Session 5A - Considerations for Auditory Scanning

Speakers: Karen Kangas and Michele Bishop

Session Description:
When working with students (with complex bodies who also have visual problems, and/or auditory processing/hearing challenges) and their AAC device the use of auditory scanning is frequently considered. However, re-organizing the vocabulary is extremely important not only for ease of access (the “dynamic triangle”) but also for teaching the language itself. During this session, we will share how to customize displays to support the student’s AAC use, and their access to the device.

Speaker bios:
Michele Bishop, ATP is an Assistive Technology Practitioner with over 30 years of experience working with individuals who have complex needs. Her career began as a special education teacher focusing her efforts on children with physical and orthopedic needs who used powered mobility and augmentative communication. Michele’s focus has been on the integration of various technologies to allow for more independent access to the devices that, in turn, allow independence and mobility in the lives of the patient’s she serves.

Michele began working for Invacare as a Clinical Education Specialist supporting product lines such as Adaptive Switch Laboratories. Her expertise in programming and the integration of mobile devices, speech-generating devices, and computers has set her apart. She works tirelessly to ensure that the patients she works with, are able to access the devices that will allow them to live their lives to the fullest, by incorporating the programming of the powered wheelchair with the wireless technologies that are available through the powered chairs and external devices. This marriage of technology has allowed many to become able to have more independence and access to the things that are important in their lives. Michele is a nationally known speaker at conferences and brings creativity, personal experience, and a wide breadth of knowledge to her teaching.

Karen Kangas, OTR/L,  is an occupational therapist in private practice; she specializes in providing direct treatment to children and adults with complex bodies, consultation to local school teacher/therapy teams and their students, and clinical workshops specifically focusing on Seating, Access to AT and Children with Complex Bodies. Karen has worked as an OT since 1973 in many settings including school systems, early intervention programs, home health, rehabilitation centers, and long-term care facilities.  She has been actively teaching since 1985 on Seating and Positioning; Sensory Processing and Sensory Integration as it relates to Seating for Function; Alternative Access and Powered Mobility; Assessment and Integration of Assistive Technology all over the USA, as well as in Canada, Sweden, Israel, Ireland, Scotland, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand.