BIASC Update

The BIASC Board of Directors and Staff hope you are staying healthy and safe during this uncertain time in our state, country and world.  Due to the coronavirus pandemic and stay at home order, BIASC staff are working remotely during regular business hours (8:30am - 5:00pm).  We want to assure you that we are here to support the individuals we serve.  If you are needing assistance, please call our toll-free helpline 1-877-TBI-FACT or 803-731-9823.  

We are continuing to work on projects like the Brain Injury Safetynet project, ThinkFirst Workshop, and Life with Brain Injury conference, although we are doing these things a little differently.  We are hosting our meetings via zoom, go to meetings, skype and conference calls.  We hope that we will be able to meet face to face on July 31st for the Conference!  

Also, many of the brain injury support groups are beginning to meet via conference calls and online platforms.  Please reach out to your local support group leader for more details.  Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates and information.  

Please take care, stay safe and stay healthy!

BIASC Board of Directors and Staff

Brain Injury Association of South Carolina

121 Executive Center Dr., Suite 135

Columbia, SC 29210-8492

Free Webinars from SC Assistive Technology Program

AAC Basics at Home

Date: April 21, 2020
Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Cost: Free!
Presenter: Carol Page, PhD, CCC-SLP

With families and their non-verbal children staying at home, it's time to review the basics of promoting communication device use. Join the webinar to learn how to promote your child's communication skills using a communication device. You will be able to ask questions and get feedback.​

REGISTER NOW!

Assistive Technology for Families: 

How SCATP Can Help

Date: April 23, 2020
Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. (EDT)
Cost: FREE!
Intended Audience: Parents and agency staff who serve people with disabilities, such as DSS, Family Connections, Guardian Ad Litem, and more.
Speakers: Carol Page, Alli Upchurch, and Tammy Wallace ​

Learn about the assistive technology activities, services and resources the staff of the SC Assistive Technology Program have to offer. Meet three team members and hear about how they provide access to and acquisition of assistive technology devices and equipment. Participants will be able to ask questions.

REGISTER NOW​!

Self-Paced Online Lessons for High School Students!

Keep your students and youth with disabilities 

engaged at home by participating in our virtual support services!

Hosted through Google Classrooms, each module has 6 individual lessons filled with engaging activities, videos with direct instruction on content and behavioral objectives measured at the end of each lesson. Look for weekly content to be released every Friday starting April 10, with all content available by May 1!

Topics include:

• Self-Advocacy (posted April 10)
• Work Readiness (posted April 10)
• Post-Secondary Exploration (posted April 10)
• Financial Literacy: Money 101 (posted April 17)
• Financial Literacy: Banking 101 (posted April 24)
• Self-Directed IEPs (posted May 1)

For more information on this program and other programs made possible by the SC Department of Education, go to www.able-sc.org/virtual-youth-support-services.

To register yourself or your students for the self-paced lessons for high school students, email us at youthteam@able-sc.org!

Able South Carolina

720 Gracern Road Suite 106 | Columbia, South Carolina 29210

803.779.5121 | advocacy@able-sc.org

Help us improve independent living services in SC!

Help make independent living services 

in South Carolina better!

The South Carolina Statewide Independent Living Council (SCSILC) is pleased to present the draft copy of the goals from the State Plan for Independent Living (SPIL) 2020-2022. The SPIL is a three-year plan that informs the goals, objectives and activities for how South Carolina will provide and improve independent living services for South Carolinians with disabilities.

We will be accepting public comments until May 2, 2020 through the link here!

If you have any questions or need any accommodations to complete the survey, please contact the SCSILC by telephone at 800-994-4322 or by email at SCSILC@SCSILC.org.

Your voice can make a difference in how people with disabilities receive services in the state!

Take the Survey

Webinar on Mental Health Self-Care

Supporting You in These Times

We are wishing you all the best during these times. Here is information from the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities: National Training Center about a webinar on Mental Health Self Care.

Register Here!

Download Flyer

NADD (800) 331-5362 ● info@thenadd.org ● www.thenadd.org

Contact us through Zoom!

Beginning Monday, April 13th SCATP 

will have virtual office hours

 Monday thru Friday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.  

Join us at our Zoom meeting room 

to ask assistive technology questions. 

Thank you and see you soon!

