/Bookshare

Session 2: 10:00-10:45

Time Management and Organization Strategies for Students During Covid Times- Time management and organization are already challenging areas for many students, but even more so during Covid times where they are engaged in remote instruction and overall have less structure. This session will discuss tools, both low tech and higher tech, and strategies that we can teach our students to help them develop stronger time management and organizational skills during this unusual time. Utilizing tools and strategies will help our students become more independent in these areas, which are so crucial as they move on to post-secondary education and/or the workforce. These tools and strategies can help students take ownership over their schedule and the tasks they need to complete. The session will offer ideas for setting up a remote environment to help improve a student’s ability to minimize distractions, ways to keep track of assignments and their schedule, ways to improved time management, and will touch on strategies to help tackle procrastination (the struggle is real for most of us!).- Kristen Russell; Advancing Opportunities

Using Social Narratives to Support Social-Emotional Success- Social narratives are short first person stories that are written to support specific, challenging social situations or to provide preparation for a new event or situation that is anticipated to be difficult for a student or group of students. Social narratives provide the opportunity to talk about possible or known behaviors that might interrupt learning or impact socialization in or out of school. This session will examine the elements of a social narrative, how to use it effectively with learners, and resources for finding and creating social narratives. Social narratives, also known by the term coined by Carol Gray, as Social Stories, have specific elements that make it effective for addressing learner behaviors and responses. We will examine these elements and how to incorporate them into a custom social narrative. We will also discuss how to use social narratives as a means to role play or act out a challenge in advance of it happening or as a means of preparing for a better outcome when the situation is encountered again. Finally, we will examine resources for finding already written social narratives and technology tools that allow educators to create their own custom narratives to meet specific learner needs. – Beth Poss; Independent AT Consultant

Working Comfortably in the Digital Age: Ergonomics for Educators-This timely session will begin with an introduction to ergonomics principles. The importance of proper ergonomics for both educators and students will be highlighted. Participants will learn the role of force, repetition, and posture in preventing or causing musculoskeletal disorders. Ergonomics is the process of designing or arranging workplaces, products and systems so that they fit the people who use them, and yet with changes in where and how people learn and work and increased dependence on technology to deliver and respond to information, many find themselves trying to fit the work spaces instead of the other way around. Based on discussions with individuals engaged in distance and typical learning from across the country, ideal and non ideal work spaces will be shared, and input on potential adaptations will be elicited from participants. Changes do not have to be costly, and low or no tech examples will be provided. A quick screening or self-assessment for a workspace will be modeled that participants can use to decide on possible areas to change in a structured way. Case studies of typical work spaces will be discussed, eliciting input and participation from attendees. Finally, a digital toolbox of resources and low tech make and takes will be provided so participants can go back to their work spaces at home or schools and make any needed changes..-Elisa Wern; AT & OT Consulting and Coaching & Judith Schoonover; Independent Consultant

Become a Caption Captain! Using Captions for All With the shift to more techology based applications in the delivery of curriculum and assessments, video content is everywhere. It's in our social media feeds. It's in webinars. It's in how we create content. It's in how we ask learners to demonstrate understanding. However, it is CRITICAL that closed captioning is available and accessible. Furthermore, agencies that receive federal funds must caption their video content. Learn about the ways you can create captions that are inclusive and available for all learners.-Hillary Goldthwait-Fowles, PhD. ATP

Talking With Tech Live! Brainstorming Solutions To Real-life AAC Questions-Talking With Tech is a free, weekly podcast about augmentative/alternative communication. Listeners from around the world have sent in questions about how to consider, select, and implement AAC to students. In this interactive session, actual questions will be posted in a multimedia slide deck and displayed to the participants. Together, participants will brainstorm solutions to the questions. These solutions will be documented and audio recorded. The recordings will then be released on the podcast to help everyone in the community benefit and learn from the crowd-sourced solutions. The presenters will facilitate the experience while also providing their own responses related to evidence-based strategies. Participants will not only learn the tools and strategies during the live presentation but be part of the crowd-sourced solution to help everyone! Chris Bugaj, Rachel Madel; Talking with Tech Podcast

