5 Great Summer AT/AAC Online Trainings!

Looking for some continuing education opportunities to learn more about assistive technology and AAC while you are wrapping up your "lazy" summer? :)  Check out some of these great online webinars to stay in the AT loop!

1.  ATIA Online Webinars

ATIA is offering some great topics over the next month, including "Challenges to Using Apps as Assistive Technology"

2.  PRC Online Professional Development Trainings

PRC always hosts some great AAC trainings to support not only their products, but the AAC evaluation and treatment process as a whole.  They have a few nice online trainings coming up, including one on successful AAC report writing.

3.  The AAC Institute

Offers a nice, comprehensive listing of CE opportunities in the areas of AT and AAC, including online/webinar trainings.  

4.  The Assistive Technology Training Online Program (ATTO)

Although not a live webinar or a course offering CE credits, this site has some amazing online resources to help new professionals in the field of AT get their bearings.  

5.  Closing the Gap

Although they have not posted any new, live webinars since May, you can access all of their archived webinars for some really great information.

I will update this as I come across new opportunities.

Have a training, online course, or webinar you'd like to share?

Check out SNEAK's Pinboards on Pinterest!

www.myblindside.com

Want to find crafty ideas to make your own assistive technology solutions?  How about ways to adapt play for your child with special needs?  You can find these tips and more, shared by SNEAK, via the colorful, fun, and visually easy interface of Pinterest!  Here's how!

Check out SNEAK's Pinboards


Follow SNEAK on Pinterest

 and Repin your favorites!

Happy Pinning!

UTW Tip #3: Connecting to Special Needs Resources Through Twitter

I have to admit, I have been rather resistant to Twitter, and it isn’t MY favorite way to connect with information. Bu,t for some, it really is a simple, fast, and fun way to explore real-time news. I’m warming up to it . :) Are you using Twitter right now, but you just don’t know how to connect with the special needs related information that you want? Or maybe you have no idea what on earth a Tweet is and you keep wondering what all the fuss is about? In this post, let’s explore what Twitter is, how it works, and how you can get what you need from it when it comes to special needs resources. 

In my last post on Connecting with Special Needs Resources Through Blogs, I tried to paint a picture of what a blog is and what characteristics about blogs make them an attractive tool for staying in the special needs loop. Keeping with that blog theme, let’s think of Twitter as a microblog, a smaller version of a blog-smaller in a few, figurative and literal ways. Straight from “the bird’s” mouth: “Twittter is a real-time information network that connects you to the latest stories, ideas, opinions, and news about what you find interesting” (Twitter.com). So like blogs, Twitter is focused on topics, and like blogs, twitter brings information to you without you having to visit individual sites when content is updated (i.e., “real-time). So what makes Twitter different form the other social media tools we have discussed so far this week (i.e., Facebook, Blogs)? Twitter brings you a smaller snapshot (a “Tweet”) of a news story than a blog. Again from the Twitter bird’s mouth “At the heart of Twitter are small bursts of information called ‘Tweets’. Each Tweet is 140 characters long, but don’t let the small size fool you- you can discover a lot in a little space. You can see photos, videos, and conversations directly in Tweets to get the whole story at a glance, and all in one place” (Twitter.com). This relatively smaller scale makes Twitter a nice way to receive small bits of information at one time and then decide which bits to explore further. For those of you in a time crunch, this could be just the ticket. So how does it work and how can you connect with the topics you’re interested in? 

  Here are a few tips:

• First thing, if you haven’t already, open a Twitter account. Like Facebook, it is completely free of change and only takes a moment. Once you have an account, you will have to teach Twitter what you’re interested in. 
• You can share a bit about yourself and your interests in your Twitter profile so that others know what you want to know about. However, this isn’t required to explore Twitter and connect with others, so you can always choose to keep these details private. 
• Everyone in Twitter has a username that is preceded by the @ symbol. For example, the username for SNEAK outside the box on Twitter is @sneakotb. Look for Twitter usernames on many of the printed resources you receive from special needs organizations already. Like with Facebook, most companies, organizations, and even blogs have Twitter accounts that they use to share information. Once you know their usernames, you can “Follow” them on Twitter to stay connected. “Following” someone on Twitter makes you are part of their Twitter conversation. Much like subscribing to an RSS feed (discussed in my previous post), this means that you will see the updates of those you are following right on your Twitter page, making it faster and easier for you to receive information, join in a discussion, or ask a question. Here are a few ways to Follow people who talk about things you are interested in: 
• Click on the Twitter icon on the home page of your favorite special needs websites and blogs to follow the sites/blogs on Twitter. 