Carol A. Page, PhD, CCC-SLP, ATP Director

SC Assistive Technology Program

USC School of Medicine, CDR

Columbia, SC 29208

803.935.5301

www.sc.edu/scatp/

Assistive Technology Offers

EyeTech Digital Systems

www.eyetechds.com

Regional consultants are continuing to work to provide remote in-service demonstrations of our products to clinicians and ATP who are looking for speech generating devices and alternative access systems for their clients. And our Success Coaches continue to assist our customers with product knowledge and resources for customization, as well as strategies for communication success. We are all available by email, phone, and video conference.

Devices are available for short term loan to clinicians who need to perform evaluation assessments with clients. We can arrange to send clean, sanitized devices to clinicians, or directly to clients who are receiving remote assessments from their clinicians. We have regional consultants who can participate in remote sessions to help with positioning, device settings, and device use during those sessions.

Contact: AWeiss@eyetechds.com

TextHelp

Offers
We are providing free access to Fluency Tutor for all educators and students to the end of the school year. Fluency Tutor for Google helps students improve reading fluency while saving busy teachers valuable time. And because it's web-based, it's great for remote learning!  Existing customers can extend access to our full product suite to the end of the school year. 

For both of these offers, and any additional support, please visit: 
https://text.help/AT-RemoteLearningSupport

Informational videos: 
Playlist of videos on how our tools support a remote learning environment: https://text.help/RemoteLearningPlaylist

Contact:  kaitlyn@texthelp.com

CaptiVoice

https://www.captivoice.com/capti-site/

A literacy and learning platform.  CaptiVoice gives students access to numerous supports and customizations to help them build their vocabulary, comprehension, organization skills, and more! CaptiVoice supports all levels within a school from administrators, teachers, and students. It helps maintain compliance requirements and enables teachers to quickly differentiate material so they have more time to for their students.
Offers

CaptiVoice is offering reduced pricing until the end of the 19-20 school year.

Contact:  yevgen.borodin@team.captivoice.com

APH (American Printing House for the Blind)

Check out all the resources that have been compiled for you by APH.  Explore https://www.aph.org/athomewithaph-resources/ daily for their listings of free webinars, apps, and activities pertinent to students of all ages (including post-secondary) with vision disabilities.  Among the resources are accessibility tips for Zoom.

Contact:  info@aph.org
​

Please note: no endorsement of any products and/or accessibility is implied. 

Be More Assertive - FREE Online Training!

What does it mean to be assertive? 

Being assertive involves standing up for yourself in a way that encourages conversation rather than defensiveness. Register for a free online training on Monday, April 13 from 3-4 PM and learn about:

• passive vs. aggressive communication styles
• the importance of body language
• positive assertiveness

Register here!

Please make requests for accommodations 

as soon as possible by calling 

800-681-6805/TTY: 803-779-0949 

or emailing dtempio@able-sc.org.

COVID-19 Information for Families

COVID-19: Information for Families of Children and Youth 

with Special Health Care Needs

By: Dennis Z. Kuo, MD, MHS, FAAP 

& Cara Coleman, JD, MPH​

As COVID-19 continues to spread, children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN), may be at increased risk for complications. This includes children with chronic conditions, disabilities, and those with medically complex conditions. In addition, school and business closings may affect the availability of therapies and supports for these children. The impact is unknown but may be significant and long lasting.

There is currently no vaccine to prevent COVID-19. The AAP COVID-19 page has the latest advice and tips on what you can do to keep your ​​family healthy. ​​

Here are things that parents can do to keep themselves, their families, and their children with special health care needs safe during the COVID-19 outbreak:

Prepare your home

Hand washing is one of the most important ways to keep your child and your family protected from COVID-19. Put signs on your front door or on the door to your child's room to remind family members and caregivers to wash their hands often, for at least 20 seconds. Keep plenty of hand soap, tissues, wipes, and hand sanitizer on hand for everyone in your home to use. Make kits or hand washing stations, if needed.

​Clinic and therapy appointments

Talk to your pediatrician, specialists, therapists, or anyone else who cares for your child about any upcoming appointments. They can let you know if the appointments need to be delayed. If the decision is made to delay the appointment, be sure you know how to get ahold of your doctor if you have any concerns about your child's health or behavior.

If the appointment is still necessary, there may be changes in how your child will receives services such as getting lab draws in a different location or going to a separate waiting area to be seen. Your doctor may suggest other ways to meet, such as by phone, Skype, FaceTime, or another telehealth option.