3D-Printed Keyguards - Your Gateway to 3D-Printed Assistive Technology- For decades, commercial AT has been bland, feature-poor, one-size-fits-all products being sold at premium prices. 3D printing technology can turn this story on its head. 3D printing enables a world of “mass customization” where each customer’s needs for customization and personalization are a priority. Keyguards can be your gateway to 3D-printed AT. A 3D-printed keyguard can save 60% to 99% the cost of a commercial keyguard. In this education breakout session, you will be introduced to: 1. 3D printing technology, 2. what makes 3D printing unique among manufacturing methods, 3. examples of 3D printed AT, 4. keyguards and their use, 5. why an individual might need lots of keyguards, 6. the cost of keyguards – both commercial and 3D-printed, 7. the cost of a 3D printer and how easy they are to use, 8. designing and printing a custom keyguard, and 9. the limitations of 3D-printed AT.- Ken Hackbarth; Volksswitch

Session 3: 11:00:-11:45

Using Google Forms for more than data collection -Forms, you may or may not use them in your classroom. You may only use them for taking information and or collecting data so you can graph. Or you might be using it for quizzes or test. All important things you can do with Forms. It is a nice little box of things. I say, STEP out of the box. Let’s start pushing the expectation of the product while giving the students the supports they need for writing. If you allowed your imagination go wild, would you see Google forms in a different light? Note taking, paragraph writing, vocabulary, reading comprehension? What would the possibilities be? I say endless. Join me for the conversation of Google Forms. - Jeannette Van Houten; Assistive Technology Consulting

Tips For Improving Confidence About Using Assistive Technology-Many students who are new to using assistive technology are worried about what others will think of them, or view assistive technology as a crutch or something they do not actually need. Veronica was once one of these students, and will be sharing tips that actually worked to help students feel more confident about using their AT and receiving classroom accommodations.-Veronica Lewis, Veronica With Four Eyes

Tools to Promote Digital Note-taking- As students move through the grades one of the important skills that they must learn is to master note-taking. Note-taking proves to be very challenging for students with learning disabilities and in this presentation we will review various technologies that students can use and implement for taking notes in the classroom. The participants will learn about Smartpens and Smart digital recorders along with new technologies take advantage of audio.- Brian Friedlander; AssistiveTek, LLC

Online Storytelling as Intervention Strategy with Users of AAC- This presentation will review the benefits of using online story-telling and narratives to support receptive and expressive language development with users of Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC). Processing and responding to narratives serves as a means of facilitating the use of more complex language and vocabulary. Users of AAC benefit conversationally as they develop stronger associations with grammar, syntax, vocabulary and linguistic sequencing within the structure of narratives. The user of AAC can engage language beyond requesting, commenting and simple responses. Users of AAC can be challenged to use a wider range of grammar, syntax and expressions of emotions. There are multiple online tools that can be used creatively to encourage the processing of narrative structures with the support of visuals including text, symbols and pictures. The tools support a broad range of linguistic objectives through modeling and follow-up questions regarding the narrative structure and content. This presentation will discuss and model multiple online tools that can support the development of narratives, as well as the use of narratives to encourage language complexity in form, structure and content.- Priscilla Danielson; Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions

Ask the Advocate! Have questions about anything related to Disability and the Law join this session to ask all your burning questions. Staff of Disability Rights New Jersey

Session 4: 1:00-1:45

Smart Speakers for Independence- Smart speakers enable people with a wide range of disabilities to increase independence, support social contact, improve access, help organize schedules, control their environments, and host of other benefits. Learn about the major smart speakers (Amazon, Google, Facebook, etc), the pros and cons of each, and the variety of ways they can help children and adults with disabilities. This presentation will include a discussion of "skills" (add-on capabilities).-Adam Krass; Adam Krass Consulting

