Augmentative Communication and Adults with Degenerative Diseases

FREE Special Report from PRC: Augmentative Communication and Adults with Degenerative Diseases. This report explains how Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) can help adults with degenerative diseases maintain their highest level of communication for as long as possible.

Download the PDF here: http://www.prentrom.com/images/pdf/degenerativediseases.pdf

Dianne Laurine, of Grace Productions, addresses a class on Awareness Day

Dianne Laurine, founder of Grace Productions, an advocacy video company, uses a communication device when making a presentation to a college class in this video, “Awareness Day”. 
http://peopleworking.wikispaces.com/Dianne+of+Grace+Productions

Peopleworking – Dianne Laurine of Grace Productions

“Dianne started her business Grace Productions, an advocacy video business, in 2001. During the late 90's Dianne worked with Michael Wallace and several friends to create three videos: Turnovers, Hell on Wheels, and Letters from the Real World. In 2006, she also produced a video Awareness Days featuring a high school class and their views on people with disabilities. Dianne sells and shows her videos. She is currently working with Envisioning Solutions to market her videos and raise funds for the next production! To view clips, please visit her web page at: http://graceproductions1.googlepages.com”

"Community begins with communication"

Essential reading! Tracy Thresher's December 17, 2010 self-advocacy blog entry: "Life is what people make it but without community it is dark and dismal. . . . The community begins with communication. Friends create safety for the expression of intelligent thoughts. The circle grows with every interaction until the community becomes educated in the presumption of competence.  Read the entire blog entry here: 

http://wretchesandjabberers.org/tracy/?p=136

Wretches & Jabberers, www.wretchesandjabberers.org

“In Wretches & Jabberers, two men with autism embark on a global quest to change attitudes about disability and intelligence.  Determined to put a new face on autism, Tracy Thresher, 42, and Larry Bissonnette, 52, travel to Sri Lanka, Japan and Finland.  At each stop, they dissect public attitudes about autism and issue a hopeful challenge to reconsider competency and the future.”  “Ultimately, Wretches and Jabberers is about the life-sustaining power of relationships - the personal connections that most of us “jabberers” thought were impossible for people with autism.”

Bridges Over Barriers has a book and DVD

In Our Own Words: New book and DVD about Canadian adults living with autism and movement disorders who find their voices through Supported Typing.
http://www.ont-autism.uoguelph.ca/Bridges-announce-1.pdf

www.ont-autism.uoguelph.ca

Real People, Regular Lives: Autism, Communication & Quality of Life

"What might it mean to gain access to expressive language late in life? Real People, Regular Lives addresses this question by introducing the reader to ten nonverbal autistic adults who gained access to expressive language through Facilitated Communication [a training method for learning to point and type to communicate].  The book traces the amazing journey and unique personality of each person and shows how typing to talk can be a catalyst for a positive spiral of change.  Although every story does not have a 'happy' ending, it becomes apparent that word-based communication can potentially improve quality of life in ways that nothing else can." (book cover)  http://www.iodbookstore.org/products/Real-People%2C-Regular-Lives.html

Real People, Regular Lives - The IOD Bookstore

www.iodbookstore.org