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Team of Advocates for Special Kids
Technology E-Newsletter
January 2016 |
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| Name the E-Newsletter Contest! |
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We are looking for a name for this new publication. Please e-mail your suggestions to
task@taskca.org.
Thanks!
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Upcoming Assistive Technology Workshops
Apps for Students with Autism
Wednesday, January 20
9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Westside Family Resource and Empowerment Center
Culver City
Call (310) 258-4243 for more information or to register.
Fabulous Freebies: Assistive Technology at No Cost and Adaptation Ideas for Very Low Cost
Wednesday, January 27
9:30 am - 12:30 pm
UCP San Diego
Call (714) 533-8275 for more information or to register.
Apps for Students with Autism
Friday, February 5
9:30 am - 12:00 pm
Family Resource Center, NCLARC
Van Nuys
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.
TASK Needs Board Members
Are you the parent of a child with special needs? Has TASK helped you in the past? Perhaps you are a professional that has worked with TASK advocates or attended one of our many workshops? TASK is currently recruiting members for our Board of Directors. Make a difference by helping to guide our organization into the future.
Please note that board positions are on a volunteer basis. Board members must be willing to participate in our monthly board meetings via toll-free conference call. Call Brenda Smith, our Deputy Director, at (714) 533-8275 for more information about this exciting opportunity or to request a board packet.
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Happy 2016! We are looking forward to an amazing year here at TASK. We have lots of great services to offer you through our TECH Centers in Anaheim and South Gate. In this issue, we want to highlight just a few:
TASK's TECH Centers are home to over 1,250 assistive and educational software titles and over 1,100 specialized applications running the gamut of subjects and levels. We also have hundreds of pieces of adaptive equipment to access the computer, such as specialized mice, keyboards, track balls, head mice and even an eye-gaze system! We have low tech assistive technologies such as adapted pens and pencils, special writing papers of all kinds, magnifiers for low vision, personal amplifiers, adapted scissors, fidgets of all sorts, and so much more. We have adapted toys ranging from books and puzzles to switch toys and beyond.
Individualized Lab Appointments:
A one-hour time slot for you and your child to try out some of our different assistive technologies, including software, adaptive equipment and specialized applications. TECH Center staff will be available for questions and support. Lab times are available Monday through Friday during regular business hours in both the Anaheim and South Gate offices.
Saturday Group Lab (Quarterly):
On specific Saturdays, we open the Anaheim TECH Center for TASK members to try out different types of assistive technology with their children. Registration is required. There is an eight child maximum per group lab, including siblings. Our next Saturday group lab will be held on January 30, 2016.
TECH Connection:
TASK's program that focuses on helping transition-aged youth and young adults (age 12-26+) with disabilities to better prepare themselves for the transition from school to work, college and/or independent living.
TECH Connection is an after-school group designed for students and their parents or guardians to work together on life skills, social skills and communication skills applicable to post-high-school living. Our next TECH Connection sessions are scheduled for Wednesday, January 20, 2016 and Wednesday, February 17, 2016.
Assistive Technology Workshops:
Our assistive technology workshops are offered on a quarterly basis throughout the counties we serve. They include our introduction to assistive technology (AT 101), specific workshops on specialized applications, augmentative and alternative communication and many others.
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AWESOME FREE TECHNOLOGY:
ATbar has been created as an open-source, cross-browser toolbar to help users customize the way they view and interact with web pages. The concept behind ATbar is simple: one toolbar to provide all of the functionality you would usually achieve through the use of different settings or products
, and which will run alongside the most frequently used browsers such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Opera.
Features include: text enlarger, font changes, color and page layout changes, color overlay, word prediction, text to speech and a dictionary.
There are three versions of ATbar available: a download version, ATbar Lite and the marketplace that allows for a customized version.
The Dyscalculator: FREE App helps Those with Dyscalculia!
Do you suffer from dyscalculia? Do you have trouble calculating? Do you avoid reading large numbers? Do you count, even when you add small numbers? Do you have trouble reading a number aloud? Are you confused by numbers with many digits?
Do you find it difficult to assess whether 397 is larger or smaller than 739? And how much it is larger or smaller? Do you think the calculator is missing just the key you need? Are you being told that you are stupid and lazy? Do math lessons tire you? If you answer "yes" to any of these questions you might be dyscalculic. The Dyscalculator is a tool to help dyscalculics in their everyday lives.
The Dyscalculator is available for free due to support from the Danish Ministry of Education. You can watch a video demonstration or download the app for iPhone from the App Store or for Android from the Google Play Store.
Toddler Animal Puzzles App (Free/IAP)
Finally a kids puzzle game that is so simple to use that even toddlers can enjoy it! Animal Puzzles Preschool Game comes fully loaded with gorgeous photographs of real animals.
The Animal Puzzles Preschool game is easy to use and easy to customize. The settings options include: Pieces (min 4, max 64), Rotate pieces (turn on or off), Image hints (Turn on to see a preview of completed puzzle), Display Outline (turn on to see an outline of each puzzle piece) and Tile Magnet (for advanced players, turn on or off).
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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT:
SuperSpeak AAC Application
SuperSpeak
is the next-generation augmented and alternative communications tool
! With
SuperSpeak AAC, your child communicates using photos and sounds taken from his or her own surroundings. Children can express themselves by forming sentences in a easy-to-use visual interface.
More than just an AAC tool: SuperSpeak also has a Play area where children can grow their vocabulary through a variety of visual lessons. As they progress through the fun exercises, they earn points and unlock fun and personalized rewards.
Data reports for parents and special needs providers give real-time updates on engagement and progression. SuperSpeak is ideal for speech and language pathologists, behavior analysts, occupational therapists, caregivers, teachers, parents and relatives of children with special needs.
SuperSpeak offers three subscription options:
- 3 months at $9.99/month: Billed as a single payment of $29.99
- 6 months at $9.17/month: Billed as a single payment of $54.99
- 1 year at $8.32/month: Billed as a single payment of $99.99
You can download SuperSpeak today and receive 14 days of free access.
TASK is thrilled to be a part of the SuperSpeak SuperPlus Partners Program.
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That is all for this time, I hope you are having a wonderful and productive 2016 and we look forward to seeing you at a workshop, in our Technology Labs, and at our various program meetings.
Happy APPing!
Laura Simmons-Martinez
Technology Project Director
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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