• Search for the Twitter username of the organization/etc... you want to follow. To do this, click on the “@Connect” link t the top of your Twitter profile and then type the name you are searching for in the search box on the right. Keep in mind that Twitter usernames don’t have spaces in between words. :) 
• Twitter will also suggest who you should follow based on what it knows about you so far. If you have already started following a few Tweeters, Twitter may suggest some of their followers (the Followers of the Tweeter you are Following-phew, another mouthful :). You can see these suggestions on your Twitter home page each time you sign on. Read the profiles of these Tweeters and see if they are talking about what you’re interested in. If so, Follow them and check out who they are Following, you might want to connect with them as well. These branches are a lot like exploring a Blog Roll on the home page of your favorite blogs, or the “liked” pages of your Facebook connections (see my previous posts on Facebook and Blogs for more details:). 
• As with Facebook and Blogs, you can also search for keywords on Twitter to connect with relevant special needs information. In Twitter, keywords are called “hashtags” and they are preceded by a pound symbol (#). For example, the keyword “AAC” would look like this on Twitter “#AAC”. Hashtags are used by Tweeters to put their Tweets into categories and help other Tweeters find their information. To search for keywords from your Twitter homepage, click on the “#Discover” link and type in your search term in the search box on the right. When you are searching, you don’t have to include the hashtag, but doing so may limit your results to those more specifically related to your keyword. Your search results will include Tweets that were marked with the keyword (hashtag) you searched for. Your results will also include photos and videos that are tagged by this term and a list of People who write write Tweets marked with this topic. This could be a nice way to find People on Twitter who are talking about the keywords you are interested in and Follow them. 
• Twitter also lets you browse categories from your homepage to find information on broader topics like Technology, Family, and Education. If searching for specifics is too overwhelming at first, try to connect with general Tweets by browsing categories first, and then go from there. Save your favorite 
• Twitter searches so you can search those terms often without having to re-enter the keywords. You can save your searches after you search by clicking on the gear icon (or it might look like a sun :) and clicking “Save search”. You can re-visit your saved searches later by clicking on the #Discover link and clicking in the search box. Your saved searches will appear in a list underneath so you can just click on the term you want to search. 

Staying Connected with Twitter on the Go

Now that you have started “following the conversation” on the special needs topics you are interested in, it’s time to figure out the best way(s) to keep yourself connected to your Twitter home page so you can get your information quickly, easily, and frequently! You will always be able to access your information by signing in to your Twitter account on Twitter.com. But, if you are using an iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or mobile tablet, you can also use mobile Apps to get your Twitter feed anywhere. These apps are free and easy to use, check them out here.

Twitter also has a service called Fast Follow which lets you receive notifications and Tweets through text messages (SMS) on your cell phone. You can set this feature up in your Twitter account settings. This will not send you a text message for every Tweet, only those Tweets and other notifications that you specify in the settings.

Visit SNEAK on Twitter to follow posts on technology for special kids and also link to other professionals and parents discussing special needs topics. You can explore the Tweeters SNEAK is following and see if you want to join their conversations. :)

Check out these helpful links for more in-depth information on Twitter:

What is Twitter? Wikipedia

Twitter.com-About Twitter

How To Use Twitter (You Tube Video of the Basics)

How do you use Twitter to find special needs resources?

Untangling “the Web” Tip #1: Special Needs Resources on Facebook

This week, I am sharing some tips to help parents and professionals make sense of the immense amount of resources on the internet to support children with special needs. I thought we would start untangling "the web" with an easy one. :)

Many of you (if not all of you) use Facebook to stay connected to family and friends. But, you might not have realized that you can also use Facebook to stay connected with information related to children with special needs. In addition to individual Facebook profiles (your “Friends” in Facebook terms), Facebook also offers organizations, businesses, and individuals the opportunity to create “Groups” and “Pages” around specific topics. Anyone can create a Group or Page on Facebook about anything they are interested in. Many companies, organizations, and grass-root support agencies have created Facebook Groups and/or Pages to reach out to parents and professionals on a wide variety of topics related to special needs (e.g., AAC, Cortical Visual Impairment, Autism). Here are some tips to help you connect with the Facebook Pages and Groups related to what you want to know:

