Autism Society - Call for Presentations

This is your chance to be part of the most comprehensive national conference on autism spectrum disorders in the United States!
July 8-11, 2015Denver, Colorado

CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS NOW OPEN

Autism Society’s 46^th Annual Conference on Autism Spectrum Disorders

Colorado Convention Center

The Autism Society‘s National Conference and Exhibition is the only event to consistently bring together professionals, individuals on the autism spectrum, family members and advocates. Energetic forums provide in-depth presentations that cover what’s new in the field of autism and explore how to improve existing services and supports. This Call for Papers is seeking presentations that address the full range of issues facing those affected by autism today, provide best practices, practical skills/knowledge and cutting edge research on topics of interest to those affected by autism. Of particular interest are sessions with content appropriate for intermediate to advanced audiences. Content areas include early intervention, education, employment, quality of life, behavior, communication, social skills, biomedical interventions, mental health and others. 
The varied expertise and experiences of presenters enables attendees to learn how to more effectively advocate and obtain needed services and supports. The ultimate goal of the Autism Society’s Conference is to empower family members, individuals on the spectrum and professionals to make informed decisions. Overall conference content addresses the full range of the autism spectrum and encompasses lifespan issues. Presentations in Spanish are also encouraged.  

The call for papers is open on the Autism Society website at:  

http://www.autism-society.org/in-the-news/call-papers-2015-autism-society-national-conference/

Submissions are due by Sunday January 18, 2015  

All submissions must be made through our online system.

Questions?  Please call 800-3-AUTISM or email conference@autism-society.org 

Free Webinars from the Accessible Technology Coalition

Below are a number of free upcoming webinars from the Accessible Technology Coalition

Wednesday, December 3, 2014, 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern
Playing with Educational Software from SETC

Wednesday, December 3, 2014, 3:30pm Pacific, 6:30pm Eastern
iPad: OT Treatment Apps from SETC

Thursday, December 4, 2014, 3:30pm Pacific, 6:30pm Eastern
Accessibility in a Bring Your Own Device Environment from MITS

Monday, December 8, 2014, 1:30pm Pacific, 4:30pm Eastern
Adapting Off-the-Shelf Games from SETC

Tuesday, December 9, 2014, 3:30pm Pacific, 6:30pm Eastern
ECT (Environmental Communication Teaching) Strategies for Implementation from AbleNet

Wednesday,December 10, 2014, 9am Pacific, 12pm Eastern
Math – It can be Fun! from SETC           

Wednesday, December 10, 2014, 3:30pm Pacific, 6:30pm Eastern
AAC in Story Reenactment from SETC

Wednesday, December 10, 2014, 5 - 6 PM  Pacific
Bookshare is Expanding and Improving from EASI

Thursday, December 11, 2014, at 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern
Print Alternative Through BookShare from SETC       
 
Thursday, December 11, 2014, 3:30pm Pacific, 6:30pm Eastern
Switch Training Resources from SETC           

Thursday, December 11, 2014, 3:30pm Pacific, 6:30pm Eastern
Top 5 iPad apps for Struggling Readers and Writers from AbleNet

Tuesday, December 16, 2014, at 2pm Pacific, 5pm Eastern
AT for Common Core, College & Career Readiness for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilitiesfrom AbleNet

Wednesday, December 17, 2014, at 4:30pm Pacific, 7:30pm Eastern
Accessibility Options for High Stakes Testing from AbleNet

To access the CDR Library: http://uscm.med.sc.edu/CDR/index.asp

Association of Assistive Technology Programs Webinars

Below are some great webinars from ATAP, the Association of Assistive Technology Programs.

