In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the ADA and in advocacy for
AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) communication rights,
a new song-with-lyrics video was released July 3, 2010 (Independence
Day Eve) on YouTube.
"I'm
a Yankee Doodle Advocate" is brought to you by the ISAAC 2010
International AAC Awareness Campaign, the TASH Communications Committee
and Everyone Communicates. The computer-programmed voice is by Snoopi
Botten, an expert at programming the computer voices that can make
communication devices sing. The lyrics are by Judy Bailey, Project
Director of Everyone Communicates and a member of ISAAC/USSAAC and
TASH.
TASK
Presents: The TECH Connection
TASK's TECH Center would like to introduce a NEW program called The
TECH Connection. This program was developed to provide much needed
services to the special needs community. One of the services offered
will be a Social Skills Group Lab. This is a monthly group for children
with developmental disabilities and their families. (Future dates and
times will be determined through group consensus). During this time, we
will feature software and low tech interventions geared toward each
student's needs. These might include social skills, life skills,
interpreting emotions, vocabulary building, language development,
communication, and more. These two-hour sessions will give parents a
chance to work with their children in a comfortable, fun environment
while sharing helpful information with other parents. There will also
be arts and crafts activities to help facilitate fine motor skills and
opportunities for group interaction.
We are currently
developing a workshop titled Assistive Technology for Students with
Autism. In this workshop, we will be introducing parent and teacher
tools including visual schedules, augmentative communication boards and
other types of assistive technology.
We are thrilled to have
Dynavox sponsor our TECH Connection kickoff event! Please download the flyer
announcing our Holiday Party Event and RSVP if you can attend. More
information on the monthly groups will be available soon. Please call
with any questions or to RSVP (714) 533-8275.
What is
the Family Participation Fund? In an effort to helping family members voice
their opinions about education policy, the California Department of
Education, through the State Improvement Grant, established the Family
Participation Fund. This fund provides financial assistance to families
when they participate in meetings related to education policy. The Fund
assists families who do not have any other agency support to become
active members of decision-making committees, task forces and other
policy-making bodies. The fund is not for trainings, workshops,
conferences, or lobbying activities.
Help TASK
by
donating your unused vehicle!
TASK is now partnered with Cars 4 Causes. You can help raise money for
TASK by donating your unused vehicle. Visit our
Cars 4 Causes webpagemto learn more!
TECH
Center teams up with Blink Twice for Disneyland adventure!
Several Camp TECHie campers teamed up with Blink Twice for a
trip to Disneyland. Equipped with Tango! speech-generating devices,
campers had a wonderful successful trip, complete with rides, shows,
tons of energy, and some amazing breakthroughs.