Leveraging Assistive Technology to Facilitate Work Completion- Writing is the perfect storm for many students. It is the academic task that demands multiple skill sets from students. Specifically, writing asks students to generate ideas, weed through relevant information, prioritize its importance, organize ideas, possibly gather more data, and then group data/ideas, all while thinking about spelling, punctuation, word choice, sentence structure and sentence variety, grammar, usage, and transitions. And they need to do this all while thinking about time! Text to Speech, Speech to Text, and Word Prediction are three easily accessible tools that lighten the cognitive load for our students. This session defines each tool, reviews the research on its efficacy and then gives instruction and/or resources on how to activate these tools on multiple platforms.- Nanci Shepardson; Wilson Language Training

Kids Just Wanna Have Fun: Adaptations for Play- The importance of play in child growth and development cannot be underestimated; it is what children do and how they learn. Play includes exploration using all of the senses, examining how toys and materials "work", discovering new ways to use materials, providing opportunities for self-expression, and more. When children have difficulty playing or fully engaging in art and music activities, valuable learning opportunities are missed. Engagement in play and the arts expands the imagination and impacts understanding of cause and effect, communication, social engagement, and provides a foundation for the development of higher level language and learning skills. Children with disabilities often have different experiences with play, as well as participation in art and music instruction, which are often limited by difficulty grasping, manipulating, exploring, or assembling materials. Thus, how they play, use art materials, or participate in music, what kinds of experiences they select or are provided with, and what they learn from their experiences are affected. Positioning and mobility supports can make the difference between encountering barriers and providing access to play. The Let's Play! Projects suggest that adaptations to attach, stabilize, make the toy easier to hold, or confine the toy can be made with readily found materials.- Judith Schoonover; Independent Consultant

Microsoft is where it's AT!- Have you checked out the accessibility features in Microsoft 365 lately? Immersive Reader is embedded in so many of your favorite Microsoft Tools like Word and FlipGrid, but did you know it is now partnering with 3rd party vendors like Code.org? Did you know it does more that speech to text? Did you know that there is a new transcribing tool in MS Word? Or that there is a Math Assistant in One Note? Did you know that participants have the choice to turn on and off Captions in the MS Teams app and that Office Lens app is one of the most powerful free scanning and OCR apps that you can download to your phone right now? Come learn more and play a little with Microsoft Tools that can meet the assistive technology needs of your learners and help you universally design your classroom lessons and therapies!- Mia Laudato; FDLRS Action Resource Center

Closing the Gap and Navigating the New Normal- Every Assistive Tech Specialist, Special Education Director, ESL Coordinator, Educator are looking for creative ways to bridge gaps between paper and digital curriculum to give their students more access and simple solutions. Now more than ever as many were not prepared for the quickness that Distance Learning came upon us all In 2020 and beyond due to Covid 19, Schools will need solutions to stay compliant with IDEA and service IEP’s and 504 Plans. This session is great for looking at a toolbox approach to improve reading outcomes for students with dyslexia, low vision, ESL, reading differences or delayed readers. We will be discussing: how audio promotes literacy, Dyslexia and Assistive Tech overview, the 2019 National Report Card on Reading Results, the benefits of using Scanning Pens, testimonials from your peer groups nationwide, creative ways educators across the country are implementing them in their districts, schools and classrooms. Scanning Pens is an award winning worldwide company filled with very passionate people working hard to help improve student outcomes while removing the barriers and stigma that comes from struggling to read.- Tim Stanton; Scanning Pens

What does Tech First Mean in 2020? -What an amazing time to be providing services and support to people with disabilities! The technological age we live in is enabling more and more possibilities for everyone. However, this transition in how we provide services represents a fundamental change in how we define support, and nobody likes change. This session will 1) highlight the 17-year history of remote supports as an example of the pace of this Tech First change, 2) describe the efforts it takes to switch to a Tech First mindset, 3) provide an overview of the current national Tech First landscape, and 4) will give us a glimpse into an exciting Tech First future, where using various forms of enabling technologies can create amazing possibilities.- Dustin Wright;

