Posted by Gillian McNeill on the 19th March, 2018
Today is the commencement of the law that entitles people in Scotland to communication equipment and the support required to use it. Often referred to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), if you need a communication aid, you should now be able to get one. What does this mean for users, ...
Posted by Gillian McNeill on the 2nd February, 2018
Your view is being sought by the Communication Access UK Project on which symbol you would like to see businesses and organisations throughout the UK use to show that communication access is supported there. The project consultation has reached a second stage and there's still an oppor...
Posted by Gillian McNeill on the 17th May, 2017
Today’s blog for National Digital Learning Week 2017 focuses on supporting communication. Last week at CALL we delivered a course on how to use iPads to support learners to develop their communication. We can and have provided a number of courses on this topic - this one focussed on using phot...
Posted by Gillian McNeill on the 23rd January, 2017
Are you interested in influencing new research into learning disability? Are you a service user, parent or carer with experience of learning disability? Participants are being sought for a research priority-setting workshop to be held in March, in London. The purpose, to identif...
Posted by Gillian McNeill on the 17th January, 2017
It’s not every day we get the chance to get up close and personal with the authors of picture books that our children love to read, but this great opportunity fell to me last week at the Bookbug Picture Book Prize Reception. This event was hosted in Edinburgh by the Scottish Book Trust (SBT) w...
Posted by Gillian McNeill on the 6th January, 2016
The Tools2Talk app from Scope in Australia has been one of our app favourites at CALL since September 2014 when we first purchased it. The app offered a quick and easy method for designing and printing symbol communication boards and resources using an iPad, whilst being inexpensive (£8.99) co...
Posted by Gillian McNeill on the 23rd November, 2015
Using Symbols to Support Communication – English as an Additional Language (EAL)? Have you considered using symbols to support pupils in school who do not have English as their first language? Although, symbol use is now established in our toolbox of strategies for supporting pupils with ...
Posted by Gillian McNeill on the 27th August, 2015
Free professional learning opportunity for anyone working in Health, Education, Social Services and Third Sector in Scotland, who would benefit from an Introduction to AAC. Download your booking form, with contact details for further information.
Posted by Gillian McNeill on the 27th August, 2015
The benefit of involving learners in shared reading and storytelling activities is widely recognised - for developing reading, writing, literacy, speech and for language. However, many learners with additional support needs (ASN), have difficulty accessing and using standard printed books, so h...
Posted by Gillian McNeill on the 13th July, 2015
Jobs in AAC are few and far between, so when one (well four actually) becomes available, it's worth sharing! The vacancies are at the Regional Communication Aids Service (RCAS), a specialist Electronic Assistive Technology Service based in Newcastle and covering the North...
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