	February 2000

Announcements

Supporting Inclusion with Technology Infusion!
Dr. Harry Murphy, of CSUN Announces Retirement Plans.
AccessWorld from American Federation of the Blind.

The MD Assistive Technology Co-op
in Collaboration with MDTAP presents

Supporting Inclusion with Technology Infusion!

Professional development training by
Dr. Caroline Musselwhite

June 22 and 23, 2000
Maryland Rehabilitation Center
Baltimore, Maryland

Day 1 - June 22, 2000 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

The Three C's of Inclusion:
Communication, Context, and Curriculum Do your "included" students spend most of their day watching and listening? This workshop will offer both theory and specific techniques and tools for supporting elementary students in becoming fully included and participative. Target students include those with physical impairment, cognitive delay, severe speech and language impairment, and/or severe learning disability. The theoretical framework will cover context issues in determining adaptations, accommodations, and modifications; the decision making process; levels of participation; and nine types of adaptations. Communication techniques will cover strategies for classroom follow-up by staff and peers, as well as home-school communication. Most of the day will focus on practical strategies, using case studies to demonstrate, discuss, and explore curricular adaptations across all subject areas.

Make It / Take It Component The additional $15.00 materials fee includes:

a copy of the book S.T.U.D.Y., a project planbook and 15 pages of ideas to support generic studying and content areas: Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Spelling
a Mac or PC disk of S.T.U.D.Y.! with 25+ setups for: IntelliPics, Overlay Maker, IntelliTalk, Discover, Inspiration, Speaking Dynamically, Write OutLoud!
all materials to construct 3 projects: A string abacus ideal for activities that require direct modeling or counting; a reading guide helpful for students who frequently "lose their place" while reading; and a clear plastic writing guide that offers the students a "writing window" to support writing a response.

Objectives:

Participants will be able to identify four strategies to promote better home/school communication or inter-staff communication to support follow-up.
Participants will be able to distinguish between accommodations and modifications in adapting curriculum.
Participants will be able to describe at least one new light tech adaptation to support major curriculum areas (language arts, social studies, science, math).
Participants will be able to describe at least one new high tech adaptation to support major curriculum areas (language arts, social studies, science, math) on devices.

Day 2 AM - June 23, 2000 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

AAC - Out of the Therapy Room and Into the Classroom! Topic Setting, Communication Circles, and More! The literature on interactive use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication systems is quite clear. . . and discouraging. As a group, AAC partners continue to dominate communication, and AAC users continue to be passive and "speak only when spoken to." This workshop will address how to use a combination of discourse-based strategies, peer-based Communication Circles, and a communicative agenda (instead of a testing agenda!) to support students who use AAC systems. Two focus areas will be how to help AAC users set topics, and how to support AAC users in inclusive settings. This will be done through lecture, demon-stration, brainstorming, case studies, and "Try It" activities. Come prepared to have some fun while learning some new skills - and re-learning some old ones!

Objectives:

Participants will be able to distinguish between generic and specific topic-setting strategies, and indicate when each is useful.
Participants will be able to apply both light tech and high tech strategies for helping students initiate and maintain topic-setting.
Participants will be able to identify the steps for setting up a Communication Circle to support augmentative communication learning.
Participants will be able to describe at least three discourse-based strategies (e.g., barrier communication, interviews, communication games) that can be used to learn and generalize augmentative communication.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

All sessions will held at the MD Rehabilitation Center in Northeast Baltimore. A map and directions will be included with confirmation letters (to be sent after March 1, 2000) MSDE CPD credit is being sought for those attending both full days. Price includes presentation, handouts, materials (where indicated) and snacks. Lunch may be purchased inexpensively at the MRC cafeteria. Members of the MD A.T. Co-op include personnel from Baltimore City; Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Charles, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's, and Queen Anne's Counties; MD School for the Blind; UCP of Central MD/DelRey School; the Kennedy-Krieger Institute and School; and St. Elizabeth's School. For Membership information, contact Susan Garber at 410-792-9901.

Day 2 PM - June 23, 2000 1:00 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.

Setups for Success: Technology Infusion for Students with Learning Disabilities Did you know that 80% of people use technology to only 20% of it's potential?? This course will offer participants creative ideas in using computer hardware (AlphaSmart - a stand alone keyboard) and software. Setups, activities, and lesson plans will be offered to support student activities such as outlining, repeated readings, filling out (yuck!) worksheets, generative writing, and rehearsing facts (e.g., vocabulary, dates, spelling words). Software covered includes: Inspiration -a creativity software; TypeIt4Me - abbreviation-expansion; Discover Onscreen - an onscreen keyboard used for presenting prompts; and ClarisWorks - creative uses of the word processing and database segments. Participants will receive setups and lesson plan ideas for use in the general education classroom as well as the resource classroom. For an additional $5 fee participants can purchase a Mac only LD Setups for Success disk which includes: Discover Onscreen Setups; TypeIt4Me Setups; ClarisWorks adaptation files; and Scan 'n Read.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER:

Dr. Caroline Musselwhite is an assistive technology specialist with more than 20 years of experience working with children and adolescents with severe disabilities, in a variety of settings, and has also taught courses at several universities. Dr. Musselwhite has authored a number of textbooks and "how-to" books on a range of topics, such as Emergent Literacy Success, Communication Programming for Persons with Severe Handicaps, and Reading Activities Project for Older Students (R.A.P.S.), as well as a number of software programs for children with disabilities. She has presented thousands of entertaining and informative workshops throughout North America and Europe, and is a founding member of the Board of Directors for the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication.

