Presented by Kieva D’Angelo, MA, CCC-SLP

What is Gestalt Language Processing? What is Natural Language Acquisition? How can we bridge what we know about Gestalt Language Processing with what we know is evidence based for AAC? What can this look like in a classroom environment? Specific training on this topic feels limited, especially when considerations for Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) are added to these discussions. This session will explore the literature on Gestalt Language Processing, Analytic Language Processing, and how evaluation and implementation processes for Augmentative Alternative Communication may look different. Cheers to making AAC more inclusive for those who are Gestalt Language Processors!

Presented by Tiffanie Zaugg, MA

This engaging workshop is designed for educators eager to enrich their teaching toolkit with creative materials, innovative resources, and assistive technology (AT) for Science and Social Studies. Participants will embark on a fun-filled journey to explore key concepts in these curricula, discover how to craft engaging and inclusive teaching materials, and learn to effectively integrate AT into their classrooms. Through a blend of demonstrations, interactive sessions, and group tasks, educators will enhance their ability to design lesson plans that cater to diverse learning needs, fostering an environment of excitement and accessibility in learning.

Presented by Gemma White, CCC-SLP

This session will explore the role of 3D printing in Assistive Technology, explain how to source or create files, as well as explain how to use a 3D printer. Participants will provide resources to get started as a maker.

Presented by Ken Hackbarth, MS, MS, ME

For years, commercial AT products were expensive and generic. With 3D printing, the narrative changes. This technology promotes "mass customization," emphasizing each customer's unique requirements. One prime example is keyguards. A 3D-printed keyguard can dramatically reduce costs, saving consumers between 60% to 99% compared to traditional offerings.

Presented by Danielle Maglinte, MS, CCC-SLP, MAT

There are so many AAC apps for the iPad. How do you decide what apps to try with a client? In this session, I will demonstrate the basic language layouts of 5 robust AAC apps, discuss features of each app, and teach basic editing for each app.

Presented by Danielle Maglinte, MS, CCC-SLP, MAT

For young children with complex communication needs, AAC can be critical to developing language skills. However, people are hesitant to recommend AT on an IFSP for a young child. In this presentation, we will discuss AAC Myths, the role of AT Consultants, and implementation strategies for young children in Early Intervention.

Presented by Stepanie Howell, MA

In today's world we have a multitude of different abilities. We need to make learning relevant and personalized for each time of learner in our classroom. In this session we will explore different ways to support students with a variety of disabilities and how to help them advocate for their learning.

Presented by Megan Stewart, MS, CCC-SLP

A hallmark feature of a comprehensive literacy program is helping learners build connections to what they are reading. Participants will examine the benefits of incorporating AAC, literacy, and sensory components into lessons, and discuss how incorporating these elements into lessons increases learners’ motivation, connection to, and engagement within the lesson.

Presented by Carly Dauch, Sarah Heldmann, and Sarra Burnham

The U.S. Department of Education has developed an “Employability Skills Framework” that identifies the following necessary skills: Effective Relationships (interpersonal skills and personal qualities), Workplace Skills (technology use, systems thinking, communication skills, information use, resource management), and Applied Knowledge (critical thinking skills, applied academic skills).

This session will utilize the Employability Skills Framework and pair each section with assistive technology solutions. There will be opportunities for hands-on demonstration and trialing of a variety of assistive technology solutions.

Presented by Quinn Kelly, MS

This presentation will discuss the “Determining Candidacy for an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Device” resource and how to match candiates to the most supportive AAC application. The resource was created by three American Sign Language (ASL) -fluent speech-language pathologists (SLPs) with extensive experience working at schools for the Deaf. This screening tool can help broadly determine whether a signing Deaf child is a candidate for an AAC device. Many Deaf children who communicate using ASL are also encouraged to use AAC devices when they are not candidates, and likely would not benefit from them. This tool can help providers minimize those occurrences. Once the individual is identified as a candidate, what are the next steps? The participants will then learn about different Deaf-Friendly AAC features in a variety of applications. They will also further understand the app trialing process and how to navigate the journey of selecting an app that best fits the communicator while continuing to support the individual's signing.

Presented by Beth Poss, MA, CCC-SLP

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to significantly impact the lives of students and individuals with disabilities by improving assistive technology and support systems. This includes the direct use of AI tools by students as assistive technology, and the use of AI tools by special educators and therapists to develop lesson plans and learning resources for their students. This session explores some of the ways that students and educators can use AI along with the implications, benefits, and challenges associated with the use of AI in this context.

