The countdown to the conference has officially hit the six month mark! So, with lots of news to report our updates will start to increase – follow our Facebook page, ILT2012 Facebook group and Twitter feed for the latest.

All Key AAC Technologies and App Developers will be on-site!

If you are interested in the very newest trends in technologies supporting Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), we will be offering an Australasian first! All seven of the key international developers of AAC apps for iPads, and a comprehensive group of developers of dedicated speech generating devices both within Australia and internationally will be exhibiting and/or presenting at the conference!

Not only will this offer you a one-stop-shop option to check out all of the new developments under the one roof, it will allow you to evaluate and compare options. When is an iPad app best? When would a speech generating device be more appropriate? In what situations are both appropriate and complementary to support communication by your students and older AAC users? Save yourself hours of research by having the chance to speak directly with the technology developers and see the tools first-hand!

So, who will be there?

AssistiveWare (Netherlands)

Developers of the ground breaking AAC app Proloquo2Go – the first full-featured AAC app for the iPod touch, iPhone and iPad. It continues to be a ground breaker through its frequent updates and Proloquo2Go 2, with its many new features, will be available for you to check out first-hand.

Therapy Box(UK)

Developers of the TBox apps range, Therapy Box offers two great switch accessible AAC applications for the iPad – Predictable and Scene&Heard.  More recently they have begun to diversify and have started to produce some speech and language therapy apps as well.

AbleNet(USA)

Developer of a wider range of assistive technologies – of which their excellent SoundingBoard AAC app is one.  SoundingBoard is now a Universal App, is switch accessible and has a range of professional-created boards available for in-app purchase.

TapSpeak (USA)

Developers of a range of AAC apps. Beginning with TapSpeak Button, a single message communication app and moving through to TapSpeak Sequence and TapSpeak Choice, they offer a range of switch accessible apps for a range of AAC users. 

Alexicom Tech (USA)

Developers of the world’s first Internet-based (but not Internet-dependent) AAC System. It works anytime, anywhere on iPad, Android, PC and Mac. AlexicomAAC is a full featured AAC app which is also switch accessible and has a range of other exciting features. 

Tobii ATI (Sweden)

Tobii ATI develop a wide range of AAC technologies including their new AAC app Sono Flex. Offering a continuation with the page sets available for Tobii Communicator, Sono Flex offers a combination of core vocabulary and situation specific page sets to meet the needs of a wide range of learners. They will be represented at the conference by Link-AT in Australia.

Attainment Company (USA)

Attainment have also recently released an AAC App. To complement their existing range of speech generating devices, the well-known GoTalk range, the GoTalk Now app offers great templates for making a range of communication displays for different users with options such as text-to-speech, digitised speech and a range of image imports available as you design each page. The Attainment Switch app also provides the option of turning your iPad or iPhone into a switch – and can be used to control a computer or another iPad running GoTalk Now.

In addition to all listed above, suppliers and/or developers of dedicated speech generating devices from DynaVox, Liberator (PRC), Toby Churchill, Saltillo and AMDi will also be available to answer your many questions in this rapidly evolving sphere of technologies. We are really very excited to have ALL on board for you!!

Keynote Presenter: Joy Zabala | Universal Design for Learning advocate and developer of the SETT Framework

The next of our wonderful keynote and featured presenters we’d like you to meet is Joy Zabala, pioneer in special education and assistive technology (AT).

Joy has spent over 25 years conducting professional development and training to expand the use of AT as a means to increase the communication, participation and productivity of people with disabilities. She is a frequent presenter on AT decision-making, implementation, and evaluation of effectiveness, as well as how Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and AT work together as complementary supports for student achievement.

Joy is the developer of the SETT Framework, a collaborative decision-making tool, a founding member of the QIAT Community and facilitator of the QIAT List, and a past-president of the Technology and Media Division of the Council for Exceptional Children. She serves on the Advisory Boards of the Family Centre for Technology and Disability and Bookshare. Currently Joy is the Director of Technical Assistance at CAST, where she also directs the technical assistance efforts of the National Centre on Accessible Instructional Materials and serves as the evaluator of the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard Development Centre.

Come along and see her plenary session Raising the Achievement Bar with Universal Design for Learning. Joy will lead participants on a journey that begins with the early development of UDL and proceeds right up to most current thinking about implementation. Hear about how UDL works with AT, AIM and Learning Technologies. Learn about the National Centre for UDL, the UDL Guidelines, and many other free resources, supports and tools. To see the full plenary blurb click here.

Accommodation at Jupiters Hotel

With only six months to go it is time to start considering your trip to the sunny Gold Coast! We have negotiated discounted rates at the conference venue – Jupiters Hotel Gold Coast.

The discounted accommodation rates we’ve negotiated with Jupiters are lower than those at the hotels we’ve used in previous years, meaning a saving for you! By using Jupiters’ accommodation, you also help us to keep future registration fee increases to a minimum – the more rooms booked at the hotel by conference delegates, the less the cost of the venue hire to us, meaning we are effectively able to pass these savings onto you. As well as securing free wireless internet for all delegates on the conference floor, we have also arranged for FREE wireless internet in delegates’ rooms at Jupiters – that’s a saving of $25 per day!

To take advantage of the conference rates simply book via the Spectronics booking link and quote the special rate code – full details are available on our website.

And as an added incentive to stay at Jupiters we have secured a fantastic prize – read on for details!

Delegate prize draws

Accommodation Prize

All delegates who book their conference accommodation at Jupiters Hotel will automatically go into the draw to win a spectacular prize valued at $775! The prize includes two nights’ accommodation in a superior room for two adults (including full buffet breakfast each morning) at Jupiters Hotel Gold Coast. You will also receive tickets to the impressive Jupiters Theatre – dinner and show tickets for two!

Please be aware that only those delegates who use the special conference accommodation link will go into the draw. So make sure you use this link and quote the special rate code! The lucky winner will be drawn during the conference and will receive a voucher for their prize.

Early Bird Conference Registration Prize

Complete your conference registration by Monday 9th April 2012 to automatically go in the draw to win a dinner and show package valued at $198!

The prize includes dinner for two at any participating Jupiters Restaurant, followed by a show at the Jupiters Theatre. The shows at Jupiters change every few months but if you’d like to know more information please see Jupiters Theatre Attractions. The lucky winner will be randomly drawn and announced in the April 2012 Conference Emailed Update, and contacted via email.

Wishing you all the best for the last weeks of the school term!