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What:
The webinar will cover the background and problem identification related to the individual, the environment and the technology. The Child's abilities and needs will be thoroughly presented and clearly linked to impairment, functional goal/IEP and environment. A feature match will provide evidence that several options are considered. Selected technologies will be listed with justification as to why the technology is best for the patient. Documentation will be provided to describe optimization for the devices and training for child and support team. Future needs will also be addressed for follow-up and future anticipated needs will be listed.

When:
Monday, November 11, 2013             
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Mountain

Cost:
$28.00 RESNA Members, $40.00 Non-Members

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What:
Learn about iPad apps for students in early childhood such as EDA Play, Peek-a-Boo Barn, Pictello and Talkboard with additional insight on switch access and adaptations for children with visual impairments using the iPad. 

When:
Thursday, December 5th 2013
2:30 pm Mountain

Cost:
No cost

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What:
EASI presents Jared Smith, of WebAIM which is a consulting and training firm that has great resources for web access. EASI says "WebAIM, like many others in this field, are moving their focus to what will make the Web a more usable experience rather than merely stressing technical standards. Technical guidelines puts the focus on the technical designer--and this is important. Useability puts the end user in the center of the process. It is the user's ability to use a page easily and efficiently which is even the reason for the standards."

When:
Thursday, November 14, 2013
12:00 pm Mountain

Cost:
No cost

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What:
EASI presents Technology accessibility specialist Terrill Thompson, who will share a few simple steps that anyone can take to improve the accessibility and usability of their websites and electronic documents.

When:
Monday, November 18, 2013
12:00 pm Mountain

Cost:
No cost

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What:
Sometimes additional editing is needed to get your PDF fully accessible. This session will look at the Table and Form Editors, changing reading order for assistive devices, and new features in Acrobat XI. Participants should have a basic understanding of accessible PDF principles such as tagging and navigational structure.

When:
Thursday, November 21, 2013
12:00 pm Mountain

Cost:
No cost

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What:
EASI presents Ken Petri discussing Recent Accessibility Enhancements to YouTube

When:
Monday, December 2, 2013
12:00 pm Mountain

Cost:
No cost

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What:
In 2010, the Board's Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) for Section 508 proposed to incorporate the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (also known as WCAG 2.0) for evaluating the accessibility of electronic documents. WCAG 2.0 is published and maintained by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and is the internationally recognized standards for web accessibility. This session will provide examples of how the WCAG success criteria can be used to catch accessibility barriers in office documents, and also how the word processor has the capacity to include accessibility features in documents. Presented by the ADA National Network.

When:
Thursday, December 5th, 2013
12:30 pm Mountain

Cost:
No cost

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What:
According to CAST: "Universal Design for Learning is a set of principles for curriculum development that give all individuals equal opportunities to learn. UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone--not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs." Jen will give examples of multiple means of:

    representation; how you show what you are teaching
    expression; how students show what they're learning
    engagement: how you "hook" students.

She'll talk about lessons that flexibly address a variety of materials, classroom conditions, staff, and students, and the benefits for UDL/technology integration from an AT standpoint.

When:
Thursday, November 21, 2013
2:00 pm Mountain

Cost:
No cost

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What:
AbleNet University presents Padmaja Sarathy, MA, Author & Educational Consultant.Educators and parents are always challenged as to how best to meet the significant and extensive needs of children with severe and multiple disabilities. This is one in a series of five workshops is designed to provide techniques, tools and tips that are easy-to-implement to expect higher levels of performance from these children and reduce the barriers imposed by cognitive, communication and motor difficulties.

When:
Thursday, December 5, 2013
10:00 pm Mountain

Cost:
No cost

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What:
AbleNet University presents Susan Berkowitz, M.S.,C.C.C,SLP. This webinar speaks to the unique challenges of working with adolescents and adults who live in group homes for persons with developmental disabilities.  You will look at the variety of communicative functions and behaviors exhibited and the drawbacks of the structure of these settings.  We will talk about shaping of actions, use of no tech and low tech options, and even some high tech possibilities through Medicaid funding.

When:
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
10:00 pm Mountain

Cost:
No cost

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What:
Many students and adults struggle with productivity skills -- the ability to effectively manage time, get started, stay focused, organize, plan, and analyze problems.  Merely "trying harder" won't help, but "trying different" can. This webinar will demonstrate how technology, coupled with appropriate strategies, can improve these executive function skills.

