Session 4

Session 4-A: Planning for the Future of Your Child with Special Needs

Tom Nurse, Assistive Technology Consultant and Inspired Parent: Thomas Nurse is a recognized public speaker and disability advocate. He is also a Registered Financial Representative and MetDESK Specialist in the Tampa office of New England Financial. MetDESK® is MetLife’s Division of Estate Planning for Special Kids and MetDESK’s mission is to help families plan for the future of their children or other dependents with special needs, including preserving access to government benefits and providing insurance and other financial solutions which can help provide lifetime quality care.

Session 4-B: Instruction for Diverse Learners Using Intellitalk III and Intellikeys

Patricia M. Barbetta, Associate Professor, Florida International University & Jacques Bentolila, Jorine Voight, Yvette Perez, Co-Presenters: This presentation provides an overview of Intellitalk III and Intellikeys as they support Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Intellitalk III is an innovative word-processing program that combines speech, graphics, and text in ways that allow for flexibility of presentation and response for diverse learners. When used in combination with Intellikeys, an adaptable keyboard, the result is increased accessibility for students with cognitive, visual, auditory, reading, and/or motor impairments.
Instruction for Diverse Learners Using Intellitalk III and Intellikeys (pdf version) (PowerPoint version)

Session 4-C: Dell Systems for People with Disabilities

Jerry Swerdlick, Dell/EVAS: EVAS, an industry-leading provider of accessible plug & play computers, has teamed with Dell to create computers specifically designed for people with visual, physical, hearing or learning disabilities. These plug & play solutions run on your Dell computer right out of the box with application software, peripherals and access technology installed and configured. Join us in this session for an overview of how EVAS AT Solutions meet the needs of people with disabilities.

Session 4-D: SpellDoctor: Custom Word Study to Meet Every Child’s Needs

Whit Symmes, President, SpellDoctor LLC: Tailored word study is a key to building strong readers and writers. Research demonstrates that advancement in spelling can greatly improve student performance in reading and writing. SpellDoctor creates individualized, web-based spelling lessons by monitoring the words a student spell checks in his/her own writing. SpellDoctor also offers research-based lessons to help students move beyond visual memory to an understanding of word structure.
Spell Doctor (Website)
Special Event Offer for Schools

Session 4-E: The Arts are for Everyone: AT and Cultural Access

Beth Gordon, Cultural Access Coordinator, VSA arts of Florida: Participants will be provided with an overview of High Tech, Low Tech, and No Tech strategies and technology that can be used to facilitate inclusive cultural programming. Information from the overview will be utilized by participants to reflect on how these technological tools and strategies relate to increased cultural access for all patrons and to their own needs. “Art on the Move,” an accessible traveling art exhibit which uses cell phone tour technology, will be featured.

Session 4-F: Social Skills for All Children Using Visual Supports

Paula Blair, Pre-K Teacher, & Kathy Velazquez, Autism Support Specialist, Miami-Dade County Public Schools: Participants in this session will be provided with an overview of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools LEAP Preschool Model using a social skills curriculum that teaches role model students to facilitate the social and communicative competence of their class peers with autism through peer mediated strategies. Low tech voice output devices and picture communication symbols to enhance learning of these social skills will be demonstrated.

Session 4-G: Assistive Devices for Gait

Dr. Leonard Elbaum, Ed.D., PT, Associate Professor, Florida International University: Physical therapists and other health care providers often recommend devices such as canes, crutches, walkers, and braces to help people with difficulty walking. The cost and complexity of these devices range from inexpensive, mass-produced canes to expensive, custom designed microprocessor-controlled bracing systems. In addition, slight differences in design within a category of devices may have a significant effect on the satisfaction of the user; e.g. the shape of a cane handle or the weight of a walker. This presentation will explain how physical therapists choose which devices to recommend and will suggest questions that potential users should ask. Several recent innovations in assistive devices for gait will be presented.