The University of OregonThe DeafNation Expo is the foremost touring trade show for, by, and about deaf people. DeafNation provides exhibitions and entertainment around the United States at no charge to the public. For more information visit http://deafnation.com/dnexpo/portland-or/
The first Friday of every month, the Eugene Coffee Company hosts a Silent Coffee Night for those who use sign language. The event is focused on people who are deaf or hard of hearing, however, it is open to anyone who is interested in practicing American Sign Language!
PEPNet provides resources and expertise that enhance educational opportunities for people who are deaf or hard of hearing–including those with co-occurring disabilities. PEPNet’s national outreach is coordinated through its four regional centers. At the local level, each state’s contact person is the gateway to the shared knowledge and best practices of the four regions. PEPNet regional centers work collaboratively to provide a broad variety of best practices & resources where and when you need them to enhance educational opportunities.
http://nichcy.org/s-l-i-8-tips-for-teachers
Do you have a student in your classroom who struggles with articulation, fluency, voice, or language? Is the student’s academic performance being negatively affected? This blog will give you 8 tips to help support students in your class who have speech or language impairments.
AAC on smartphones and tablets
TUAW (or The Unofficial Apple Weblog)
Articles and reviews about Apple’s portable technologies (iPad/iPhones) and AAC.
A collection of resources focused on augmented/alternative communication communication.
AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) Institute
We are a not-for-profit, charitable organization dedicated to the most effective communication for people who rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).
The two most important values expressed by people who rely on AAC are:
AAC services must honor these values of people who use AAC and their families. Achieving the goal of AAC (optimal communication & maximum potential) is best accomplished when the principles of evidence-based practice and performance measurement are used.
AAC Institute Self-Study Program
AAC Institute Self-Study Program (SSP) offers the opportunity to learn about various aspects of AAC that support the goal of the most effective communication possible for the individual. The courses allow individuals to work at their own pace. No fee is charged. There are no prerequisites. All AAC stakeholder groups can find value. All that is required is Internet access.
SSP courses are divided into modules. In general, each module is the prerequisite for the next module. Most modules are followed by a quiz. Each quiz must be passed (80% correct answers) before the following module can be accessed.
Augmentative Communication Inc. (ACI)
Augmentative Communication Inc. (ACI) publishes resources that help keep busy professionals and individuals with complex communication needs up-to-date on important developments in Augmentative and Alternative Communication.
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies assist people with severe communication disabilities to participate more fully in their social roles including interpersonal interaction, learning, education, community activities, employment, volunteerism, care management, and so on. This AAC website is designed to provide access to a wide range of information and resources related to the AAC effort. It is maintained by the Barkley AAC Center and the Munroe-Meyer Institute for Genetics and Rehabilitation at the University of Nebraska.
The Speechville Express web site is dedicated to those who struggle with communicating, as well as the parents and professionals that care for them. If your child has difficulty with speech, language, communication, or is a late talker, we hope you will find the website helpful. Our aim is to provide you with knowledge about available resources to help your child, or a child you care about who has a communication impairment or disorder.
Communication impairments are estimated to affect as many as one out every six people, and language disorders are often early predictors of learning disabilities. This is the first web site to comprehensively address language disorders, providing information for families so that they may minimize the effects on their children.
The Cherab Foundation is a world-wide nonprofit organization working to improve the communication skills and education of all children with speech and language delays and disorders. Our area of emphasis is verbal and oral apraxia, severe neurologically-based speech and language disorders that hinder children’s ability to speak.
The Cherab Foundation is committed to assisting with the development of new therapeutic approaches, preventions and cures to neurologically-based speech disorders. We bring together parents and medical, research, and educational professionals.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Connecting Young Kids (YAACK)
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Connecting Young Kids (YAACK) is a website that covers issues related to AAC and young children. Its purpose is to provide information and guidance to families, teachers, speech/language pathologists and anyone else who is involved with a child with special communication needs. It is intended to be easy to understand and practical, and to cover a wide range of topics dealing with AAC and AAC-related issues of children at various ages and stages of communication ability, and with different strengths, disabilities and learning characteristics.
Early Intervention and Young Children AAC Project
This website provides guidelines for early intervention to maximize the language and communication development of young children with special needs including:
The website provides guidelines for early intervention specifically designed for children with complex communication needs, including children with:
AAC-RERC is a Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center that functions as a collaborative research group dedicated to the development of effective AAC technology. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) refers to ways (other than speech) that are used to send a message from one person to another.
ConnSENSE Bulletin is dedicated to becoming your essential resource for the latest assistive technology news and information.
ConnSENSE is an acronym for Connecticut Special Education Network for Software Evaluation and was originally established in 1984 as a printed newsletter dedicated to reviewing and evaluating software for students with disabilities. The Bulletin was established as a dedicated website in 1999. Through the years the ConnSENSE website expanded its focus to include all types of assistive technology and has become an essential resource for professionals, individuals and families. It is currently accessed by over 23,000 individuals internationally.
United States Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (USSAAC)
United States Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (USSAAC) is dedicated to providing information and support on the issues, technology, tools and advancements within the world of AAC.
