In my last two blogs, I discussed how device users could use preprogrammed statements to cue communication partners. Cueing listeners with icebreakers also goes a long way for people who have little or no exposure to a disability, yet alone someone with a speaking device. Through my years, I have learned that a sense of [...]
I recently got to see the new DynaVox Maestro and it is cool. I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with it, but I did look at it and quickly try it out.
I’m a person that needs a keyguard and I love the keyguard design for the Maestro. The guard slides on from [...]
Recently, my term of service as an AmeriCorps member ended and I was looking for employment again. This is a task that is not new to me. I kept thinking, “What was something I could do that would allow me to make money and work at home?” Though it was taking a big chance, I [...]
In January I was part of a theater performance put on by the theater company Sins Invalid. Sins Invalid is a theater company that works on putting out theater productions that deal with the topics of disability and sexuality. I was in one of their plays back in 2007 and I am excited to be [...]
A lot of people who are unable to talk are severely disabled and wheelchair bound. This includes children and adults, many of whom need personal care such as transferring in and out of bed, bathing, feeding, etc., or going to OT and PT, getting ready for school or a day program. There is a lot [...]
Knowing the listening partner is a strategy for alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) to be a success. The option of reading a communication device depends on the device user.
Users can encourage or discourage the reading of messages on the device screen by communication partners. It is similar to guessing a message or not. It is [...]
We all have fears and phobias we all live with them on a day-to-day basis. In my case, I have always been afraid of being the center of attention, speaking in front of a large crowd of people falls into that category. During my junior year of college, I was forced to face this fear. [...]
I’m excited that I will be speaking at the Pittsburgh Employment Conference (PEC) this year. It strikes me as funny that the topic will be “Jobs” this year, what a concept. I kind of got to pick my own topic, so I decided to focus on how to actually find a job. I’ve been working [...]
Life for anyone can be a daily struggle for a number of reasons, from health problems and job loss to car trouble and a miscommunication. It’s an unavoidable part of life. For those of us with AAC devices, miscommunications can occur more frequently than we would like. Whether we misunderstand the person we are speaking [...]
On Friday, October 29, 2010 I had the opportunity to go to an event my employer, World Institute on Disability (WID), put on entitled, Ever Widening Circle. This event was a fundraiser for WID and many of the movers and shakers of the Bay Area disability community were there. The tickets were about fifty dollars, [...]
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