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Return to Infogrip's Text Web Site Get A Grip! Infogrip, Inc. Assistive Technology Newsletter Alternative Assessment Workshop IDEA mandates that all students be included in each state’s accountability measures. If standardized inventories, even with accommodations, are not appropriate to measure some learner’s performances, how do we comply with IDEA, including learners in meaningful, appropriate assessment? Stages is a set of accessible activities for alternate assessment strategies, supporting the adaptive access, and is a tool for collecting primary evidence from learners with intensive needs. Infogrip will be sponsoring a workshop on computer based alternate assessment on October 30, 2002 in Orange County, California near Irvine. This workshop will present a framework of language and cognitive development, software tools to assess each level within the framework and system for selecting appropriate software. The workshop will feature Stages and many other software programs blending assessment and curriculum for school based team members. The workshop will be given by Madalaine Pugliese who authored the software and has over 27 years of experience in public education. She is a nationally recognized speaker. Contact Susan Leech at 800-397-0921 or susan@infogrip.com for more information.
Infogrip Partners with Wheels for Humanity Infogrip has partnered with Wheels for Humanity to bring assistive technology products to the world by assisting in collecting donated AT products. We will collect assistive technology products – unused, outdated or abandoned. Wheels for Humanity collects used wheelchairs. Partnering with other relief and development agencies, they restore and distribute them at no cost to people who need them in places where wheelchairs are not available. They work with community leaders in the villages and towns of developing countries to identify those in greatest need of our help. With the assistance of a health care professional, a therapist and a rehabilitation seating specialist, each recipient is matched up with the wheelchair that best fits his or her needs. Through contacts with developing countries throughout the world, we will distribute the AT products at no cost to the individuals who need them in places where assistive technology products are unattainable luxuries. Using assistive technology practitioners and therapists, each product will be matched to a disabled person and training will be provided to the user, family and/or institution.
The British Invasion of Assistive Technology Two very exciting products are available through Infogrip that are from the United Kingdom.
Clicker is software that will help you implement universal design for learning in your school. It can be graded from pre-reading to elaborate multi media. You can make talking books, web pages and multimedia presentations. The program contains Clicker Writer which is a talking word processor with a talking spell checker with pictures. You can also purchase add-ons such as Clicker Animations. An additional add-on is Picture Exchange Systems Symbols with ready made communication grids.
Roller II is a new line of switch adapted trackballs and joysticks from Penny and Giles. They have three switch ports on the back of the units for left, right and drag clicking. Included with the joystick are two alternative handles, sponge ball and T-bar. The units work on both Windows and Macintosh compatible computers.
Susan Leech, MOT, OTR Joins Infogrip The newest member of the Infogrip family is Susan Leech who joined us in March of this year. She has worked almost 20 years as a school based occupational therapist and assistive technology specialist for a variety of different school districts in Maryland, Washington, DC, Texas and California. In our continued effort to meet the needs of our customers Susan is developing trainings and seminars on assistive technology products and issues. She is also available for OT and assistive technology evaluations. She currently is pursuing a doctorate in Educational Technology from Pepperdine University. Please contact her if you are interested in staff development or have any product questions. We are hopeful that expanding our service in the area of education will further Infogrip towards the goal of increasing awareness and use of assistive technology products. New Products This new switch interface is very similar to Don Johnston, Inc.’s Switch Interface Pro. However, the new USB Switch Interface is fully USB compliant. Just plug it in and your ready to go! No software required and it works with Win and Mac computers. Xyberkids $4995 Augmentative Communication with the Power of Computing! XyberKids empowers students with communication challenges, bringing them the power of a desktop computer in a wearable package. The XyberKids solution has been developed around a functional, lightweight wearable computer, the Mobile Assistant, designed to boost your student’s rate of learning and communication ability. Hot Buys!
Infogrip, Inc. 1794E Main ST Ventura, CA 93001 Phone 805-652-0770 Toll Free 800-397-0921 Fax 805-652-0880 Email info@infogrip.com
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