REGISTRATION for
"Supporting Inclusion with
Technology Infusion"

June 22-23, 2000

Place an _ in the column to the left that indicates your choice. Circle the appropriate fee in the chart according to your membership status and post mark date. Check or PO made out to A.T.:L.A.S.T., Inc. must accompany all registrations. No fax or phone registrations. No registrations postmarked after May 26th will be accepted.
Name: __________________________________

Occupation: ____________________________

Home Address: __________________________

________________________________________

Home Phone: ____________________________

School: ________________________________

School Address:_________________________

________________________________________

School Phone: __________________________

Email address: _________________________

Special accommodations: ________________
Dr. Harry Murphy, Founder and Director of the Center on Disabilities at CSUN, Announces Retirement Plans

Dr. Harry Murphy has announced plans to retire from state service on March 31, 2000. His tenure at CSUN spanned 23 years. Murphy served as Assistant Director of the National Center on Deafness at CSUN, was Coordinator of Disabled Student Services, and since 1993 has served as Director of the Center on Disabilities, which he founded.

The Center provides support students to students with disabilities, conducts the conference, "Technology and Persons with Disabilities," and directs the training program, "Assistive Technology Applications Certificate Program." Murphy will continue to contribute to the work of the Center as a consultant through the end of 2000. A national search is underway for a new Director of the Center.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Stephanie Biagioli
212-502-7655

American Federation of the Blind Press Launches AccessWorld

New Periodical Will Focus on Technology for People who are Blind or Visually Impaired

NEW YORK-AFB Press, the publishing division of the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), is pleased to announce the publication of its newest periodical, AccessWorld: Technology for Consumers with Visual Impairments.

Premiering with its first issue this month, this user-friendly, comprehensive periodical offers the latest information on assistive technology and visual impairment, containing helpful and valuable information on recent technology for the home and office. Published six times a year in large-print, on-line, audiocassette, and braille formats, AccessWorld provides a wealth of information on products, techniques and new developments.

"The name of this one-of-a-kind periodical sums up the breadth of information about technology that we will share with our readers," said Paul W. Schroeder, AccessWorld editor in chief and director of AFB's National Technology Program. "Our goal is to help create the more accessible world that all of us who are visually impaired eagerly await."

AccessWorld is the exclusive source of AFB's highly lauded Product Evaluations, with two evaluations appearing in each issue. Other features include Product announcements; a Question and Answer column; a Calendar of Events; Book and Video Reviews; reports on newsworthy developments in the area of access to technology; and survey results and other information about technology that is used by people with visual impairments.

AccessWorld is a valuable asset to both consumers and professionals alike, providing comprehensive information about assistive technology to teachers, librarians, professionals, and families working with blind or visually impaired people, and who want to learn more about technology in general.

The contributing editors of AccessWorld are well-known experts and writers on assistive technology. AFB's Mark Uslan, Jay Leventhal, and Crista Earl, along with award-winning journalist Deborah Kendrick, have created a highly readable and engaging magazine, suitable for both veteran and novice technology users. Deborah Kendrick is the author of several books and was previously editor of TACTIC, a quarterly on assistive technology published formerly by the Clovernook Center for 15 years. TACTIC had been subsumed into AccessWorld.

AccessWorld is available for $29.95 per year. Additional subscription information can be obtained by contacting AccessWorld/AFB Press, Subscription Services, 450 Fame Avenue, Hanover, PA, 17331. The toll-free number in the United States is 1-888-522-0220; international subscribers may call 717-632-3535; fax 717-633-8920; E-mail: GOTOBUTTON BM_1_ pubsvc@tsp.sheridan.com. Visit AccessWorld on-line at www.afb.org/accessworld.html Please send all inquiries or other comments regarding AccessWorld to techctr@afb.net.

AccessWorld is made possible by generous grants from John T. Bourger and the Jessie Ball duPont Fund. The on-line version of AccessWorld is sponsored by Ameritech.

AFB Press is the leading publisher in the field of blindness and visual impairment, with the largest number of titles on the non-medical aspects of blindness. Its catalog consists of innovative educational and research material covering a diverse range of viewpoints for professionals, service providers, libraries, and family members. AFB Press provides more texts for college and university programs than any other publisher in the field, and is a catalyst in developing and encouraging new authors and scholarship. It also publishes the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness (JVIB), the international, interdisciplinary journal of record on blindness and visual impairment.

The American Foundation for the Blind is a national, nonprofit organization whose mission is to enable people who are blind or visually impaired to achieve equality of access and opportunity that will ensure freedom of choice in their lives. Headquartered in New York City, AFB maintains offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and San Francisco, and a governmental relations office in Washington, D.C.

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