This week, Rachel interviews the artist behind the Instagram account @drawntoaac, Jennifer Hyles! Along with being an amazing artist, Jennifer is also an SLP who specializes in supporting AAC users! Jennifer and Rachel talk all about Jennifer’s journey getting started creating Drawn to AAC, why Jennifer was motivated to create clip art that depicts diverse AAC users in a variety of settings, and more! Before the interview, Chris and Rachel discuss using our client/student’s highly specific inter...
Feb 03, 2023•38 min•Ep. 258
This week, Rachel interviews Dr. Laura Clarke, a special educator, teacher, and parent of a person with complex communication needs. Dr. Clarke who has created her own free website, Reading & Writing 4 All , that provides a variety of free resources to support literacy for emerging readers. Dr. Clarke shares about her journey as the parent of Dan, an emerging reader, and why she was motivated to provide literacy resources to special education teachers and parents of emerging readers. Before ...
Jan 26, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 257
This week, Rachel interviews Chloe Rothschild, an autistic advocate, author, teacher, and speaker who uses AAC to communicate part-time. Chloe currently serves on the Board of Directors for The Arc, a disability advocacy group, as well as working with the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence. Chloe joins the podcast to share her amazing insights into using different communication modalities depending upon the demands of the situation, as well as a discussion of using her Apple Watch for AAC,...
Jan 19, 2023•40 min•Ep. 256
This week, Chris and Rachel host a lively session of Talking with Tech Live with members of Colorado’s State Wide Assistive Technology, Augmentative & Alternative Communication (SWAAAC) group! SWAAAC teams are interdisciplinary groups (e.g. SLPs, OTs, PTs) that provide Assistive Technology services in Colorado schools. As with previous episodes of Talking with Tech Live, Chris and Rachel facilitated a collaborative discussion with the audience based on questions submitted by the audience. Ke...
Jan 12, 2023•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 255
This week, we present Chris’s interview with Brian Schobel, a District Resource Teacher for Transition in Albuquerque, NM. Brian has worked for years supporting transition and employment for people with special needs. Brian reached out to interview Chris about inclusion and how technology can help students of different abilities gain meaningful employment. During the interview, Brian and Chris discuss assistive technology tools that can be used to support students as they transition to employmen...
Jan 04, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 254
This week, Chris and Rachel have asked the amazing Chris Klein and Lance McLemore to “take over” the Talking with Tech podcast! Chris and Lance are experienced AAC users and board members of the nonprofit, ImpAACt Voices ( https://www.impaactvoices.org/ ). Lance and Chris share some of the goals and objectives for ImpAACt Voices, and also relate some of their takeaways from the recent First Annual ImpAACt Voices conference, which focused on helping adult AAC users finding employment and educatin...
Dec 14, 2022•22 min•Ep. 253
This week, we present Part 2 of Chris and Rachel's interview with Marge Blanc and Alexandria Zachos, two SLPs who have written and presented about the Natural Language Acquisition framework (NLA) and Gestalt Language Processing. The NLA framework looks at the different ways that people, especially people with autism, develop language. One important aspect of this is “gestalts”which are strings of language that can be long or short, and are often tied to an emotional, meaningful, or dramatic expe...
Dec 09, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 252
This week, we present Part 1 of Chris and Rachel’s interview with Marge Blanc and Alexandria Zachos. Alexandria and Marge are two SLPs who have written and presented nationally on the Natural Language Acquisition (NLA) framework and Gestalt Language Processing. The NLA framework looks at the different ways that people, especially people with autism, develop language. One important aspect of this is “gestalts”which are strings of language that can be long or short, and are often tied to an emotio...
Dec 01, 2022•49 min•Ep. 251
This week on TWT, Rachel interviews SLP and AAC Specialist Becca Eisenberg about her work with older AAC users, including why she created her own YouTube Channel for video modeling called Life Skills to Learn! Becca shares ideas for motivating AAC users, including giving AAC users the freedom to direct therapy in new, more directions that are more interesting to the AAC user. Before the interview, Chris and Rachel talk about one of Rachel’s older students who is still frequently using the word “...
Nov 27, 2022•54 min•Ep. 250
This week, we share Chris’s interview with Dr. Cheri Dodge Chin, an AAC researcher, blogger, and professor who recently has done research into the effectiveness of caregiver AAC training via online video chat. She shares valuable strategies for Her results showed that many caregivers were able to learn modeling strategies for shared reading during online video chat in as little as an hour! Before the interview, Chris shares with Rachel about his trip to the about the ImpAACt Voices Conference ( ...