Accessible Technology Coalition AAC/ Speech Language Impaired Article Collection
Over three pages of links with everything from what to expect during and AAC evaluation to App reviews.
http://www.deafnative.com/home.htm
Preserves and carries out traditions, languages and cultures of First Nations deaf, deaf-blind and hard of hearing people. Provides information exchange, traditional and education activities, and awareness activities for non-Native and/or non-deaf people.
Captionfish is the Internet’s leading captioned movies search engine that finds open captioned, Rear Window® captioned, foreign/subtitled, and descriptively-narrated movies showing at theaters across the United States.
http://www.deafchildren.org/default.aspx
American Society for Deaf Children supports and educates families of Deaf and hard of Hearing children and advocates for high quality programs and services.
http://www.spedex.com/napvi/index.html
The National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments (NAPVI) is a non-profit organization of, by and for parents committed to providing support to the parents of children who have visual impairments. NAPVI is a core partner for the Families & Advocates Partnership for Education (FAPE) project spearheaded by the Parent Advocacy Coalition for Education Rights (PACER). Espanol.
NAPVI is a national organization that enables parents to find information and resources for their children who are blind or visually impaired, including those with additional disabilities. NAPVI provides leadership, support, and training to assist parents in helping children reach their potential.
NAPVI is dedicated to:
http://nationaldb.org/DB101.php
DB 101 is designed to introduce you to children who are deaf-blind. These brief tutorials provide information about the nature of deaf-blindness, the impact of combined vision and hearing loss on communication and social interactions, and the importance of individualized educational strategies and supports.
http://nationaldb.org/dbp/index.htm
Deaf-Blind Perspectives is a free publication with articles, essays, and announcements about topics related to people who are deaf-blind. Published two times a year (Spring and Fall) by The Teaching Research Institute of Western Oregon University, its purpose is to provide information and serve as a forum for discussion and sharing ideas. The intended audience includes deaf-blind individuals, family members, teachers, and other service providers and professionals.
http://www.nationaldb.org/index.php
National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB) is a national technical assistance and dissemination center for children and youth who are deaf-blind. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), NCDB builds on the technical assistance activities of NTAC, the information services and dissemination activities of DB-LINK and adds a third focus related to personnel training. Espanol.
http://www.aadb.org/index.html
The American Association of the Deaf-Blind (AADB) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) national consumer organization of, by, and for deaf-blind Americans and their supporters. “Deaf-blind” includes all types and degrees of dual vision and hearing loss. Our mission is to ensure that all deaf-blind persons achieve their maximum potential through increased independence, productivity, and integration into the community.
http://www.nfadb.org/home.html
National Family Association for Deaf-Blind (NFADB) is the largest nonprofit national organization of families of individuals who are deaf-blind.NFADB believes that individuals who are deaf-blind are valued members of society and are entitled to the same opportunities and choices as other members of their community
http://www.stutteringhelp.org/Default.aspx?tabid=4
Stuttering. This often misunderstood disability affects over three million Americans. And despite decades of research, both basic and clinical, the causes are still largely unknown.
The history of the Foundation is the story of how one person with a significant stutter led a successful life and made a lasting difference in the lives of others with the same disability.
In 1947, Malcolm Fraser, a young man in Memphis, Tennessee, decided to do what he could to help others who stutter. He knew about this disability from personal, often painful experience. He met with one of the foremost authorities of the day, Dr. Charles Van Riper, to discuss founding a nonprofit charitable organization to help those who stutter.
The organization Fraser founded became today’s Stuttering Foundation of America. Its goal was to provide the best and most up-to-date information and help available for the prevention of stuttering in young children and the most effective treatment available for teenagers and adults. Espanol.
http://www.hearinglossnation.org/
The Social Network for the Young and Hard of Hearing. HearingLossNation is a non-profit online community designed specifically for HoH individuals between the ages of 18 and 35.
http://www.hearinglossor.org/index.htm
Hearing Loss Association of Oregon., a non-profit organization, is dedicated to the well-being of people of all ages and communication styles who do not hear well.
http://oregonlionsfoundation.squarespace.com/
Since 1959, the Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation has taken an active role in protecting the health of Oregonians. Through seven direct service programs related to sight, hearing and health assistance, the Foundation has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of youths and adults in our state. We offer consistent access and critical health solutions to the most vulnerable members of our community who are uninsured or under insured.
Early Identification of Infants Who Are Deaf-Blind. This 2009 report from the National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness includes the results of a survey of state project directors and focus group interviews.
The Oregon Project for Services to Children & Youth Who Are Deafblind (Oregon Deafblind Project), funded by the U.S. Department of Education, is coordinated through the Oregon Department of Education. This program provides technical assistance in support of mandated early intervention and special education services to children and youth who are deafblind from birth through age 21.
Oregon Early Hearing Detection and Intervention
Visit this site for information about newborn hearing screening, resources for families, and links to screening facilities. The Oregon Resource Guide for Families of Children with Hearing Loss http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/ch/hearing/docs/EHDIguide.pdf is another valuable resource.
