Kiva Friends Wanting to Help Other Kiva Friends...& Maybe Friends of Theirs, Too

[Guest]

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[Jill]

And, of course, anybody else, who might benefit from the information.

I saw that both Patricia and Petra expressed interest in the possible benefits of using I-Pads with people who have autism.  I’ve been doing a fair amount of reading on the subject of I-Pads and how they’ve opened up “new worlds” for people with different kinds of disabilities.   Rather than post back in the Anything Goes thread, which is wonderful but which operates, sometimes, as a big black hole if you ever want to try to find anything, I’m creating this thread which people can use when they might be seeking guidance on non-Kiva related questions.


There’s a particular app for I-Pads which has been like a godsend, apparently, especially for parents of not-super-verbal kids with autism, and for people with other disabilities, too.  It’s called Proloquo2Go.  I first just happened to catch a Google News article on it and was interested because I have a friend who lost his speech due to a stroke.  The day after I read that article, just by chance*, I was goofing around at Donors Choose and saw that one of my favorite teachers had just put in a request for funding an I-Pad with that app for his hospital school in Valhalla, New York.

That particular funding request has already been fulfilled, but you might be interested in reading what he had to say about the I-Pad and that app.  Note, too, that he mentioned a guy by the name of RJ Cooper, whom you can google.  The teacher describes Cooper as a “guru in adaptive equipment.”
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=385234&verify=290234064

Rather than go totally crazy with the million links I found when researching that app and the I-Pad, I’ll just give you the generic link in google searching for “I-Pad” + Proloquo2go.
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=proloquo2go+autism&aq=6&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=proloquo&gs_rfai=CH9Ci68RpTJH-OoL-jQOA1ozyCAAAAKoEBU_Qm388&fp=ec903f46ceabe964

I also recall that there are some great youtube videos of service dogs working “miracles” with autistic kids.  I might have even posted one in the Animal thread, but am not sure if I just thought about posting it or actually did.

Anyway, I hope your friends can get some help with their kids, Patricia and Petra.  Only a tiny bit related, there's a really great musical, of all things, about autism.  I think it's called, Autism, the Musical.  If I can find a link to it quickly, I'll be back with it.
Best,
Jill

http://www.amazon.com/Autism-Musical-Elaine-Hall/dp/B0012XIGZ0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1282001342&sr=8-1
http://www.takepart.com/news/2008/03/26/autism-the-musical-an-hbo-film-on-an-autistic-childrens-theater

EDIT: * I know nobody cares but it turns out that that time I was goofing around at Donors Choose, it wasn't just by chance.  Mona had e-mailed me about Mr. Desimone having another project, and she knew I would probably be interested.  Wanted to give credit where credit was due.  Thanks again, Mona.

[Patricia SF]

Rather than post back in the Anything Goes thread, which is wonderful but which operates, sometimes, as a big black hole if you ever want to try to find anything, I’m creating this thread which people can use when they might be seeking guidance on non-Kiva related questions.

Thank you very much Jill!  You are truly a class act with a BIG heart! 

[David2051]

I’ve been doing a fair amount of reading on the subject of I-Pads and how they’ve opened up “new worlds” for people with different kinds of disabilities.  

That's great to hear.  My best friend is legally blind and his thought was that the iPad would be useless for anyone with visual disabilities.  I'm glad to hear that they are helping some people so much.

[Jill]

I have this curiosity that doesn't quit.  It's been a source of lifetime pleasure for me.

David, when I read your post, because of that curiosity, and, oh yeah, the luxury of time that I have right now, I just went and googled, first, "Proloquo2go +blindness  and then, after, "I-Pad" + blindness

I came across the following which may or may not be useful. If you read the article, you will know as much, actually more, than I do, because I just skimmed it real fast.

The iPad could be the best mobile accessibility device on the market
“…what is now available on the iPad dramatically shows how far the field of assistive technology has progressed. ATMac, posted a round-up  of disabled user's experiences with the iPad, which according to the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in the UK was found to be highly accessible and probably the best mobile device on the market.

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) has commended Apple for including VoiceOver capability in the iPad allowing just about everything displayed on the screen to be read aloud. This enables blind users to use the device as soon as it's taken out of the box, and proves that touchscreen devices need not be a limitation to the blind. Using VoiceOver, every action from screen dim, to screen lock is spoken along with built in hints. The implementation of what would be useful to the blind community is effective and useful…”

Also, Petra and Patricia, when I was doing that search, I happened, also, to come across this. I don't know if there would be anything of value to your friends here or not.
(And thanks, Patricia, for the nice strokes.  We all like to get 'em sometimes, don't we?!).
10 Revolutionary iPad Apps to Help Autistic Children

[David2051]

Thanks, Jill!

I'll make sure he gets this article.  He has wanted a laptop for some time and has tried but just couldn't manage them.  Maybe this is just the thing?   

[Antonia]

Jill.......you're such a blessing to Kiva Friends and so inspiring - I am honoured to "know" you 
I tip my hat on you.
Hugs,
Antonia

[iampaul]

There’s a particular app for I-Pads which has been like a godsend, apparently, especially for parents of not-super-verbal kids with autism, and for people with other disabilities, too.  It’s called Proloquo2Go.

One of my wife's students a couple of years ago received a DynaVox augmentative communications device. It's a very heavy and expensive box that took both of us quite a few hours to begin to figure out how to get it set up for her student. As much of a godsend as it was to this child, her teachers and I all stumbled over a number of shortcomings and counter-intuitive issues.

I'm an early iPad adopter and love the thing. I showed this info to my wife and she also became quite excited by it as she looked over the screen shots and other info on Proloquo2go. It seems she is getting another student this year who will be using a DynaVox - the school district already bought one for her, unfortunately.

Anyway, as averse as the district can be to change, she's going to see if she can push this info in front of the right people to stir up some interest in a trial. It's hard to say what people will think of the relative sturdiness of an iPad compared to a DynaVox. From my own experience over the past few months I think it's a lot tougher than it looks - given a case, screen protection and cushioning comparable to what is used on a DynaVox. It will be interesting to see if she can stir up some support for the attempt.

Paul

[Jill]

It really pleased me to read your post, Paul.  

Listen, if your wife is going to investigate the feasibility of using an I-Pad with the app, Proloquo2go or for anything else, she may want to check out RJ Cooper’s website, the adaptive (assistive) technology expert that that Donors Choose hospital school technology teacher, Mr. Desimone, turned me onto. She might even want to try communicating with Mr. Desimone, himself, as he clearly was intent on exploiting the I-Pad and whatever apps are available that will help the disabled, to the fullest.

If you click on the link, you’ll see that RJ Cooper has developed all kinds of protective and other auxiliary equipment to enhance the usefulness not only of I-Pads but of other things as well.  When you think about the fact that some of the people for whom I-Pads and these other contraptions may be of the most benefit are very possibly going to be either excitable or careless kids or individuals who don’t have a lot of control over the movement of their limbs (if they can even move their limbs at all), some kind of protection or enhancement would almost for sure be helpful, and possibly even essential.

Hope it turns out to be a good deal for your wife and her students.
Best,
Jill