Nov 18, 2022•59 min•Ep. 249
This week, we present Part 2 of Chris and Rachels’ discussion with Joanna Holmes (@mummyvsaac), the mother of Lucy, an AAC user with Emanuel Syndrome. Emanuel Syndrome is a chromosomal disorder that disrupts normal development and affects many parts of the body, including the speech mechanism. In Part 2, Chris, Rachel, and Joanna share ideas surrounding the Open AAC movement ( openaac.org ), including making symbols that are free for everyone to use and allowing “open exports” of vocabulary sets...
Nov 09, 2022•45 min•Ep. 248
This week, Chris and Rachel interview Joanna Holmes (@mummyvsaac on Instagram), the parent of an AAC user with Emanuel Syndrome. Emanuel Syndrome is a chromosomal disorder that disrupts normal development and affects many parts of the body, including the speech mechanism. Joanna has lots to share about her experience as the parent of an AAC user, including the journey to find the right access method, and having to work with team members who had limiting beliefs about her daughter. Before the int...
Nov 02, 2022•47 min•Ep. 247
This week, we share the recording of Chris and Rachel’s recent webinar with aaccessible.org in which they answer questions related to AAC assessment, the benefits of a team-based approach to assessment, selecting motivating assessment materials, and more! Before the interview, Chris and Rachel discuss Chris’s recent discovery that a student he worked with who was very important for him professionally had passed away. They share about some of the challenges anyone can face working with people who...
Oct 27, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 246
This week, Chris interviews Daniel Parker, Kathy White, and Stacy Duffy, individuals behind the creation of Assistive Technology Forward , a group that created a statewide “community of practice” to support Wisconsin assistive technology. ATF has recently begun a free program that provides “microcredentials” that are focused on a particular area of practice within assistive technology. Learn more here . These modules can be completed in a few hours and many can be taken by parents, administrator...
Oct 19, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 245
This week, we have the privilege of interviewing Hank Poore, an AAC user and Tobi Dynavox ambassador who has his own foundation, hankpoorefoundation.org . Hank shares about becoming a proficient AAC communicator, the AAC journey Hank took to come to his current eye gaze system, advice for looking for a job as an AAC user, work Hank does with his foundation, and more! Before the interview, Rachel and Chris discuss a breakthrough that Rachel had with one of her coaching clients. Her client’s Mom a...
Oct 13, 2022•38 min•Ep. 244
This week, Chris interviews Ken Hackbarth, Christine Baudin, and Micheal Dicpinigaitis about 3D printing custom items related to assistive technology, including keyguards! Ken, Christine, and Michael share about discuss Ken’s website volksswitch.org , which has resources for how to create files for 3D printers that tell it to build a keyguard that fits an iPad with AAC apps perfectly. Before the interview, Rachel and Chris talk about environmental core boards (e.g. “playground boards”) and some ...
Oct 06, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 243
This week, Rachel invites Gemma White back to TWT to talk about personal safety awareness and self advocacy for AAC users. Gemma recently gave a presentation at AAC in the Cloud, “Where is the Penis?: Equipping AAC Users to Discuss Personal Safety Awareness with Personal Safety Curriculum”. Gemma talks about this presentation, why words like “penis” and “vagina” should be in AAC users devices, ways that we can collaborate to support personal safety awareness, and other ways that we can empower A...
Sep 28, 2022•59 min•Ep. 242
This week, Chris interviews Tami Altschuler, a medical-based SLP and graduate instructor who focuses on supporting AAC and communication in the hospital setting. She shares about her journey helping the doctors and nurses understand that communication is a medical necessity, and the patient and employee satisfaction improvements that have come from better supporting communication and AAC access for every patient that needs it. Before the interview, Rachel and Chris discuss one of Rachel’s client...
Sep 22, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 241
This week, we share Part 2 of TWT Live from Oregon! This week, Rachel and Chris talk with their audience about a range of topics, including getting buy in from teachers and staff and choosing which core words to start teaching! Before the interview, Chris and Rachel answer a listener question, “Is putting a big poster with AAC symbols on the wall a good idea?” They point out the benefits of putting up AAC light-tech boards, and Chris describes why it is better to put up a poster of the kid’s cor...
Sep 15, 2022•41 min•Ep. 240
This week, we share Part 1 of a previously recorded Talking with Tech Live show with listeners from Oregon. This week, the listeners ask several questions related to conducting language and AAC assessments virtually, including how to make them more effective. Before the interview, Chris and Rachel have a lively discussion about Gestalt Language Processing and how we can support AAC users who script. Rachel shares several ideas, including putting the student’s preferred scripts on their device as...