When:
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
4:30 pm Mountain

Cost:
No cost

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What:
AbleNet University presents Michelle Lange, OTR, ABDA, ATP/SMS. Switch Mounting Systems position and secure a switch at a desired location. Evaluation mounting systems can be quickly attached to a variety of surface sizes and shapes and accommodate multiple types of switches to determine the best switch location. Once a final switch site has been identified, permanent switch mounts can be used to provide consistent positioning for development of switch motor and scanning skills. This Webinar will review the importance of consistent switch placement and product options.

When:
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
10:00 pm Mountain

Cost:
No cost

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What:
No registration required.

When:
Monday, November 18, 2013
12:00 pm Mountain

Cost:
No cost

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What:
AbleNet University presents this session with Michelle Lange, OTR, ABDA, ATP/SMS. Assistive technology can be accessed directly or indirectly by switch, mouse, eyegaze or voice. This webinar will present assessment strategies to determine the optimal switch location and switch type to provide access. A switch site hierarchy will be presented along with clinical indicators for a variety of potential switch locations. A wide array of mechanical and electrical switches will also be discussed.

When:
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
10:00 pm Mountain

Cost:
No cost

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What:
Learn the basics and compare the various online flashcard websites and apps. There are many great free resources to help your students study quickly and easily.   This webinar is from PATINS.

When:
Monday, November 18, 2013
8:00 am Mountain

Cost:
No cost

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What:
AbleNet University presents this session with Kirk Behnke. Goals, Methods, Materials and Assessments are the cornerstones of good instruction, especially for a diverse classroom. Our classrooms are made up of students who come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, socio-economic settings and possess a multitude of abilities. As educators, we should be providing flexible options and multiple ways for our students to absorb process and show information. Come learn about Universal Design for Learning which is a set of principles for curriculum development that give all students equal opportunities to learn.

When:
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
10:00 am Mountain

Cost:
No cost

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What:
AbleNet University presents this session with Kirk Behnke. Explore some of the current issues and trends surrounding assistive technology devices and services for public schools and districts. Current technology-related issues are catching the attention of many state and local education agencies with the development of operational guidelines surrounding implementation and development of technology in general. AT tools, devices and services are being interwoven into the fabric of least restrictive environment (LRE) to afford access to the general curriculum and instructional materials for all students. 

When:
Thursday, November 7th, 2013
10:00 am Mountain

Cost:
No cost

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Download the flyer for this event

What:
This picture exchange communication system (PECS) is used to rapidly teach communication skills to those with limited functional speech. PECS promotes communication within a social context without lengthy prerequisite train-ing. Training in PECS begins by teaching a spontaneous request and goes on to teach additional communicative functions such as responding to questions and commenting. An added attraction for preschool children with autism and related disabilities is the high proportion of children who acquire independent speech. Participants will learn how to implement the six phases of PECS, plus attributes through presenter demonstration, video examples and role play opportunities. Participants will leave the workshop with an understanding of how to implement PECS for the individuals with autism, related developmental disabilities and/or limited communication skills.

When:
December 12-13, 2013
7:30 am - 4:00 pm Mountain

Where:
Fifth Avenue Christian Church
2015 5th Ave.
Havre, MT 59501

Cost:
There is no charge for this training. There is a charge for materials. The PECS manual is $69.00 and the handout is $6.75. See flyer for details.

What:
The Montana Office of Public Instruction is happy to announce that a series of DVD Video Conferences and other interpreter training materials from Boys Town and Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) are now available to be checked-out by interpreters, teachers of the deaf and other people with interest in the education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

How to borrow the DVDs:
The OPI library loans materials to other libraries and not to individual borrowers. To borrow the DVDs, please contact your local school or public library to request any of the titles below. The EIPA Video Conference series will be circulated as a set (4 DVDs) for each year. The interpreting series (2 DVDs) will be cataloged as elementary and secondary. Because OPI will be granting renewal credits and needs verification of circulation, the Resource Center will send a letter on OPI letterhead to the borrowing library with the DVD(s) verifying the DVD title(s) was checked out. The borrowing library will fill in the patron's name and give the letter to the patron with the loaned DVD(s). It will be the patron's responsibility to present the letter to OPI for Renewal Units (CEUs). The videos will be loaned on a "first-come, first-served" basis for a period of 2 weeks. Renewals after the two-week period will be granted if there is no waiting list.

Available DVD Titles:

    EIPA Video Conference DVD from November 17, 2012 - Techniques for comprehending fingerspelling and non-manual information.
    EIPA Video Conference DVD from January 12, 2013 - Language clarity techniques in discourse:  looking at the language expansion features.
    EIPA Video Conference DVD from March 2, 2013 - Ethical decision making:  what do I do now?
    EIPA Video Conference DVD from May 4, 2013 - Space & classifier