Session 5: 2:00-2:45

No Tech Teaching for Primary Grades- Not all students have access to technology and not all learning is necessary with technology! How can we keep our students reading? How can we keep our students moving? How can we set up our students for success during continuous learning? During this webinar, we will explore ways to engage the brain by creating opportunities for learning with what students have around their home.- Kelli Suding, PATINS Project

The Three Best Distance Learning Tools for Inclusive Instruction-This webinar will allow participants to explore the three best technology resources to meet the needs of all learners for both distance and in class learning and instruction. SeeSaw, Flipgrid and Book Creator are excellent, free options every educator should add to their toolbox to promote learner success and independence.- Karen Janowski, is an Assistive & Inclusive Technology Consultant

Beyond Live Instruction: Asynchronous Support for AAC-AAC support can take many forms under the umbrellas of direct or indirect support. Adding the element of remote learning has provided more tools to creatively support AAC implementation. Indirect or asynchronous support can maximize time that is spent in face-to-face or direct instruction. This session will explore technology tools and strategies to enhance asynchronous AAC coaching. -Sarah Gregory, M.S. CCC-SLP is a Speech-Language Pathologist/ Assistive Technology consultant.

8 Ways to Create More Accessible Word & PDF Documents-Microsoft Word is often the birthplace of website content and email attachments. Even if a file becomes a PDF, it starts life in something like Word. This session will get you started in creating more accessible Word documents. We will use Microsoft Word itself to add some of the things that are critical to making Word documents more accessible to people with disabilities. We will also highlight the most important steps you need to take to be sure that your more accessible Word document becomes a more accessible PDF as well. -Rob Carr; Oklahoma ABLE Tech

Using Music Technology to Mitigate Stress, Anxiety, and Depression-Many people are struggling during this socially isolating time. Music is readily available, can be accessed fairly easily, and may be used to mitigate stress, anxiety, and depression. A board-certified music therapist will explain how music affects the brain and body in ways that can be used for self-care. Music stimulates the brain to release the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is attributed to feeling “good.” Music also stimulates the mind and physical body to create, learn, and move. Each of these activities can contribute to positive feels of self. Some practices to assist one in daily living will be described, such as how to adjust one’s emotional state via a personalized playlist and examples of musical apps for self-care, relaxation, and creativity will be presented.-Dr. Anita L. Swanson,Project Coordinator at Texas Technology Access Program

OrCam AI assistive devices for visual impairment & reading challenges- There are currently 250 million people worldwide who are blind and visually impaired. The number is growing especially due to the aging population. OrCam Technologies is trailblazing, addressing sight impairment and reading challenges. OrCam operates within an ecosystem making possible what was once science fiction. OrCam founders previously created Mobileye, developer of advanced driver assistance system that automates and enhances vehicle safety by alerting drivers to potential problems and avoid collisions. Mobileye led to development of OrCam. Flagship device is MyEye2. Review features from OCR reading to facial recognition to Smart Reading. Demo MyEye2. OrCam Read, for sighted and mild to moderate vision impaired, addresses conditions like dyslexia, stroke, TBI. Review features, highlighting full page capture and text box selective reading. Demo OrCam Read. We are witnessing a fast-paced technological revolution in the field of personal assistants, eg smart speakers, like Alexa & Siri. OrCam’s leadership predicts all humans will eventually use some sort of AI personal assistant. MyEye2 and OrCam Read are examples. OrCam devices continuously incorporate relevant, and new capabilities as platforms and technologies become available. The ability to add features via WIFI to OrCam devices makes them standouts on the AT market. Users can take advantage of future offerings such as Natural Language Processing used with smart speakers. This tech has relevance and applicability during Covid19. With “Stay at Home” restrictions, people with sight loss, impairment and reading challenges are increasingly relying on themselves and need independence. eg, students schooling at home without shadows/aids.- Eve Posner; Get Orcam