Presented by Gayl Bowser, MS

Once the change has been introduced into a school culture people tend to slip back into old habits and rely on what is most familiar. In this workshop, we’ll look at ways to make coherent change and apply that information to our own plans for changes in our AT services.

Presented by Erin Ing, BA

Join me and learn how to help your students achieve the ultimate level of independence; being able to use any device available to them (e.g. a public library computer, an school iPad, a Mac on campus) by independently enabling and adjusting accessibility tools and features.

Presented by Michelle Raymond and Natalie Fenske

Play is a critical skill that contributes to communication development. Children with complex bodies often miss out! In this session, participants will learn how to determine best play options for your complex-bodied patient, strategies you can use to model play, and ways to integrate communication into play throughout the day!

Presented by Linda Burkhart, Abby Zurliene, Shirley Sains, Jaime Show, Rebecca Sobolevsky

Navigating the complexities of parenting a child with CVI, CCN and physical challenges lacks a guidebook. Join us to hear parents share what they wish they knew early, communication development experiences, and lessons learned. Explore strategies to support parents, including early AAC integration, recognizing parental expertise, and empowering families to advocate for lifelong inclusivity.

Presented by Robyn Kellogg, Sara Rode, Sherry Oakley, Michelle Thomas, and Tracy Little

This foundational presentation features Colorado SWAAAC Team Coordinators who skillfully weave a golden thread of Assistive Technology through IEP Present Levels of Performance, Consideration of Special Factors, Goals, Accommodations, and Prior Written Notice. Included in this tapestry: examples, and basic documentation strategies. Please note information covered in this presentation will be specific to Colorado educational agencies but may have application in other states.

Presented by Katie Pittman and Nickie Woods

Presented by Dan Cochrane and Kelly Key

Dan and Kelly’s popular guide to Speech Recognition as AT for Writing is available for free at http://bit.ly/srguide. They will demonstrate scaffolded steps to teach speech recognition skills to individual students and how to adapt them to whole group instruction. Data collection strategies will also be demonstrated.

Presented by Rachel Archambault, MA, CCC-SLP

Trauma-informed care is a relatively new concept within the field of speech-language pathology. Although the concept has been applied to all settings an SLP may work in, it is especially important when working with AAC users and their support systems.

Presented by Kristin Barnett, MA, ATP, NBCT

Language experience books are a meaningful and fun way to teach literacy skills to children with disabilities. Assistive technology can provide access and engagement in reading and writing activities. Participants will draft a language experience book to use with their students.

Presented by Tiffanie Zaugg, MA

The advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has given rise to a new generation of chatbots. These AI chatbots have the potential to revolutionize the field of assistive technology. We will delve into the capabilities of AI chatbots, their applications, and the benefits they offer to both educators and learners.

Presented by Cassie Frost, MS, ATP

Executive functioning, simply stated, includes the skills needed to get ourselves together to do what we need to do. This session will focus on what executive functioning is and how the demands on executive functioning change throughout a student's school career. This session will address the development of executive functioning skills, common supports available at each age/grade level, and what those supports look like as students transition out of the school system. Built-in and natural supports will be discussed, and participants will be encouraged to reflect on how the decrease of these supports affect students as they progress through school and as they transition. Participants will learn about both low and high-tech tools that support executive functioning and how these tools may be adjusted or progress throughout a student's experience. The process of feature matching will be discussed as participants learn about multiple tools to support each area of executive functioning deficit, with attention paid to consideration of which tools and strategies may be most impactful for students long-term.

Presented by Chris Gibbons and Melanie Gylling

This workshop summarizes challenges with AAC in terms of efficiency, communication speed, and expression of personality. We outline how AI-infused AAC may address these challenges as well as ways that AI has already been incorporated into AAC. We will facilitate breakout groups around crucial topics to consider with AI-infused AAC.

Presented by Roslyn Livingstone and Debbie Field

Independent mobility promotes learning and overall development, but when mobility is delayed or impaired, developmental progress may be impeded. Although power mobility is often underused for infants and toddlers, it can promote overall developmental change in young children with a wide range of profiles and abilities. Increasing use of power mobility with infants and toddlers can enhance mobility, play, social interaction and exploration of their world, and change attitudes of others regarding their abilities and potential.

Presented by Hillary Goldthwait-Fowles, Ph.D, ATP

We can no longer ignore the importance of not only addressing mental health, but to develop a set of strategies and supports, which includes AT, to manage mental health. Addressing mental health matters- come learn and grow in community.

