When we first met Emily, she was being taught to use switches to communicate mostly during her snack times. Emily didn't seem to have a meaningful connection with communication to others, but we knew she had a lot to tell us. We chose the ProxTalker because we were able to make three-dimensional tags that had voice output. This really helps make language come to life for Emily. We would rotate the tags out and bring in new choices every 4-5 trials, so that she could learn more tags. Emily is happy when she has her time throughout the day to use her device. Communication is becoming meaningful for her.
We hosted a webinar entitled "Activity & Travel Tips for Happier, More Inclusive Holidays" this month, and it was a lot of fun. We gathered tips and activity ideas from teachers, parents and friends of people with disabilities and shared them during a live presentation on November 17th.
We shared ideas for holiday and winter-themed sensory play, activities for long trips, and ways to use assistive technology to allow children with disabilities to help out more with meal prep and cookie making. Then, we talked about new technology that makes it easier for people who are blind or visually impaired travel and locate luggage on a baggage carousel without assistance from fellow travelers or airline workers, and ways to bring multiple generations together using thoughtful iPad apps and interview books.
We invite you to watch the recorded webinar online (requires registration) and download the corresponding PowerPoint presentation.
How do you ensure everyone is equally involved in holiday fun and preparations? Do you have a go-to sensory play kit that you make up every year, or a special recipe that's easy for kids and adults with disabilities to help out with?
We'd love to know what you do to make your holidays merry and bright for your friends and family with disabilities. Please comment below!
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"We would tell her what each of the choices were on the ProxTalker. When Emily would reach out to touch a tag, we provided a prompt to help her push the tag down to create the voice output. We saw just after a few trials that Emily was making the connection. She was reaching out on her own to touch the tags to tell us what she wanted. She would choose tags that were both in the left and right positions, especially if it was for pretzels. We would rotate the tags out and bring in new choices every 4-5 trials, so that she could learn more tags. Emily is happy when she has her time throughout the day to use her device.
Communication is becoming meaningful for her."
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