Session 6: 3:00-3:45

Lessons Learned: Where Do We Go From Here?- There are two ways to define a future and our strategy to get there. The first is to stand in the present, look back at the past and determine what to do. This usually results in a better, faster, more efficient future. It is about change and improvement of current models and is the good work of managers. But, now, we are in a time of transformation. We are standing in the present, looking at a new future and new definitions of what school really is. Transformation is the work of leaders. Transformation is how we produce extraordinary results. We have been satisfied with incremental change for the last 32 years. But to fully embrace our current move to virtual and online schools we must get ready to let go of our fears, concerns, doubts, and everything else that could get in the way of dreaming big. Join us as we talk about ways to develop a clear vision for the future of virtual AT supports and services and explore ideas that will help us to choose an approach to transformation that matches our vision for building capacity in a virtual school environment. In this session we will explore examples of the kinds of transformative changes that AT programs in the U.S. and around the world are making to their AT service designs that can be applied to your current practice. This session offers an opportunity to dream big together about the future of our virtual AT services!-Gayl Bowser; Independent Consultant

Assistive Technology Considerations and Emergency Preparedness-Emergencies can happen at a moment's notice. During a disaster or an emergency situation, people with disabilities may need additional assistance to obtain the services they need or maintain functional operation of assistive technology. Planning ahead is a necessary consideration to protect yourself and your family when emergencies occur. This session addresses common terminology used during a disaster or emergency, general tips on how to prepare for a situation, and special considerations for assistive technology users. The session will also identify resources for creating an emergency kit and for accessing alert services frequently used to notify of emergency situations.- Jamie Arasz Prioli, RESNA ATP, is the interim Disability Services Coordinator at Ocean County College

Creating Meaningful and Differentiated Opportunities for Choice Making-This session dives deep into how to teach choice making skills to students, covering both theory and practice. We begin with an overview of the skill of choice making, including the components that go into it and important factors to successfully promote these skills. We then outline a detailed, step-by-step roadmap of how to progressively develop choice making skills by breaking it down into small, achievable steps. The roadmap begins with very early cause and effect responses and progresses all the way to making complex choices from multiple on-screen, abstract options. As we follow this progression, we consider how to implement appropriate practice opportunities at each stage, considering a variety of methods to cover a wide range of individual needs based on both physical and cognitive skills. We discuss an assortment of Assistive Technology devices and ways that they can be employed to make and communicate choices. The devices include: real world items; picture cards; switch communicators; environmental control units (using switches, iPads, and eye gaze); adapted toys (using switches, iPads, and eye gaze); AAC devices; fixed content, accessible software; and personalizable framework software. This section covers a range of both physical and cognitive ability levels; individual need and level of ability will determine which device is best for the user and how it can best be used to meet different goals. This section considers how different devices can be used in different ways to best meet individualized communication needs and abilities.-Emily Wallace; InclusiveTLC

Succeeding with Dyslexia: Middle and High School Students’ Perspectives-Delivered by a group of middle and high school students, this interactive workshop allows attendees to experience what it feels like to have a language-based learning disability and other related disorders. The students explore their experiences growing up with a learning disability, including accommodations, assistive technology, self-advocacy and personal stories. LDA STAMP NJ

A Step-by-step tutorial of switch adapting a plush toy-Have you wondered how to adapt a toy to make it switch accessible? Follow Corinne as she uses her document camera to show you the steps required to successfully adapt a plush toy. Corinne will provide you with tips and tricks and a list of required materials. She will also show you how you can make a switch utilizing a 3D printer. Corinne will also talk about the organization, JerichoAdaptsToys.org, which is a program led by high school students that loans adapted toys for free to schools and programs in the Long Island and NYC region.This presentation will take the audience through all steps required to adapt a plush toy. JerichoAdaptsToys, an organization loaning switch adapted toys will also be reviewed.- Corinne Dicpinigaitis, Jerichoadaptstoys.org

Universally Designed Learning with Google Tools-Google has made UDL possible through Chromebooks and Google Classroom. Many tools are built in, while extensions go deeper for full access to the curriculum. We will demonstrate Snap&Read, Co:Writer, and Quizbot for Google that feature annotation, accessible quizzes, language supports, writing supports, text leveling, and study tools. -Brenda Bender is a Senior Education Specialist with Don Johnston, Inc.