• First thing’s first: Sign-in to Facebook. :) If you don’t already have a Facebook account, sign-up for one to check it out. It’s free and widely accessible-you can even download special Apps on your phone that help you access Facebook wherever you are. 
• Use the Facebook Search Box at the top of your Facebook Profile (or “Timeline” as it is now called) to search for organizations by name (e.g., “The Center for AAC and Autism”) or by keyword. A keyword is a word that describes the root of the information you are looking for. For example, if you want to connect with Pages or Groups related to Down Syndrome, you would type “Down Syndrome”. Likewise, if you want to connect with Pages or Groups that provide information related to AAC (augmentative and alternative communication), you could type “AAC” or “augmentative and alternative communication” in the search box. A list of Pages and Groups that are related to your search will start to appear below the search box. Click on them to open the Page or Group and explore further. 
• Groups and Pages are slightly different. Groups are usually created by Facebook users (you or I, for example) around a topic of interest. In order to see the information shared within that Group, you need to be a member of the Group (i.e., you have to “Join”). Groups are not usually focused around a specific product or service, although products and services might be shared within a group if the members post these items on the Wall of the Group. Pages are usually created by businesses, organizations, and corporations. Everyone can view the information on a Page without having to “Join” like in a Group. Each Page will have a category listed underneath it so that you know the type of organization that is hosting the Page. For example, you might see “Product/Service” or “Education”. This will give you an idea of the types of information you can expect to see shared on that Page. Visit Facebook’s Help Center for more step-by-step instructions on how to join a Group and connect with a Page (i.e., by “Liking” the Page). 

• Another way to connect with special needs information on Facebook is to see if the organizations you currently look to for help and information have a Facebook Page. Many organizations will advertise the Facebook icon (pictured above) on their printed media to help others connect with them. If you see this icon in print or other places not online, search for that organization by name in the Facebook Search Box (mentioned above). You will also see this icon on websites from time to time. If you come across the Facebook icon on a website that you like, click on it to follow that organization on Facebook. This is one way to get their valuable information to come to you so that you don’t have to keep going back to the website to check for updates. 
• If you are a Google fan (aren’t we all? :), you can combine your search words to narrow your Google search to Facebook. For example, if you want to find information related to Autism but you only want to see results that are related to Facebook, type “Autism on Facebook” in the Google Search Box. Your search results will list sites that (for the most part) are Facebook Pages. Clicking on the links will take you to each Facebook Page/Group/Profile and you can “Like” the Page, Join the Group, or Send the person a Friend Request (see the Facebook Help Center for further information on these differences :) to connect with this information. 
• One thing that makes Facebook an easy way to receive information is that it pulls everything into one place- the “News Feed”. Every Friend, Page, and Group that you subscribe to becomes part of your News Feed. When a Page or Group posts information on their Wall, it will show up in your News Feed. If you check your Feed often, you will get this information as it is shared. If you don’t, no worries-you can always go back in time on your Feed and read everything when you have a few minutes here and there. 
• Once you join a few Groups and “like” a few Pages, you will be able to see the Groups and Pages that your friends and fellow Group members are connected to as well. These branches are a great way to find new sources of information on Facebook that you might find helpful. Many times, a Page related to a special topic (e.g., Cortical Visual Impairment) will be connected with other Pages that discuss the same or similar topics, and you can see these links on their Page and click on them to explore further (and even “Like” if you want). 
• Facebook is certainly not the only way to receive news and information related to special needs, and it is by no means comprehensive. However, Facebook is a non-intimidating gateway into this new world of sharing information, resources, ideas, and more through social media. I have made connections to many helpful resources by discovering great organizations, professionals, and parents on Facebook who think, discuss, and share on the topics I am interested in. Not only does Facebook connect you with real-time information related to the special needs topics that you find most valuable, but it is also a great place to connect with People who are invested in these topics and experiencing similar struggles and triumphs. 

So now that you are on your way to exploring Facebook to its fullest, let’s discover another social media tool that can bring valuable information directly to you! Coming up in the next post in the Untangling "the Web" series: Blogs :)


What Facebook Groups and Pages do you recommend?

