October 2021 ABLE Tech eNews
 You can find Dyslexia resources for educators, school administrators, students, and their families on the Oklahoma ABLE Tech website. Consider borrowing an iPad from ABLE Tech to try books from Bookshare through the Device Loan Program.
Additional resources can be found on the State Department of Education - Special Education Services - Dyslexia Resources webpage.
 Learn more about Assistive Technology (AT) for Daily Living for people of all ages on ABLE Tech's AT Discovery webpage.
This 2-hour virtual workshop is designed for Oklahoma public school administrators, special educators, and related service providers who help students with disabilities.
Participants will learn about resources and grant-writing tips for securing funding for needed AT for students. Participants will also practice matching students to funding options, as well as practice grant writing in the workshop. Guidance for planning and budgeting for AT will be shared as well as sample AT plans so that schools can plan ahead to support the provision of needed AT for students with disabilities.
Visit the event and registration link.
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If you missed Workshop 1 on September 16th but still want to join Workshops 2 and 3, please email Gretchen Cole-Lade.
You still can join us for Workshop 2 on October 21st and Workshop 3 on November 18th. Get more information about the workshops at AT Support Team webpage.
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September 16th: Workshop Part 1 - Consideration of Assistive Technology (AT) completed
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October 21st: Workshop Part 2 - AT Assessment and AT in the IEP
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November 18th: Workshop Part 3 - AT Implementation
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Join us for three days of sharing, learning, networking, and planning.
Oklahoma Transition Institute is designed to help district/regional Transition Teams learn new information and develop plans to deliver coordinated transition services to the students they serve. It also includes collaborative meeting times for 35 transition teams comprised of agencies, schools, families, and advocates for those with disabilities.
Teams will learn, develop, improve, and implement plans that will grow their transition education/agency practices to meet and create transition plans for the upcoming year. The combination of workshops and collaborative planning meetings allows participants to gain information and discuss ways to use this information in local communities.
ABLE Tech will be presenting “Transitioning Assistive Technology (AT) and Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) with Students and Documenting AT/AEM in the IEP” on Wednesday, October 26th from 10 am to 11:15 am. Mark your calendars to attend!
Webinar Accessibility: If you require any accommodations to access this webinar, please register by Monday, October 4, 2021. For more information, contact Yolanda Scott at 405-622-2026. Registration Link
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Do you know the difference between emojis and emoticons?
 You should avoid emoticons, whenever possible.
When a screen reader encounters an emoticon, it has difficulty understanding and conveying the meaning behind the series of text characters. Rather, use emojis, when a screen reader encounters an emoji, it reads the assigned meaning of the emoji to the person using the screen reader. For example, a thumbs-up emoji might read as "Thumbs-up” to someone using a screen reader.
Other suggestions:
- Resist using more than one or two emojis in your message.
- Place your emoji at the end of your message, never in the middle, and never in place of a word.
- Never place an emoji before a “call to action” or the purpose of the message (again, they go last).
- Choose emojis that are well understood by all or keep in mind your audience. Avoid ambiguity. (Prayer hands mean thank you? Or pray?)
- As with text, consider adequate contrast of the emoji you choose against its background. Remember your message may be read in either dark or light modes. (Yellow is safe.)
It’s a curious thing, after years of inaccessible graphics, to have arrived at a moment where little, tiny cartoons are more accessible than messages created by text, but that is the upshot of emojis vs. emoticons. Progress! Emojis win.
Now let’s learn how to use them.
 Read the full AT3 Blog post
Oklahoma ABLE Tech
Oklahoma State University
1514 W. Hall of Fame
Stillwater, OK 74078
Phone: 800.257.1705
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