Introduction to IT accessibility.
Date: 1/14/2015Time: 3:00 PM ET
Description: An overview of accessibility, where people with disabilities and technology meet. A discussion about what accessibility is, why it’s vital, and applicable laws.
Register for this Webinar

Document Accessibility in Microsoft Word 2010
Date: 2/25/2015
Time: TBA
Description: For document authors, an introductory look at how to make Word documents more accessible using Word 2010.
Register for this Webinar

Accessible PowerPoint presentations
Date: 3/25/2015
Time: TBA
Description: For presentation authors, an introductory look at how to make PowerPoint documents more accessible using Word 2010.
Register for this Webinar

Considerations in Multimedia Accessibility
Date: 4/29/2015Time: TBA
Description: A high-level look at tools and tips to help make audio and video more accessible. Includes some discussion about captioning techniques, such as re-voicing.
Register for this Webinar 


For additional information please visit: http://www.ataporg.org/ICTWebinars/Default.aspx
To access the CDR Library: http://uscm.med.sc.edu/CDR/index.asp

Able South Carolina: Newsletter

To view the newsletter in full please visit: http://www.able-sc.org/wp-content/uploads/Fall-2014-Newsletter.pdf

To access the CDR Library: http://uscm.med.sc.edu/CDR/index.asp

Association of Maternal & child Health Programs

The Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) recently released a State Public Health Autism Resource Center (SPHARC) environmental scan report entitled, "State Strategies and Initiatives to Improve Development and Autism Screening, and Early Identification Systems."  This report includes initial findings from an environmental scan of 185 source documents that AMCHP conducted in the summer of 2014; the purpose of this effort was to capture the wide range of developmental screening activities occurring within all U.S. states and territories.  Over the coming year, this data will be analyzed further to develop resources that assist states in building and improving both developmental screening and early identification systems.  These tools and resources will be housed on the SPHARC website, and AMCHP will provide updates and seek feedback as the work progresses.

A companion fact sheet that discusses Title V State Performance Measures (SPM) related to developmental screening and early identification is also available.

For more information and to access these publications, visit the SPHARC website.

To access the CDR Library: http://uscm.med.sc.edu/CDR/index.asp

Written Productivity Workshop

There are still a few spots available in the Written Productivity workshop that will be held Wednesday, December 3^rd  in the Assistive Technology Resource Center in Columbia, SC.

Written Productivity
Time: 9:30am – 11:30amCost: Free, but pre-registration required 

Date: December 3, 2014

Instructor:  Madalina Tudora, SC Dept of Education Assistive Technology Specialist

Teachers are often in the position of referring students to an AT team for assessment for enhancing written productivity. During this workshop, we will explore resources that are available to help with writing difficulties. We will address motor skills and processing and organizational concerns that many students struggle with. We will review various programs that are low-cost or free, as well as audio recording pens that help with notetaking, organization, and study skills.  We will also go over speech-recognition programs and the criteria that students need to meet to have success with them.

Register for the Written Productivity workshop

To access the CDR Library: http://uscm.med.sc.edu/CDR/index.asp

Statewide Transition Conferences for Students, Parents and Professionals

Register for both events online at: www.able-sc.org

For more information about these conferences contact Robbie Kopp:
Voice: 800.681.6805
TTY: 803.779.0949
Email: rkopp@able-sc.org

To access the CDR Library: http://uscm.med.sc.edu/CDR/index.asp

Tools and Strategies for Website Accessibility

Recently there was an AccessGA training conducted by Janet Silva. 

Below is a link to the presentation:

Tools and Strategies for Website Accessibility Webinar Resources

Please note that the resources include a recording of the webinar, a PDF file of the transcript, handouts, and a PDF version of the PowerPoint presentation.

To access the CDR Library: http://uscm.med.sc.edu/CDR/index.asp

Home and Community-based Services: SC Statewide Transition Plan

SC Statewide Transition Plan for Implementation of CMS Final Rule Regarding Home and Community-based Services

The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) gives notice that the draft Statewide Transition Plan, required per Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Rule (42 CFR 441.301(c)(6)), is available for public review and comment. The South Carolina Statewide Transition Plan will be submitted on or before Jan. 28, 2015. It will be effective upon CMS approval.

SCDHHS will conduct four regional public meetings and one live online webinar to discuss the Statewide Transition Plan for public input. These meetings will also include information on three Community Long Term Care (CLTC) waiver amendments and their waiver-specific transition plans. For information on the CLTC waiver amendments, please go to www.scdhhs.gov.