Untangling "the Web" to Support Kids with Special Needs

As a therapist, I am always searching for new ways to share information with the families I serve and the colleagues I collaborate with.  In fact, SNEAK outside the box (this blog :) came about, in part, from that ongoing quest.  A few weeks before I decided to start SNEAK, I was in between jobs during a transition across the country, and I had some time to start exploring this whole world of “blogs”.  I had never, actively read a blog up to that point, had no idea what an “RSS feed” was, and really didn’t think Twitter had anything to do with me or my thirst for information and continuing education as a professional.      As I embarked on this social media-blogging-Twitter- Facebook-Pinterest  (Pinte-what??) adventure, I soon realized an entirely new world of resources and information at my finger tips!   But how could I make sense of it all?  I have a hard enough time getting through my email inbox, could I find the time to surf the web for hours on end to stay in the loop? Probably not-but what if there was an easier way (or a few easier ways)?  Luckily, there are. :)

And once I started discovering how to organize this www goldmine, I was determined to find out how I could make this whole idea a little bit easier for my families and colleagues to digest.  How can a busy mom stay in the loop about resources, tips, and more for her child with special needs?  How can a special education teacher with minimal planning time keep informed on relevant topics to improve her classroom? What about that SLP with a back-to-back caseload who knows she needs to keep on top of novel therapy techniques and new technology, but just can’t find out how?  In a series of posts this week and next (Untangling “the Web”:  Finding the Information You Need to Help Your Child with Special Needs), I hope to offer some tips and resources to help all of us who serve kids with special needs stay “in the know” without pulling our hair out!    

Although some of you may not consider yourselves “tech savvy”, you are on your way!  Hey, you found this blog, right?  You have to start somewhere. :) Let’s kick things off with something a bit more familiar: Facebook.   Check out the first post in this series:  Untangling “the Web” Tip #1:  Connecting with Special Needs Resources on Facebook

How do you stay in the know?

Assistive Tech Education from Ablenet!

Ablenet is hosting some cool Professional development courses on power chairs, AT and literacy, using AAC throughout the day, and more!
Click here to get more info on these sessions.

And don't forget to check out Ablenet's Sounding Board AAC App
and Blue 2 Switch for iPad!

Webinars on iPad for Special Needs Topics

Closing the Gap is hosting some great, low cost Webinars on a variety of topics related to using the iPad with children who have special needs. Check out the webinar list on their site!
And don't miss this year's Closing the Gap Conference, a wonderful place for learning and networking for parents and professionals who support children and adults with disability. The conference is in Minneapolis in October, check out http://www.closingthegap.com/ for more info!

New High-Contrast Picture Symbols for Boardmaker: A Great Tool for Children with CVI

Mayer-Johnson recently released an addendum library for the Boardmaker software family that uses high-contrast to make picture communication symbols (PCS) more accessible to children with cortical visual impairment (CVI) and other visual impairments.  Prior to the release of this addendum, many of us had to edit each symbol  by hand in the Boardmaker editing tool to change the color combinations and other symbol features so that they were more appropriate for kids with complex visual needs.  This great edition to the extensive PCS library in Boardmaker is sure to be a time saver for many parents and professionals who support kids with CVI.  

From Mayer-Johnson:

Working in conjunction with Linda Burkhart and Gayle Porter, the creator of PODD (Pragmatic Organization Dynamic Display), Mayer-Johnson has created a powerful library of high contrast symbols for individuals with low vision and visual impairment. PCS™ Classic: High Contrast offers a core library of over 1450 symbols that are drawn with bright colors and minimal detail. These symbols are easier to see than standard symbols and offer a range of vocabulary topics to enable individuals with low vision or visual impairment to participate in a variety of communication settings. PCS™ Classic: High Contrast includes symbols for food, clothing, games, community, school, social interaction and much more.

For more information on using visual supports to adapt learning and communication for children with visual impairment, check out Linda Burkhart's site.  If you support a child with significant visual impairment and are not working with a vision therapist, find one in your area here.  
Do you have visual supports that you find helpful for children with CVI/visual impairment?  Share them with us!

Stay Tuned to SNEAK for ATIA 2012 Coverage!

 How amazing is technology?  As I write this, I am 35,000 feet in the air, wedged in the middle seat of a very full airplane, on my way to Orlando! And what waits for me there?  More amazing technology!  While I may not be a reporter, I'm going to take a stab at it this weekend to bring all of you on-the-spot coverage of the great resources at ATIA.  Most of you know about ATIA, some of you may not, but in short, it is an amazing conference that brings together great minds in education, innovation, therapy, advocacy, and so much more!  AT for mobility, low vision, special education, hearing impairment- you name it and it is at ATIA!  And to back up these amazing products, fresh and innovative perspectives from experts in the supporting fields that bring ability to children and adults with special needs.   Stay tuned through SNEAK email updates, my Twitter feed (@sneakotb), RSS feed, and Facebook so you won't miss a thing tomorrow through Sunday!! :) 

 

iTunes U App Announced — For Both Students and Teachers

So cool!  I wish they would have had this when I was in high school and college! Would have made reading the tiny print materials a lot easier!