Sep 07, 2022•46 min•Ep. 239
This week, we present Part 2 of Chris and Rachel’s interview with Sean Sweeney! Sean is a Speech-Language Pathologist and founder of SpeechTechie.com , a website that focuses on the intersection of speech therapy and technology. This week, he discusses his “FIVES” pneumonic to help evaluate if a resource (e.g. an app) is a worthwhile investment of time and money. Before the interview, Chris and Rachel share about their recent trip to Montana to do a presentation, and some of the highlights of th...
Aug 31, 2022•43 min•Ep. 238
This week, we present Part 1 of Chris’s interview with Sean Sweeney! Sean is a Speech-Language Pathologist and founder of SpeechTechie.com , a website that focuses on the intersection of speech therapy and technology. In Part 1 of this interview, Sean discusses his recent appearance on the game show Jeopardy and some of the insider information he got as a contestant! Before the interview, Chris and Rachel make some connections between Sean’s appearance on Jeopardy, including the similarities bet...
Aug 24, 2022•41 min•Ep. 237
This week, we present Part 2 of Chris’s conversation with Kim Hurley and Jessica Conrad about the Specific Language System First Approach! Kim Hurley is an SLP and AAC Specialist who is considering moving her district to the Specific Language System First Approach . Jessica Conrad is an SLP and AAC Specialist who works for the Indiana PATINS project supporting AAC users and their circle of support. In Part 2, Chris, Kim, and Jessica continue to breakdown some of Kim and Jessica’s concerns with i...
Aug 17, 2022•53 min•Ep. 236
This week, we present Part 1 of Chris’s conversation with Kim Hurley and Jessica Conrad about the Specific Language System First Approach! Kim Hurley is an SLP and AAC Specialist who is considering moving her district to the Specific Language System First Approach . Jessica Conrad is an SLP and AAC Specialist who works for the Indiana PATINS project supporting AAC users and their circle of support. Chris, Kim, and Jessica explore some of Kim and Jessica’s concerns with moving towards a Specific ...
Aug 11, 2022•41 min•Ep. 235
This week, we share Part 2 of Rachel's interview with Vicki Haddix and Janine Peca! Vicki Haddix is an AAC Specialist and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Memphis who teaches their course on AAC for the Communication Sciences and Disorders program. Janine Peca is an autistic adult who recently went through Memphis’s CSD program and is now an SLP. Janice shares about a recent presentation she made about neuroaffirming practices, including a fascinating portion on what it feels li...
Aug 03, 2022•41 min•Ep. 234
This week, we share Rachel's interview with Vicki Haddix and Janine Peca! Vicki Haddix is an AAC Specialist and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Memphis who teaches their course on AAC for the Communication Sciences and Disorders program. Janine Peca is an autistic adult who recently went through Memphis’s CSD program and is now an SLP. Vicki shares about making pre-service education more interesting and engaging, and the need for increasing mentorship for recent graduates. Jani...
Jul 29, 2022•44 min•Ep. 233
This week, Chris interviews Shelley Anderson! Shelley is a music therapist who works for a private practice in Ft Wayne, IN and runs a business, Notes 2 Live B y, that teaches basic communication through sign language and, more recently, through assistive technology. Shelley shares about the ways that music can be used to teach language to everyone, including AAC users, including how music can be used in unique ways to teach core language concepts. Before the interview, Chris chats with his son ...
Jul 07, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 232
This week, we present Part 2 of Rachel’s interview with Alma Partida (@aacforyouandme on Insta), Sarah Lee (@aac_together), Melissa Tapia (@hablame_de_language), and Maria De Leon (@code.switch.slp) about Bilingüe AAC , a platform that supports evidence-based, culturally affirming Spanish AAC. In this segment of the interview, the Bilingüe AAC team provides lots of useful information, including research that supporst bilingualism for AAC users, some of the myths of bilingual AAC, and information...
Jun 30, 2022•48 min•Ep. 231
This week, Rachel interviews Alma Partida (@aacforyouandme on Insta), Sarah Lee (@aac_together), Melissa Tapia (@hablame_de_language), and Maria De Leon (@code.switch.slp) about Bilingüe AAC ( www.bilingueaac.com ), a platform that supports evidence-based, culturally affirming Spanish AAC. They discuss many aspects of bilingualism and AAC, including core word considerations and strategies for family-based AAC assessment. Before the interview, Chris and Rachel talk about the difference between “p...
Jun 22, 2022•43 min•Ep. 230
This week, Chris interviews Ceci Fetterolf, a high school senior who created core word videos and linked them using QR codes for her school capstone project. Ceci shares about how she came up with her project and decided on the core words to make videos about, and also how she created books for students that simplified math concepts, like shapes. Before the interview, Chris gathers with Karen Janowski, Mike Marotta, and Beth Poss to discuss their upcoming “Inclusive Road Trip to ISTE”! This road...
Jun 16, 2022•41 min•Ep. 229
