Awe and Wonder Podcast: AAC & AT

Karanveer Singh is an AAC User and contributor to the Special Education Technology Center who recently won the 2024 Prentke AAC Distinguished Lecture. In this episode he is joined by his mother, KP Singh, and his family friend and OT Rose Racicot. KP, Rose and Karanveer talk to us about the role Karanveer's Indian culture, language and family values play in his life and his experience living in both India and Washington. Note: For the purposes of this podcast some periods of silence during which Karanveer is composing his messages using his AAC system have been edited.   Resources: 2024 Prentke AAC Distinguished Lecture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hyBPF7-dWU&t=1s  My AAC Journey: Switches to Eye Gaze to Infinity with Karanveer Singh https://youtu.be/Wq0iLIviL-o?si=za_R64gc-cYKGN-7  Effortless Design: Eye Gaze Features Explored in Adobe Illustrator- Karanveer Singh https://youtu.be/FsFvXlUV9D8?si=RwjazJtclRmEVxTE  Breaking Barriers: Movie Editing with Alternative Access https://youtu.be/CDareDn-Je0?si=nCbpsC8UMJu3Sbtt Tobii Dynavox Eye Gaze Systems https://us.tobiidynavox.com/ Google Translate: https://translate.google.com/

In this episode focused on cultural responsiveness, parents Tasha and Wolf share their experiences raising their daughter who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and the immense supports they have received along the way through their reservation, beginning with schooling at 6 months of age.   Resources based on discussion in this episode:  SMA information: https://www.mda.org/disease/spinal-muscular-atrophy Head Start services: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ohs/about/head-start Inclusive playgrounds: https://www.inclusiveplaygrounds.net/facts-of-inclusivity.html Native American advocacy groups: https://nativeamericatoday.com/political-organizations-and-advocacy-groups/ Making worksheets accessible: https://youtu.be/8cRfRPTy_iY?si=ff2hGcjz1iXMyqfW International Day of Acceptance: https://nationaltoday.com/international-day-of-acceptance/

Jordyn is an SLP who is passionate about cultural responsiveness and representation. She talks about attending a predominantly white school and later a historically black college or institution and how those experiences helped her become an advocate for herself and for others.  Mentioned in this podcast:  jrctheslp.com The Color Of Autism Foundation https://thecolorofautism.org/

Danielle Van Dusen is an Assistive Technology Specialist with Open Doors for Multicultural Families, an organization in Washington State that supports and partners with individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and their families, regardless of cultural or linguistic background. https://opendoorswa.org/

Toi and Carrisa are parents to their young daughter with complex needs and an older son who is typically developing. In this podcast they candidly share experiences of bias they've faced when getting services for their daughter and examples of what providers can do differently to help all families feel comfortable and heard.

Dr. Renaldo Fowler works for the Arizona Center for Disability law. He tells us about the African American Conference on Disabilities that addresses the intersection between race and disability and about the importance of having a safe space for good conversations. Mentioned in this podcast: African American Conference on Disability https://www.azdisabilitylaw.org/african-american-conference-on-disabilities/

Dr. Scott, Assistant Professor at Minnesota State University Mankato in the Communication Sciences & Disorders Program, talks to us about cultural humility, tools providers can add to their cultural responsiveness toolbox, and the importance of knowing our students and families. Resources mentioned in this podcast: Textbook: Culturally Responsive Practices in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences https://www.pluralpublishing.com/publications/culturally-responsive-practices-in-speech-language-and-hearing-sciences-1 Website: Leaders Project https://www.leadersproject.org/

Chris talks to us about access to keyboards, the 80/20 rule for teaching, model the core and spell the fringe, and authentic ways to engage through literacy.

Drew describes herself as a sassy, creative, outgoing lady with a side of disability. She describes the important role literacy plays in her life and encourages new AAC users to not give up.

In this episode Elisa Wern talks about her Comprehensive Literacy For All Book Study group on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/cl4all/ , being collaborative partners in literacy instruction, access to the alphabet, and much more! Mentioned in podcast: Fundamentals of AAC A Case Study Chapter Co Authored with Sarah Gregory on Sensory processing and AAC https://amzn.to/3skk5rI Collaborative goals statement from AOTA, AOTA, and ASHA https://www.aota.org/-/media/corporate/files/practice/schools/joint-statement-on-interprofessional-collaborative-goals-in-school-based-practice.pdf

Sharon Redmond is an AT Specialist and Special Education teacher who tells us "You just have to do, you have to be the person to do this" when it comes to implementing literacy instruction in your classroom.

Krista Howard, AAC User, parent, student (and more!) shares her experience with literacy instruction growing up and the importance literacy plays in her life now.

Gretchen Hanser shares her guiding principles around AAC and literacy!

This teacher and SLP have a growth mindset around AAC and literacy!

Beth reminds us that literacy is the most functional life skill of all.

Co-Author of Comprehensive Literacy for All, Dr. David Koppenhaver provides advice moving forward with AAC and literacy.

In this episode Sarah and Brenda discuss the consistent themes that emerged from our conversations with Leaders and Changemakers in the field. There were guiding principles that most guests referred to regardless of the advancements in technology.

Dan encourages us to ask ourselves, "What does this student need?" and "What does this teacher need?" then start using critical thinking and trying different solutions.

Join this conversation to receive excellent advice on how to focus on just "one thing" and leave a classroom better than you found it.

Lauren Enders shares her thoughts on how to help other shift their mindset regarding the purpose of AAC which is for a person to say what they want to say when they want to say it...or NOT!