iTunes U App Announced — For Both Students and Teachers
http://appadvice.com/appnn/2012/01/itunes-u-app-announced-for-both-students-and-teachers

Symbol World: Symbol Based News for Kids & Adults

If you like News2You, you will love SymbolWorld! "SymbolWorld is a website created by Widgit Software specifically for symbol users. It has material for all ages and includes news, personal contributions, stories and learning materials." (http://www.symbolworld.org/)

Features of this, FREE, web-based program are:

• easy navigatation, with the option to personalize the layout and colors to suit any reader's needs
• you can create user accounts, allowing you to save style settings, access the "Print Friendly PDFs" feature, rate articles and sign up for email notifications
• all links have visual highlights (i.e., a colored border to show where you are on the page) to make the site more accessible for people using switches or who use the Tab key to browse

• at the bottom of every article is a ‘Print Friendly’ button, which will create a print friendly PDF of the entire article for you to save or print directly from your browser

Speech/Voice Output is currently not available on SymbolWorld :(. But they are working on this feature for the near future! The current, non-speech version of SymbolWorld does not require Flash, which means you can view ALL of the features of the site on your iDevice. I was actually able to use the VoiceOver feature on my iPad to select the text on each news page and have it read aloud. I was also able to touch each word in the article to have the VoiceOver engine read each word aloud one at a time. This could be a great literacy building tool for early level readers! The fact that you can print each symbol-based news story to a PDF file gives you some flexibility with regard to speech output. If your child is currently using an electronic reading program like Kurzwell , the PDFs from SymbolWorld could be loaded and read through that or other PDF reader programs. I can even think of some ways to make this happen on iPad…:) Want to know more about that? :)

ATIA Conference, 2012: A Great Experience for Parents and Professionals!

The Assistive Technology Industry Association ("ATIA") is a not-for-profit membership organization of manufacturers, sellers and providers of technology-based assistive devices and/or services.  The Annual ATIA Conference is a HUGE source of information on assistive technology and disabilities for professionals and families!  This conference, held in Orlando this year (January26-28, 2012), offers a wide variety of lectures, hands-on demos, trainings and more on technology and resources related to all disabilities (e.g., communication, hearing, vision, mobility, etc...).  There are specific tracks for families and professionals and the exhibit hall is free of charge with an "exhibit hall only" registration.  Parents, this is a great place to connect with professionals (e.g., therapists, teachers, advocates), products, and services that can greatly improve the lives of your special kids!  Professionals, this is a great place to network with experts, learn about new research, therapeutic principles, products, and services, and get continuing education credits! Check out the ATIA conference site for more details.  Register soon so you don’t miss out on the early bird discounts!  ATIA also provides great resources year-round on their website, including free webinar trainings, a newsletter, and links to vendors/products!

Free Webinar Trainings on Teaching Kids Switches

Spectronics is offering free webinars on a variety of topics for the new year, including a few on teaching switch use!  Check out the link below:
FREE Online Training | The Spectronics Blog

The first two topics are:

Jan 18th 2011: Getting the most from your switches AWAY from the computer
Ideas for using switches away from the computer. Examples will be shown which match the key milestones and small steps from Ian’s Switch Progression Road Map.
https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/s/showReg?udc=l3iycnibki6x

Feb 15th 2012: Communication Devices in an Inclusive Classroom
This webinar looks the use of single and multiple message communication devices and how they can be used as an integral part of the school day.
https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/s/showReg?udc=h0sos2oupxnl

These webinars are FREE and also recorded, so you don't need to be signed on at the time to take advantage of them.  Follow the links above to register!  Thanks Spectronics!

Gube App-Safer YouTube for Kids!

Gube is a great new App that “filters” YouTube to provide a more kid-friendly, G-rated search and viewing platform. The App pre-screens videos and includes only those that are appropriate for the eyes and ears of babes! The library of the App contains thousands of videos chosen by the developers (parents) with new videos added regularly. Users can also submit video recommendations for consideration by the developers of Gube. Gube categorizes its catalog of videos by age, allowing you (as the caregiver/ professional) to display only those videos that fall within selected age groups (you can toggle these age groups in the settings of the App). The interface of the App looks and acts much like YouTube, with “Favorites”, “Recents” and “Featured” tabs, and also a search option (although it only searches those videos within the App, remember, not the entire Youtube database). Use of Gube with ahome button cover like the BubCap, orLasered Pics Home Button Guard and a durable case like the Big Frame or Otter Box lets allows kids to have a more independent, unsupervised viewing experience on You Tube without parents getting too nervous. J

One feature that I would like to see included in this App is the ability for users to prescreen videos on YouTube themselves, and then upload these as links within the Gube App. This would allow therapists, teachers, and caregivers to load specific videos for lessons, themes, and activities within a safe viewing environment, giving Gube more applicability as a teaching tool and not just a source of entertainment. I would also love to seeswitch accessibility with this App as it is a simple, but wonderful platform to help motivate kids to learn how to useswitches! And how empowering to be able to play their own videos using their switches! How are you all using YouTube and other video platforms to enhance play and learning for your kids?

