24 February 2005 AAC Institute Update

www.aacinstitute.org

AAC Institute Update!

*** The AAC Institute is a 501c3 not-for-profit charitable organization dedicated to the most effective communication for people who rely on AAC (augmentative and alternative communication). One service of the AAC Institute is to provide periodic announcements of interest to those involved in the field of AAC. Approximate average frequency of messages is one per one to two months. If you wish to be removed from the AAC Institute announcement list, simply reply with a message to that effect. ***

This update has eleven (11) items. Please forward to others with an interest in AAC. Others can register for email updates at the AAC Institute web site.

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1) AAC Parents Google Group

The AAC Parents Google Group has been established. This is a discussion group intended just for parents and family members of individuals who use AAC. Robin Hurd, Parents' Corner columnist, is the moderator. Please direct parents and other family members to the Parents' Corner link at the AAC Institute web site home page.

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2) USSAAC / CSUN Conference
The 2005 USSAAC Biennial Conference is being held March 17-19 in conjunction with the CSUN Conference. The theme is "Today's Dreams Becoming Tomorrow's Realities." Highlights include the USSAAC/Shout Town Hall Forum, the Bubbly Ball, the President's Breakfast, and the USSAAC membership meeting and awards ceremony, and of course many presentations. A limited number of travel scholarships are available to assist people who use AAC.

Plan now to visit the AAC Institute exhibit booth: #514 in the Hilton.

For more information, visit. http://www.ussaac.org/pages/conference.html.

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3) AAC Day in Virginia
USSAAC, ISAAC, and the Speech and Hearing Association of Virginia invite you to AAC Day on March 16 in Charlottesville, Virginia. ISAAC Executive Committee members will be presenting as well as Robin Hurd, AAC Institute Parents' Corner columnist.

For more information, visit http://www.shav.org/annual.htm and click on the link to the AAC Pre-Conference.

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4) CSUN Assistive Technology Applications Certificate Program (ATACP)
The Center on Disabilities at California State University - Northridge offers the ATACP in two formats: Traditional and FastTrax. The next offering is a FastTrax session on March 14 and 15, immediately preceding the CSUN Conference. For additional information, go to www.csun.edu/cod.

The Traditional ATACP activity is offered for 3.0 CEUs (Intermediate level; Professional area). The FastTrax ATACP activity is offered for 1.5 CEUs (Intermediate level; Professional area).

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5) Third Annual Symposium on AAC Evidence-Based Practice
The Third annual Symposium on AAC Evidence-Based Practice will be held Thursday August 4, 2005. The theme is Honoring the Values of Families and People who use AAC. The venue is the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. For more information, visit the Symposium page ( http://www.aacinstitute.org/Resources/Symposium/2005/symposiumannouncement.html ) on the AAC Institute web site. The Symposium immediately precedes the 2005 Pittsburgh Employment Conference (PEC) (see next item). This activity is available for 0.6 ASHA CEUs.

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6) Pittsburgh Employment Conference for Augmented Communicators (PEC)
The Pittsburgh Employment Conference, considered by some to be the most significant event in the field of AAC, is the largest gathering of people who use AAC in the world. PEC will be August 5-7, 2005 at the Sheraton Station Square in Pittsburgh. For additional information, go to http://www.sciconics.com. ASHA CEUs will be provided.

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7) 2005 ASHA AAC Student Paper Awards
Now is the time to consider submitting a paper for the ASHA AAC Student Scientific Paper competition. The deadline for the ASHA Call for Papers is April 7, 2005. Selection of recipients is made by a committee of the ASHA Division on Augmentative Communication. Information on the awards program is available at http://www.aacinstitute.org/Resources/ASHAStudentAwards/ashastudentawards.html . The awards are sponsored by AAC Institute.

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8) 2005 ASHA Prentke Lecture
Nominations are being accepted for the 2005 Edwin and Esther Prentke AAC Distinguished Lecture. This lecture, generally presented by a person who uses AAC, is a highlight of the annual ASHA Convention AAC program. Selection of the lecturer is made by a committee of the ASHA members and previous recipients. An honorarium of $1000 is provided. Information on the awards program is available at http://www.aacinstitute.org/ashaprentkelecture.html.

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9) 2005 ALS Conference
The 2005 Leadership Development and ALS Clinical Conference is scheduled for March 11 & 12 in St. Louis, Missouri. AAC Institute Executive Director Katya Hill, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, will be presenting and participating on a panel devoted to communication issues. Information on the conference is available at http://www.alsa.org/healthcare/conference.cfm.

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10) KU AAC Funding Opportunity for Students
The Speech-Language-Hearing: Sciences and Disorders program at the University of Kansas has been awarded a grant to support a clinical training program for 20 graduate students in the area of augmentative and alternative communication. The graduate students will work with students, their parents, and their teachers in the Lawrence schools. The program will begin in the fall 2005 semester. Information on this opportunity is available at http://www.ku.edu/~splh/AAC/ .

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11) 2004 Corporate Sponsors
Many organizations, including AAC manufacturers and publishers, are providing support to the AAC Institute. Gold and Silver level sponsors include Prentke Romich Company, and Semantic Compaction Systems. For a complete list of corporate sponsors, including links to their web sites, click on the "Corporate Sponsors" link on the AAC Institute home page.