For home health care and in-home therapy needs, reach out to the agencies that provide the care to make sure services can continue. You can also look into options such as video calls that allow your child to stay in touch with their physical therapist, for example, to talk about how to keep up their physical therapy activities at home.

Click here to read more!

Upcoming Webinars

UPCOMING WEBINARS 

Eschenbach

Wednesday, April 8, 2020 at 11AM Eastern 
Title: "Maximizing Reimbursement for Your Low Vision Services: Updated with Additional Coding Possibilities!" 
Speaker: Thomas I. Porter, OD, Director of Low Vision Services, St. Louis University, Department of Ophthalmology 
ALL EYECARE AND VISION REHAB PROFESSIONALS ARE INVITED!

Learn about the ways to maximize the reimbursement you receive from the low vision services you offer! Coding suggestions for both initial and follow-up exams will be provided along with additional codes that may be used for longer appointments or those done remotely.

Approved for 1 ACVREP CE Credit!
(Credit costs $15)
REGISTER NOW

Saltillo PRC

TouchChat AAC Communication App
April 7, 2020 at 3:00 PM Eastern
TouchChat - Part 1 (30 Minutes)
Get a brief overview of two vocabulary options (MultiChat 15 and WordPower™)
REGISTER NOW

April 8, 2020 at 3:00 PM Eastern
TouchChat - Part 2 
Learn to customize and edit buttons, create a new page, and  link a  button in your vocabulary.
REGISTER NOW

April 9, 2020 at 3:00 PM Eastern
TouchChat - Part 3 
Learn to update your TouchChat app with new software releases, back up your work, and transfer custom vocabulary files. Plus, you will learn about the TouchChat supports and implementation resources.
REGISTER NOW

Assistive Technology Industry Association           
April 15, 2020 at 12:00 PM Eastern
AAC Language Lab Implementation Strategies with Jane Odom 
Delve into lesson plans, activities, resources and learn on how to get started.

Hand Hygiene and SCI & a NEW Resources page!

We created a COVID-19 Resources page...

To help you all have the most up to date information and safety tips, 

we've added a new section to our Resources page.  

We will try to keep adding to it as new information become available.  

Let us know if you'd like us to add anything!

COVID-19 Resources

Free and Discounted Assistive Technology Supports

Freedom Scientific is offering those in the US and Canada a free home license of JAWS, ZoomText, or Fusion which will expire June 30, 2020.  “We know many of you must remain at home and will need to continue to work or attend school remotely. To ensure that your life remains accessible we are offering those in the US and Canada a Free Home License of JAWS, ZoomText, or Fusion which will expire June 30, 2020.” Learn more at this Freedom Scientific webpage.

Don Johnston, Inc, makers of literacy software relied on by many students throughout the US and abroad, is reaching out to schools, districts, and practitioners (OT, SLP, PT, AT, Educator, etc.) to request free access for students. This is the maker of Co:Writer, Snap&Read, and more. Both current, as well as new customers, are encouraged to request access. Parents may also get in touch with their schools for this purpose. Learn more at this Don Johnston, Inc. webpage.

Is there an AT tool you need access to at home to stay safe and productive during this stressful time? Contact your vendor and learn if they, too, are stepping up. After all, customer loyalty is built this way. Need help? Contact Carol Page, Program Manager of the SC Assistive Technology Program at carol.page@uscmed.sc.edu and 803-935-5301.

Also of interest: many AAC (communication) apps are going on sale in April for Autism Acceptance Month. Here is a document with links and pricing (thanks Lauren Schwartz Enders!)

RERC Survey on Wireless Device User Experiences

Seeking People with Disabilities to Take a Survey on 

Wireless Device User Experiences

The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Inclusive Technologies (Wireless RERC) announces the launch of its 2020 Survey of User Needs (SUN). The SUN is the Wireless RERC's cornerstone survey on wireless technology use by people with disabilities. Over 8,000 consumers have completed it with disabilities since it was first launched in 2001.

This latest version has been updated in response to changes in technology. In addition to questions about cell phone and tablet use, this latest version of the SUN collects information about wearables, "smart" home technologies, and other next-generation wirelessly connected devices. User responses will help designers and engineers make new wireless devices and services for people with disabilities. Data from the SUN also provides important information to the wireless industry, government regulators, and other researchers to help them make wireless technology more accessible and more useful to people with all types of disabilities.

If you have a disability, please consider taking this survey. If you know someone who has a disability, please forward the survey to them. Thank you! Select this link to take the 2020 Survey of User Needs