The Magic Carpet Interactive Projector

Spectronics Blog shared a great post on this new technology! 
Amazing Sensory Guru technologies now here in ANZ | The Spectronics Blog

I have used projectors with my iDevices before, especially to share books, videos, and pictures with my preschool class during Circle Time.  But I've never used an interactive one!  So cool-I hope this type of technology emerges in a manageable, affordable way (especially for iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch) for therapists and parents to use at home with special kids.  :)

SNEAK's Peeks #1: " I Like Books" by Grasshopper Apps

 

I Like Books

I Like Books (developed by Grasshopper Apps)includes 37 picture books for kids (in 1App!) with high quality, colorful photos, simple embedded text, and voice output!  Many elements of the stories are also fully customizable so you can change the voice output, change the story text, and even create photo "hot spots" that speak when they are touched! 

Check out our SNEAK's Peeks video demo below (or click here to view on YouTube) for a quick introduction to this really cool storybook App!

I really like the simplicity of this App and the photos are great!  I would like to see the ability to use your own photos added to future upgrades.  This feature would expand this App's potential as a platform for creating adapted stories and social stories for children with special needs.  For children with higher level language skills, I think this App is a great way to elicit simple narratives based on the pictures provided in each story.  The kids can even record their story retell or spontaneous narrative as they look at the pictures and then have the App read their own story back to them! 

Introducing "SNEAK's Peeks"!

SNEAK’s Peeks is a weekly video feature on SNEAK Outside the Box where we showcase a video demo of a new App each week!  Check out our first episode, a video demo and commentary of the new App from Grasshopper Apps, “I Like Books”. 

Check back weekly for new peeks! 

Have an App you’d like us to demo before you buy? Comment here and let us know!

Positioning Options for iPad

www.thecushpad.com

There are many table stands and iPad carrying cases with built in stands on the market.  But I write this post with our kids with significant gross and fine motor challenges in mind. Some of our kids, such as those with SMA or other conditions which result in immobility, spend a lot of their day at home on the couch or in bed.  This makes table stands for iPad a bit tricky.  Here are a few of the more innovative iPad stands out there and a bit of info on why I think they could be really cool positioning options for these little guys.

The CushPad is a specially designed cushion made to hold your iPad 2 on uneven or unstable surfaces, such as: a couch, bed, airplane tray-table, or your lap!  The disadvantage of this stand is that it does not offer adjustable viewing angles.  However, it is cost effective, at around $35, and works as a nice solution for side-lying on the couch or bed.  The company is also hosting a promotion on their website for $5 off by "liking: them on Facebook (a few other ways to get the coupon as well).  

Prop 'n Go Hybrid Lap Stand for iPad (& Kindle) is a nice alternative to The CushPad for those kids who need adjustable angles for optimal viewing.  This stand includes 14 easily adjusted angles (iPad reclines between 9° and 75°), a universal design that  fits iPad, iPad 2, and any tablet, and a breath-easy comfy base with an stand built-i.The price isn't too bad at around $50 through Amazon.

iProp is a flexible floor stand that allows for 360 degrees of rotation. This is helpful in achieving difficult angles if viewing reclined in a chair, laying on the couch, or in bed. Because it is a floor stand, it also allows for closer viewing position, helpful for children with visual impairment who may need to view the screen more closely.  The combination of flexible height adjustments and 360 degrees of rotation also make this stand work well for children who need unique positioning to access the touch screen.    

What stands have you used with your kids?

Online AT Conference-Techknowledgy 2011

Get informed about how to implement technology for your kids without changing out of your PJ's! :)  Check out this cool project shared on The Assistive Technology Blog where you can attend AT workshops online!  Techknowledgy 2011 has a nice selection of topics including "AT Solutions for the Early Childhood Population" and "AT Solutions for Communication and AAC" The conferences are quick and many include vieos!  Super cool, check it out and let me know what you think.