Help me give my students with severe impairments these basic materials to help them succeed in the academic setting including a Ablenet Powerlink that attaches to communication devices to make any electronic usable for my students!
I am a dedicated speech-language pathologist working with students who have cognitive impairments, emotional impairments and severe multiple impairments. Many of my students use augmentative and alternative communication to express themselves, such as iPad apps, switches and PODD communication books.
Many of my students are from low-income homes and I want to do everything I can to help them succeed academically and communicate effectively to build connections with peers and adults!
My students are dedicated to their education and try their best in speech therapy. No matter what they may be going through, they bring the best version of themselves to speech therapy and are truly inspiring. All of the materials donated to my kids will be truly appreciated and used to work toward their communication goals.
My Project
The majority of my caseload contains students who are nonverbal and use Augmentative and Alternative Communication to express themselves. The Ablenet Powerlink is a basic necessity for them to be able to use any electronic device. For example, if I plug a blender into the powerlink and attach a switch that a student normally uses to communicate, it transforms the blender into a switch adapted appliance. My students can activate the switch and independently use a blender. Although this does not seem like a basic material such as pencils, with my students who have severe communication deficits, it's essential for creating opportunities for them to succeed. Another basic material that my students need is velcro. We velcro visuals to students desks, communication devices to students wheelchairs etc. It's an essential material for our students.
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