Dr. Glen Tellis

The conference is intended for professionals in speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and special education who work with children and adults who have moderate to severe speech impairments. It will also be useful to people who regularly talk people who use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) either on the job or in daily life, including educators, caregivers, and family members who communicate face-to-face, over the telephone, or by computer with people who are not able to speak for themselves.

The Assistive Technology Research Institute (ATRI) at Misericordia University is a nationally recognized resource that provides information and education in the use of assistive technology and universal design principles to allow people with limited function to participate in their personal lives and in their communities to the greatest extent possible.

Conference coordinators Glen Tellis, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Misericordia University Speech-Language Pathology Department; and Denis Anson, director of research and development of ATRI, have collaborated to bring together three nationally recognized AAC experts. The guest lecturers are:

Bruce Baker, L.H.D., an adjunct professor of augmentative communication at the University of Pittsburgh, has presented numerous Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America instructional courses. He was also the chair and presenter for the session on AAC at the 21st International Conference on the Computer Processing of Oriental Languages in 2006 in Singapore. Dr. Baker will present four sessions: “Core Vocabulary Lightens Loads in the Classroom,’’ that focuses on language growth and development; “Teaching Language with Pictures,’’ a discussion of language issues and networked pictorial representation; “The Nature of Language,’’ looks at how categorization and word linking can help students with serious speech impairments; and “Language Acquisition for AAC Users of All Levels,’’ explains how Brown's Language Stages can be used in relationship to AAC.

Karen Fallon, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, assistant professor, department of audiology, speech-language pathology, and deaf studies, Towson University, teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the areas of language disorders, language development, AAC, and clinical methods. Her presentation, “Literacy and AAC: Practical Suggestions to Facilitate the Development of Reading & Writing Skills,’’ focuses on issues pertaining to literacy development for individuals who use AAC with an emphasis on practical suggestions for improving literacy skills in individuals with severe speech impairments.

Beth A. Mineo, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and a Senior Scientist at the University of Delaware’s Center for Applied Science and Engineering. Dr. Mineo also directs the Delaware Assistive Technology Initiative, Delaware’s AT Act Program, and works with the Delaware Department of Education promoting curricular access for all students. Her presentation, “Picture It: The Power of Visually-based Language Representation,” will sensitize attendees to a variety of picture access issues and explore the impact of color, fidelity, and animation on understanding and use of pictured information.

The conference fee of $130 per person includes continental breakfast and lunch, and offers continuing education credits. Both an alumni rate and a special group rate of three or more from the same organization is $100 per person.

Enrollment is limited. Registration deadline is May 15. To register, please contact the Misericordia Center for Adult and Continuing Education at 1-866-262-6363, option 4 twice, or 570-674-6161, or e-mail atri@misericordia.edu. For complete workshop descriptions, please log on to atri.misericordia.edu.