ATIA 2015: Products and Professionals We Enjoyed

Anyway, the ATIA Orlando 2015 conference was filled with an estimated 2600 individuals who have a stake in various Assistive Technology (AT) fields. Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) was well-represented, but there was everything from a closed-captioning telephone system that prints braille to a robotic travelling screen (pictured right).

There was not a single person who visited our booth that needed an explanation of what AAC is or when it should be considered.  We had professionals who visited our booth to tell us stories about their students…and even an AAC evaluator who came back to show us a picture from a student who had recently started using Speak for Yourself.

Showing us a picture of a student who said “I love device” on Speak for Yourself when she asked his opinion about his new device.

We also had a lot of fun at our booth giving away shirts and cinch backpacks to anyone who was willing to take the “Speak for Yourself Challenge” and answer a question using the app.  The questions were designed to be topics that did not have a predictable answer. For example, “Tell me something about your trip here.” It gave participants a chance to explore the app hands on, learn the search feature, and also realize the importance of having a system that isn’t limited to a small board of pre-programmed answers that may or may not be what they are thinking. It was fun and everyone was a winner. The ATIA Conference also allows free admission to the exhibit hall so we loved meeting the local university students,  children, and families who visited.  One little girl told us she was trick or treating as she went to each booth and collected giveaways. Adorable…and the perfect analogy.

Products

I wanted to share a few pics of products you might find useful that got our attention at ATIA.  We don’t have any financial affiliation with any of these products or manufacturers, and just to be clear, we also do not have any financial relationship with any of the people mentioned either.

First, AMDi is testing their redesigned full size iAdapter to make it sleeker and more compact. They’ve also changed some internal parts and made them rubber instead of plastic to improve protection for the iPad. They said it should be available in April or May. I asked about the mini because some of my students have had durability issues with it, and they said that will be redesigned as well…when they run out of inventory. Sigh.

Redesigned full size AMDi iAdapter scheduled for release in April/May 2015

While sitting poolside, we met Lisa Fraser, and she introduced us to a sensory product that she created. Snug Vests are pictured below.  The picture is of myself, Lisa Fraser, and Tony Gross (creator of the MyVoice app). The vests have two ports…one that you pump air into and one that releases air. The air is pumped into pockets on the back of the vest. She created them to give students with sensory needs deep pressure without using weighted vests or compression vests that are applied by adults. The wearer can control the amount of air and therefore pressure that is applied, and air does not add weight to the vest.  The vests are $365.

This table stand is from Modular Hose and it is shown with the Grip Case. It’s made for the iPad and can fit various cases and devices. It can also be mounted to a wheelchair or clamped onto a table (depending on the base/attachment that you choose). The stand in the picture is $55.

Professionals

We enjoyed everyone who stopped by to visit, but we thought it would be nice to share some pictures of people you may not see often. I love being able to put faces with names, and thought some of you may like it as well…so we convinced some of them take a picture with us. (It was pretty easy…they’re all very nice people.)

We always enjoy spending time with Dr. Katya Hill, and had the opportunity to meet Evelyn Meinert. Both work tirelessly at the AAC Institute to improve the field of AAC and the lives of the individuals and families who use it. We made plans to be part of two upcoming AAC Institute events.

Autism & AAC Apps: Evaluating Your Options Workshop 

If you live near Pittsburgh, PA or are going to be in the Pittsburgh area on May 7th and 8th, we will be participating in the AAC apps and autism event that the AAC institute is hosting.  We will be one of four apps (I’m not sure who else will be there) that will be holding classroom sessions to give participants a chance to have hands on time with each of the apps and make comparisons. App developers also have an option to have a table at the event.

ICAN Talk AAC Summer Camp, July 29 – August 1, 2015

In addition, we will be presenting/training and helping with the AAC Institute camp activities this summer. I watched some of the video at ATIA from last year’s camp, and it looks like a lot of fun! We’re looking forward to some exciting “Under the Microscope” activities! If your child is age 5-21 and using AAC, you may want to add this to your summer plans!

If you are not already following Lauren S. Enders, MA, CCC-SLP on Pinterest, now would be a good time to start.  She provides a wealth of AT and AAC information, and she’s a lot of fun at conferences.  There’s always a lot of laughter throughout our conversations, and this conference was no exception.

I follow several Facebook groups and there is a lot of debate about various apps and which is “best.” I’m not looking to get into a it’s-nice-to-have-options and there’s-no-single-app-for-everyone conversation. I think those comments are part of just about any thread that mentions a product by name, and there’s quite a bit of agreement about that. I don’t believe there is any app developer that thinks that his/her product should be the ONLY one on the market.   Anyway, you may imagine that as competing products, we would be competitive as individuals when we get together in an exhibit hall, but on the contrary, I think we seek each other out and look forward to the opportunity to engage in conversations.

The app developers and designers I have the pleasure of knowing, are a group that works to provide communication to people who benefit from AAC because we believe that we can help.  There is nothing more professionally rewarding than knowing that your product gave a child a way to tell her dad that she loves him or that it helped to lessen someone’s self-injurious behaviors. The AAC community in general is a community of good-hearted people, and it has been for a long time. We are proud to be part of this community and so fortunate to have the opportunity to meet and re-connect with these individuals at events like the ATIA conference.

David Niemeijer, Founder and CEO of AssistiveWare, which developed Proloquo2Go and various other apps, always stops over and is such a good sport in our professional banter.  He smiles more in person.

This was our first opportunity to meet Wayne Whatford, creator of the AACorn appp. We could see each other based on our booth locations and enjoyed the very easy conversations we shared when we had a chance to talk.

Renee and I had a great time together, as always.  We value our work…and the people we know because of it! As Katharine Graham, American publisher and Pulitzer Prize winner said:

“To love what you do and feel that it matters – how could anything be more fun?”