To learn more on the actions identified in the Statewide Transition Plan, SCDHHS's draft version of the plan and the scheduled public meeting dates and locations, please visit our website.

To access the CDR Library: http://uscm.med.sc.edu/CDR/index.asp 

AccessGA - Webinar, Tools and Strategies for Website Accessibility

Webinar: Tools and Strategies for Website Accessibility

We will demonstrate website evaluation techniques and take a look at several of the most widely used web checkers, WAVE, the Functional Accessibility Evaluator (FAE) and HiSoftware Compliance Sheriff.
Date: November 13, 2014 
Time: 2:00-3:15pm (ET)
Presenters:
Janet Sylvia, Leader, USG Web Accessibility Group (WAG)
John Rempel, AT Specialist, Center for the Visually Impaired
Joy Kniskern, AMAC and AccessGA
 
Register now at the AccessGA Event Calendar

You will hear about the importance of using assistive technology (AT) users and experts as part of the evaluation process and will see a user/expert demonstrate website access with the use of assistive technology. This webinar will present strategies, techniques, and resources for ensuring your website meets accessibility standards and guidelines including WCAG 2.0 and what it means to provide usable vs. technical accessibility.


To access the CDR Library: http://uscm.med.sc.edu/cdr/. 

Free Webinars from TobiiDynavox

November 14th, 2014 at 5 PM EST 
Introduction to PODD for Compass  
Join Gayle Porter, the creator of Pragmatic Organization Dynamic Display (PODD), to explore how the features of PODD system are applied in page sets for DynaVox Compass software. This presentation will focus exclusively on the DynaVox Mayer-Johnson product line and will not include information on other similar communication or educational product(s). This course is offered for .1 ASHA CEUs (Intermediate level, Professional area).

November 20th, 2014 at 3:30 PM EST 
Finding and Editing Activities for the Holidays
Did you know that the Boardmaker Online Community has hundreds of ready-made boards and activities to support participation, communication and fun for the upcoming holiday season? Use these activities as-is or edit them to make quick changes to meet the specific needs of your students. Learn how to find the helpful activities to support classroom instruction and participation throughout the entire holiday season.
And remember, you can watch a recorded training anytime, anywhere!


To access the CDR Library: http://uscm.med.sc.edu/cdr/. 

Follow Up to Medicare Coverage for Speech Generating Devices

Follow Up to Medicare Coverage for Speech Generating Devices

On Thursday, November 6th, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rescinded the language it issued earlier this year in its “Coverage Reminder” which, if fully implemented, would have restricted patient access to Speech-Generating Devices functionalities that Medicare determined went beyond “speech generation” including internet access.  Medicare also stated that it would begin a review of the 2001 National Coverage Determination (or NCD) as the mechanism for updating Medicare’s policies related to SGDs. As part of its announcement, the agency stated:

Since the current NCD took effect on January 1, 2001, the technology for devices that generate speech and the ways in which the devices are used by patients to meet their medical needs has changed significantly. As a result, CMS intends to internally generate a reconsideration of the benefit category NCD addressing Medicare coverage of augmentative and alternative communication devices (IOM 100-02 §50.1). Additional information about this matter will be made available in the near future.

To access the CDR Library: http://uscm.med.sc.edu/CDR/index.asp 

Free RESNA Webinar!

Chrome Apps and Extensions to Support Struggling Learners - Going Google! 

Monday, Nov 17 at 3pm EST 

Many schools are discovering the use of the free Chrome Browser, and free apps and extensions in the Chrome browser to support education and learning. How do you support your struggling students? This webinar will present several apps and extensions to support literacy and executive function, and they are free to download right in the Chrome web store. If your students are using laptops (Mac or PC), Chromebooks, or a tablet, Chrome apps and extensions can support them on their device in the classroom and at home.

Registration and more information is at: http://www.resna.org/professional-development/webinars/chrome-apps-extensions-support-struggling-learners-going-google

To access the CDR Library: http://uscm.med.sc.edu/CDR/index.asp