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TECH Tidbits from TASK
Team of Advocates for Special Kids' Assistive Technology E-Mail Newsletter
June 2016 |
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Upcoming Assistive Technology Workshops
AT and the IEP
Tuesday, June 14
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
TASK Anaheim
Please call (714) 533-8275 for more information or to register.
APPsolute Fun: iDevice Apps for Early Learning
Tuesday, June 21
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
State Council on Developmental Disabilities, Orange County Office
Santa Ana
Please call Scarlet VonThenen at (714) 588-4404 for more information or to register.
AT 101
Wednesday, June 22
9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Westside Family Resource and Empowerment Center
Culver City
Please call Jennifer Hernandez at (310) 258-4243 for more information or to register.
Getting to Know Proloquo2go
Tuesday, July 12
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
UCP San Diego Assistive Technology Center
San Diego
Please call (714) 533-8275 for more information or to register.
TASK Membership
Please consider joining TASK as a member! Members receive the following benefits:
- Free TECH Labs
- Bimonthly 28-page TASK newsletters
- Membership is tax-deductible
Membership is as low as $35.00 per year, per family. We need your support to continue to provide a central resource center for legal rights and responsibilities information and to continue providing TECH Center services. You can join online; visit the
Membership page on our website for more information.
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Hi Everyone!
This month's newsletter topic is Safety!
But first, LOTS of great things happening through TASK's TECH Center this summer! We are excited for Camp TECHie to begin! This year's camp theme is Super Heroes! We also have Individualized Lab Appointments available for anyone who would like to try specific types of assistive technology including iPad applications, software and adaptive equipment of all sorts. TECH Connection meets every third Wednesday throughout the year. This group is designed for those ages 12 years and up that need to work on social, life or communication skills.
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This summer, across the state, families will take time to appreciate the beauty and joy of California's waterways and recreation opportunities. This also makes spring and summer a good time to educate families that drowning and near-drowning incidents are preventable!
The Department of Developmental Services (DDS)
has recently updated their Drowning Prevention web page, and there are links to excellent drowning prevention education materials.
The American Red Cross has created a Disaster and Safety Library to assist you in preparing your home, school and workplace in the event of a disaster or emergency. Here you will find fact sheets, preparedness checklists, recovery guides and other helpful information to keep you informed and safe.
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Dial Safe Pro (Practice 911 Calls) - FREE!
Teach your child proper phone usage and safety with an app that lets them actually practice it! DialSafe is designed to teach these critical skills in a kid friendly manner through the use of animated lessons, skill building games, practice sessions, and even a realistic phone simulator. DialSafe helps provide a comprehensive learning experience in a safe environment where the child can both explore and learn.
Living Safely ($29.99) provides self-directed learning sessions for 27 important safety skills topics based on proven content developed by the Attainment Company. Living Safely provides an accessible learning tool that is specifically designed to be used directly by individuals with autism, learning or other developmental disabilities at their own pace on the coolest technology platform there is: the iPad! Living Safely is powered by Visual Impact, AbleLink's highly effective cognitively accessible learning tool. Living Safely also utilizes the AbleLink Instructional Media Standard, AbleLink's award-winning step-by-step multimedia training system which applies universal design principles to provide multimodal instruction using visual and auditory media. Anyone who needs support with understanding important safety skills necessary for daily living can benefit from the simplicity and self-directed nature of Living Safely.
My Safety, My Responsibility, My Plan ($9.99) is AbleLink's cognitively accessible, independently usable informational app designed for self-paced learning of six different emergency preparedness modules. For this app, AbleLink has again partnered with staff at the Westchester Institute for Human Development, a leader in promoting health and well-being for individuals with intellectual and other cognitive disabilities. This program is designed to be used directly by users with special needs (the app is not dependent on having literacy skills) to learn about what to expect and what to do in natural disasters in a self-directed manner, or as part of a group learning activity facilitated by an instructor using the
My Safety, My Responsibility, My Plan Trainer's Manual.
Help Kids Cope
is an app designed to assist parents in talking to their children about different disasters they may experience or have already experienced. This app includes 10 different disaster types, with sections in each on how to explain, prepare, respond, and heal from the event their family is concerned with. Each section gives guidance on talking to preschool, school-age and adolescent children, as well as including ways parents can help themselves cope and support their children's reactions. Parent audio icons are located throughout the app - simply tap on these to hear a parent's personal story. Make sure your device is not on mute or vibrate to hear these stories. Help Kids Cope was a collaborative effort between the Ozark Center and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. This app is designed to assist parents in talking to their children about different disasters they may or have already experienced.
Staying Safe and Safer Strangers - A Stranger Danger Social Story ($2.99): This app is made up of two community safety social stories. One story focuses on safer strangers and buildings, and the other focuses on what to do if you are lost. The "stranger danger" style of story sometimes frightens children, and causes them to not ask for help if they are lost, for fear that all strangers are bad. Safer strangers and safer buildings focuses on which strangers are "safer" and good to go to for help, such as police officers, check-out clerks, librarians or paramedics.
Signs ID ($0.99): Awareness of the surrounding environment and physical safety go hand in hand for young kids. Being able to read road signs, hazard symbols, and general caution warning helps children keep out of harm's way. Signs ID is a handy tool to learn and recognize various signs. This app contains a number of interactive gaming activities that keep young learners engaged as they navigate the lessons.
Fire Rescue! ($1.99) will help teach your children how to dial 911 (this is configurable to your country's emergency number), "stop, drop and roll," touch the door to feel for heat and identify objects that are hot and should be avoided. These are just some of the fun-filled activities in Fire Rescue Additionally, there are plenty of tasks that will entertain and teach, such as dressing the firemen and hanging up their clothes, etc.!
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That is all for this month. Be sure to check out our workshop schedule for a list of amazing workshops offered throughout the summer.
As always, call (866) 828-8275 or e-mail [email protected] for more information, to register for Camp TECHie or Tech Connection, or for an Individualized Lab appointment.
Happy APPing!
Laura Simmons-Martinez
Assistive Technology Program Manager
Team of Advocates for Special Kids
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| TASK is a nonprofit Parent Training and Information Center that serves all ages and all disabilities. TASK is funded in part by grants from the U.S. Department of Education and the California Department of Education. The views expressed in this e-mail newsletter do not necessarily represent those of TASK, the U.S. Department of Education, the State of California or any other funding source, nor are they an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before congress. Advertisements or refernces to trade names, commercial products or organizations do not constitute endorsement by any of the above. |
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