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Happy March from Oklahoma ABLE Tech! We're excited to update you about what's been happening over the last month and give you some sneak peeks of what's coming soon.
March is Brain Injury Awareness Month! Check out these AT devices chosen by our AT specialists from the Learning, Cognition, and Development category that can be used to help people with brain injuries complete everyday tasks. These devices can help with memory and recall, sequencing, and completing tasks.
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Interactive Cooking Visual Recipes - This is a file folder with 2 different recipes inside, one for spaghetti and one for mac and cheese. The book breaks directions down step by step, accompanied by pictures and interactive elements. This helps individuals practice sequencing for individuals with brain injury/cognitive delays. Other interactive life skill files include bathroom, grocery store, kitchen, community signs, and other cooking recipes.
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Talking Photo Album - This photo album allows individuals to record messages to go with corresponding pictures, which can help individuals with memory and recall of their loved ones or cherished memories. It can also be used in other ways, for example: you could insert printed directions into the photo slot and record verbal instructions.
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Resetea Time Management - This electronic device can help individuals stay focused on completing tasks or following a routine by giving a visual indicator of passed time. Brain injuries can impact mood, personality, and/or reasoning which can cause individuals to feel agitated. By understanding what happens next, anxiety is diminished, which could provide users with feelings of calm and safety. The caretaker would help set up the device according to the user's needs.
- LiveScribe Pen - The main function of this smart pen is to offer the ability to automatically transcribe handwriting into digital notes. Then, notes can be tagged, organized, searched, or converted to text. The Livescribe Echo 2 Smart Pen also has a microphone and speaker built-in, so it can directly record audio. This can assist individuals in taking notes during doctor's appointments, meetings, or classes.
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As you plan for next school year, remember all curricular materials must be created, or adapted, so they are accessible to all students. If your school district is planning on purchasing materials, contract language should be included that speaks to the publisher’s obligation to provide the materials in an accessible format. Contracts should request curriculum files be placed in the NIMAC at the time of purchase. This ensures the materials are available to all students promptly. Visit the NIMAC website for more information.
Note: Any materials a school district purchases that are on the state-approved textbook adoption list must be available in an accessible digital format for students. This is because the Oklahoma State Department of Education requires publishers to submit the book files to the National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC), making them available to Accessible Media Producers (AMPs) such as Bookshare.
“Bookshare makes reading easier. People with dyslexia, blindness, cerebral palsy, and other reading barriers can customize their experience to suit their learning style and find virtually any book they need for school, work, and the joy of reading," according to the Bookshare website.
Bookshare is an excellent resource for teachers and administrators when considering accessible educational materials (AEM).
- Search over 1 million titles.
- Read anywhere.
- Get unlimited access FREE for students and schools.
Search Bookshare for available titles and fill out a book request if you don’t see what you need. ABLE Tech can assist with searching the NIMAC and other repositories to request accessible files from publishers when necessary. Email Dr. Joshua Hawkins for assistance.
We had a great time at the Stillwater Smart Home Open House on February 13! Thank you to everyone who stopped by to visit, contributed to, and supported this event!
If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about the Smart Home assistive technology (AT) we have available, visit our Smart Home Demonstrations webpage. Virtual and in-person tours and consultations are available, call our office to schedule!!
Recently, there's been more talk about keeping an eye on your health at home, especially when it comes to checking your blood pressure. Checking blood pressure at home can help at-risk individuals detect high blood pressure early. Self-monitoring also helps healthcare providers make the best treatment plans. Monitoring blood pressure at home also leads to healthcare cost savings for those who need to check their numbers regularly. When you check your blood pressure at home, you might get a more accurate picture of your numbers when you're not at the doctor's office.
Because of this, Oklahoma ABLE Tech is receiving more requests for home blood pressure monitors than ever. Right now, over 200 people are waiting to get wrist or arm blood pressure monitors.
If you're reading this, we ask you to consider donating a blood pressure monitor (or several) to help us support Oklahomans in need. To find out more about donating DME, visit the Oklahoma ABLE Tech Device Reutilization Program's How to Donate page.
Identity theft is increasing, and attackers may gain access to your personal information by:
- Dumpster diving for documents containing personal information
- Emails, calls, or texts from individuals pretending to be a bank or someone you trust to request your personal information
- Hacking your computers or mobile devices
- Data breaches at other organizations that store information, like banks
Here are some actions you can take to protect yourself:
- Shred documents that contain personal information
- Password protect your devices and use strong passwords for your accounts
- Don't use public Wi-Fi
- Monitor your credit and bank accounts closely
Do you want to learn more about identity theft and what to do if you are a victim? Go to myFICO to learn more about this topic. Do you have questions about financial education resources or need to purchase AT? Oklahoma ABLE Tech’s low-interest financial loan program can assist. To apply for a loan, go to the Financial Loan webpage or visit OkAT's website.