Presented by Whitney Kramer, MA, CCC-SLP

This session will describe a general framework for teams supporting students with significant support needs and implementing AT/AAC throughout the school day. This interdisciplinary approach will focus on building ongoing team collaboration in order to best support the child, equity of education, and inclusion.

Presented by Julie Feuerstein, Carolyn Buchanan, and Jennifer Tucker

Using an interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) model, university faculty with specialties in routines-based early intervention, pediatric physical therapy, speech-language pathology, and assistive technology (AT), this session will describe how AT (motor, communication, recreation) can be leveraged to provide enriched learning opportunities for children with medical complexities and their families. Discussion will include barriers frequently experienced by families and strategies to overcome these barriers. These accessible and affordable strategies may be implemented by all team members, including parents and caregivers, in everyday routines and activities.

Presented by Ginny Paleg, PT, MPT, DScPT

Students who are not able to independently move in their community miss out on valuable opportunities to participate. This session will review the evidence-basis of supported standing, stepping and power mobility for children ages 0-3. Assistive technology is a human right and its' provision is mandated under IDEA. We will use actual case stories to highlight how standing, stepping and power mobility deices can be incorporated into a coaching routines based model.

Presented by Danielle French and Wayla Murrow

This presentation is an overview of Early Intervention Colorado and the process for referral, intake, eligibility, and development of the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) if the child is eligible. It will include assistive technology as an allowable service and how to document this service on the plan.

Presented by Breanne Bockwoldt, MS, CCC-SLP

Participants of this session will learn about the vocabulary organization and language pagesets available in CoughDrop. The in-app tools, such as data logging, modeling, and goal setting, will be discussed. Dynamic assessment tools for AAC evaluation will be addressed, along with key editing features within the app to customize the app and best support users.

Presented by Stephanie Howell, MA, MS

Join our exploration of educational accessibility tools. Discover how these resources empower all learners by addressing diverse needs, whether visual, auditory, or cognitive. Equip yourself with the skills and knowledge to create a more inclusive and equitable learning environment.

Presented by Megan Stewart, MS, CCC-SLP

Join us to learn about engaging, interactive, and FUN activities to enhance your AAC and emergent literacy lessons through Senseable Literacy Kits. Each kit contains carefully curated and fully prepped activities that help learners create and build connections with books and literacy experiences. Participants will learn how the Senseable Literacy kits empower educators, therapists, and parents to incorporate AAC and literacy strategies throughout their day while engaging learners, building literacy connections, and having a blast!

Presented by Sheryl Hazelbaker and Tiffany Massie

This presentation is designed for those who instruct, love, and care about the fragile and forgotten group of students with significant cognitive disabilities. This 1% of our educational population is one of the toughest to assess and instruct when it comes to literacy.

Presented by Heather Maydak, MS, ATP

This session will explore the ProxPad and how to use it. The ProxPad is a communication learning aid for individuals with physical, visual, or cognitive impairments. We will explore examples of how the RFID tags are used to create communication opportunities but also adapted reading and writing activities.

Presented by Angie Watson

Angie Watson from VoiceSign demonstrates how the emerging technology of wearable, gesture-controlled communication devices can assist people who are hearing-nonverbal. Participants will leave the interactive presentation with an understanding of how VoiceSign's device works, including its ease of use and customization, built-in training module, and automated documentation/analysis features.

Presented by Chris Gibbons and Melani Gylling

This workshop gives an overview of how the visual system typically works. We will discuss the implications of using eye gaze and teaching the eyes to communicate by pointing at objects on a screen. We will tour Look Lab and discuss how it aids in teaching the eyes to point.

Presented by Adele Smolanksy, MS, PhD

There are currently no EdTech websites that meet the complex needs of students with disabilities. To help students with cognitive, behavioral, and physical disabilities, we created AI-Learners, an EdTech platform that makes learning mathematics accessible and engaging for students with disabilities through personalized math games and analytics. Dozens of schools are actively using AI_Learners to learn. We have also partnered with Stanford and Cornell University to analyze user data and better understand how students with disabilities learn.

Presented by Lisa Marie Clinton, MS

See how avail by CentralReach has been implemented across many states as an Assistive Technology program in transition programs, Project SEARCH and employment settings as a digital and augmentative tool. avail enables and extends skill trainers' ability to provide personalized remote coaching and accelerate the acquisition of both employment duties and soft skills at a faster pace through continued digital promoting.