October is Dyslexia Awareness Month
You can find Dyslexia resources for educators, school administrators, students, and their families on the Oklahoma ABLE Tech website. Consider borrowing an iPad from ABLE Tech to try books from Bookshare through the Device Loan Program.
Additional resources can be found on the State Department of Education - Special Education Services - Dyslexia Resources webpage.
Featured October Assistive Technology
Learn more about Assistive Technology (AT) for people of all ages on the ABLE Tech AT Discovery webpage.
It's Not Too Late!
ABLE Tech AT Assessment Workshops
If you missed Workshop 1 on September 16th but still want to join Workshops 2 and 3, please email Gretchen Cole-Lade at Gretchen.cole_lade@okstate.edu.
You still can join us for Workshop 2 on October 21st and Workshop 3 on November 18th. Get more information about the workshops at AT Support Team webpage.
- AT Assessment Part 1 – Consideration of Assistive Technology (AT)
- September 16, 2021- 8 am to 10 am - completed - AT Assessment Part 2 – Gathering Information and Trialing Devices 2021
- October 21, 2021 - 8 am to 2:15 pm - - AT Assessment Part 3 – AT in the IEP and Implementation
- November 18, 2021 – 8 am to 3:30 pm -
16th Oklahoma Transition Institute: Mapping the Future of Transition
Join us for three days of sharing, learning, networking, and planning.
Oklahoma Transition Institute is designed to help district/regional Transition Teams learn new information and develop plans to deliver coordinated transition services to the students they serve. It also includes collaborative meeting times for 35 transition teams comprised of agencies, schools, families, and advocates for those with disabilities.
Teams will learn, develop, improve, and implement plans that will grow their transition education/agency practices to meet and create transition plans for the upcoming year. The combination of workshops and collaborative planning meetings allows participants to gain information and discuss ways to use this information in local communities.
ABLE Tech will be presenting “Transitioning Assistive Technology (AT) and Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) with Students and Documenting AT/AEM in the IEP” on Wednesday, October 26th from 10 am to 11:15 am. Mark your calendars to attend!
Webinar Accessibility: If you require any accommodations to access this webinar, please register by Monday, October 4, 2021. For more information, contact Yolanda Scott at YolandaScott@cowib.org or 405-622-2026. Registration Link
Are your Emojis Accessible?
Do you know the difference between emojis and emoticons?
You should avoid using emoticons, whenever possible.
When a screen reader encounters an emoticon, it has difficulty understanding and conveying the meaning behind the series of text characters. Rather, use emojis, when a screen reader encounters an emoji, it reads the assigned meaning of the emoji to the person using the screen reader. For example, a thumbs-up emoji might read as "Thumbs-up” to someone using a screen reader.
Other suggestions:
- Resist using more than one or two emojis in your message.
- Place your emoji at the end of your message, never in the middle, and never in place of a word.
- Never place an emoji before a “call to action” or the purpose of the message (again, they go last).
- Choose emojis that are well understood by all or keep in mind your audience. Avoid ambiguity. (Prayer hands mean thank you? Or pray?)
- As with text, consider adequate contrast of the emoji you choose against its background. Remember your message may be read in either dark or light modes. (Yellow is safe.)
It’s a curious thing, after years of inaccessible graphics, to have arrived at a moment where little, tiny cartoons are more accessible than messages created by text, but that is the upshot of emojis vs. emoticons. Progress! Emojis win.
Now let’s learn how to use them.
For more great tips such as this one, visit the AT3 Center News & Tips Blog
Oklahoma AT Center Locations and Partners
ABLE Tech and its partners operate device demonstration and loan programs to increase access to AT.
- Alzheimer’s Association, Oklahoma Chapter
Oklahoma City, 405.319.0780 - The Children’s Center Rehabilitation Hospital
Bethany, 405.789.6711 - Handicapped Vehicle Services Unlimited
Tulsa, 918.622.8400 - Indian Nations Council of Governments,
Area Agency on Aging
Tulsa, 918.579.9477 - Kiamichi Economic Development District
Wilburton, 918.465.2367 - Moore Autism Center
Moore, 405.735.8478
- Newby-Vance Mobility
Guthrie, 405.518.0167 - NewView Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, 405.521.4880
Tulsa, 855.811.9699 - OSU – Dept of Communication
Sciences & Disorders
Stillwater, 405.744.6021 - SoonerStart
Oklahoma City, 405.271.8333 - United Access (Mobility)
Oklahoma City, 888.939.1010
Oklahoma State University
1514 W. Hall of Fame
Stillwater, OK 74078
Phone: 800.257.1705
Email: abletech@okstate.edu