Thank you to everyone who made the 2024 TechAccess Oklahoma conference a smashing success! We heard from speakers who have experience in all levels of accessibility, from developers to leaders, about things like content development, burnout, personas, leadership's role in supporting accessibility programs, and everything in between! We know our brains are full, and we're excited to put some of the things we learned into practice. We enjoyed meeting you all and continuing to build a stronger digital accessibility community in Oklahoma!
We'd like to thank our sponsors once again, the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services and the Oklahoma State Department of Education. Without their support, events like TechAccess Oklahoma would not be possible. Next year's conference will be held sometime in February 2025. We hope to see you all back then!
On February 15, Oklahoma ABLE Tech staff conducted the second session of our recurring, three-part workshop series designed to develop participants’ knowledge, skills, and competencies related to assistive technology (AT). In Part 2 of the series, workshop attendees examined the process of conducting an AT assessment. Staff were thrilled to offer Part 2 in a hybrid format, allowing participants to join virtually and in person in Stillwater. Participants who joined in person enjoyed hands-on experience with multiple AT devices.
Enthusiasm was high as attendees explored various AT devices and began bridging theory with practical application. Among them, a speech therapist shared a transformative insight gained during the workshop: one student of hers has difficulty speaking quietly due to a medical condition. The student uses a wheelchair and has difficulty with his breath support. He has come a long way with speech and language and continues to work on his posture for breath support; however, he continues to have difficulty speaking loudly enough for people to hear and understand him. The workshop attendee had never considered recommending a device with voice amplification until coming to ABLE Tech’s workshop in person in Stillwater. She decided to use ABLE Tech’s Short-Term Loan Program to borrow the technology to help her make an informed decision about what assistive technology could best support her student.
We invite you to join us for future AT trainings and explore how assistive technology can enhance learning and accessibility for all individuals.
Part 3 of the AT workshop will be offered virtually on Thursday, March 28, 2024. Register today!
Empowering Voices: Effective AAC Evaluations Recap
Recent estimates indicate that 5 million Americans and 97 million people in the world may benefit from Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) (Beukelman and Light (2020.)
Oklahoma ABLE Tech staff have taken a proactive approach to address this need through their Empowering Voices: Effective AAC Evaluations Workshops designed for speech therapists, educators, and other professionals who work with individuals of all ages with communication difficulties. These workshops aim to empower professionals with the necessary knowledge and confidence to conduct thorough AAC assessments and acquire AAC tools for individuals in need.
It’s not too late to register for the Empowering Voices: Effective AAC Evaluations Workshop on Saturday, April 6, in Stillwater.
The Oklahoma Rehabilitation Council (ORC) would like to invite you to the 2024 DRS Business Summit.
The Disability at Work: Thrive Forum 2024 Business Summit is a crucial event highlighting the substantial benefits and Return on Investment tied to disability employment. Through storytelling from successful people with disabilities, employment professionals, partners, and businesses, the business community in Oklahoma will learn how embracing a broader variety of populations into their workforce positively impacts both their bottom line and the communities they provide goods and services to.
The summit also serves as a comprehensive platform for businesses to explore Workforce Services tailored to diverse populations in Oklahoma, offering a clear understanding of the organizational structure. Importantly, it sheds light on the collaborative efforts of workforce partners, emphasizing the shared commitment to fostering inclusive work environments for people with disabilities.
ORC's mission is to facilitate consumer education and empowerment, to assure services are of high quality and lead to the employment of individuals with disabilities within Oklahoma. To learn more about ORC, visit their website.
The United States Department of Education (USDE) recently released guidance regarding IDEA's requirements for assistive technology (AT). This January 2024 PDF document provides specific information on the provision of AT as part of IDEA Part C (0-2 years of age) and Part B (3-22 years of age), as well as myths and facts about devices, services, and funding for AT. Parents, early intervention providers, and school district employees might be especially interested in reading through this document to better understand the federal requirements for individuals with disabilities.
SERC’s mission is to help school districts and parents resolve disputes at the earliest stage possible. To learn more about SERC, visit their website.
Oklahoma ABLE Tech
Oklahoma State University
1514 W. Hall of Fame
Stillwater, OK 74078
Phone: 800.257.1705
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