Want to know what’s new in our world? Check out new technologies we’ve worked on and what we've recently published, posted, produced, and participated in.

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Publications:

Low-tech Visual Scenes Templates: Available Online
Based on article by Kristy S. E. Weissling and David R. Beukelman

Research and development work at the University of Nebraska has resulted in Low Tech Visual Scene Templates you can download at http://aac.unl.edu/ and www.aac-rerc.com.  Based on research at the University of Nebraska, these tools are available for individuals with cognitive-linguistic impairments who require visual supports to enhance communication, memory and participation.

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A look at Telework
By Lauren Baxter, AAC-RERC Writers Brigade

AAC-RERC partner David McNaughton and his research team at Pennsylvania State University are investigating the increasingly common practice of telework, as an employment opportunity for people with complex communication needs. Telework refers to duties that are performed outside a typical work place, usually via the Internet. Given it virtual nature, telework offers a convenient option for some people who rely on AAC. The research considers both the positives and negatives. [FULL STORY]

Communication Performance Assessment: Monitoring & Simulating: Towards Better Communications Devices
By Mick Joyce, AAC-RERC Writers Brigade

The project, “Communication Performance Assessment: Monitoring & Simulating AAC Device Use,” at the University of Buffalo sheds light on some barriers to effective communication using word prediction systems and other short-cut schemes to reduce the number of keystrokes. Their results suggest that designers and developers keep in mind the total picture of communication interactions, in conjunction with constructing words and sentences, when they are developing AAC technologies.
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****************************************************************************Staff Presentations: January to June ‘07

AAC-RERC partners continue on the presentation trail. This quarter took us to India and Atlanta and Florida on the East Coast. In March we’ll be in Los Angeles at CSUN/USSAAC and then to Phoenix in June for RESNA.
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A Fulbright Scholar in India

Diane Bryen, director of Temple’s Institute on Disabilities, traveled in January 2007 to the Indian Institute on Cerebral Palsy in Kolkata to deliver a series of workshops on “Daring to Dream,” a group process for people with significant disabilities that helps them to identify their goals and establish a vision for their future.
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