WHAT'S NEW AT PRC?
Barry Romich
Prentke Romich Company
1022 Heyl Road
Wooster, OH 44691
Tel: 330-262-1984
1-800-262-1984
Fax: 330-263-4829
email: info@prentrom.com
WWW site: http://dialup.oar.net/`Pprco/index.html
Web Posted on: December 12, 1997
Prentke Romich Company is the world leading manufacturer in the areas of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), computer access and environmental controls. The PRC headquarters is routinely the site of many developments that are having an impact on the lives of people with disabilities in these areas. Those that are being shared during this session are new products, product updates, and services introduced since the 1996 CSUN Conference.
PRC communication aids feature Minspeak(TM), a way of coding vocabulary using short sequences of multi-meaning icons. Minspeak promotes transparency for faster communication through the use of a continuous cognitive process. There are no changing word lists or changing pictures which need to be analyzed before making the next selection. Minspeak is clearly the AAC system of choice for a great number of people who rely on AAC.
Liberator II offers features that make Liberators even more powerful, including word prediction for accessing infrequently used vocabulary, notebook enhancements (bookmarks and menus), editing (copy, cut, paste, search, replace), enhanced theming, enhanced math scratchpad, alarm clock, and Morse Code. Existing Liberators can be upgraded.
Unity(TM)/AT is a Minspeak Application Program (MAP) system for the AlphaTalker that provides a core vocabulary that can be used across ages and environments. It also provides a transition to Unity(TM)/128, the more powerful MAP used in DeltaTalker and Liberator.
The presentation will include coverage of BUILLD(TM) for Unity(TM)/AT, a starter kit for teaching Unity to children. BUILLDing Tools, a line of stand alone Minspeak therapy materials, will be covered.
DeltaTalker(TM) infrared remote control is an optional feature that allows people who use this AAC device to have wireless computer access and environmental control. It can learn the codes of remote controls from TVs, VCRs, stereo systems, and others. It also knows the One For All X-10 commands and can operate the EZ Phone.
Computer access for people unable to use the standard keyboard and mouse is possible using several PRC products. An infrared receiver allows wireless access from DeltaTalker to a printer or computer. JOUSE, a joystick mouse operated with mouth or chin movements was developed at the Neil Squire Foundation in Vancouver and transferred to PRC for manufacture and distribution.
EZ Phone is a telephone designed for people with disabilities. It can be operated by single or dual control switch (e.g., puff-sip) or by infrared control. While it can be used alone, it is an ideal companion to AAC devices that have infrared control as an option, such as Liberator and DeltaTalker.
Those who read this paper and are not in attendance at the conference are encouraged to contact PRC for current product literature.
Electronic communication is an ever growing resource for people with and without disabilities. Various email listserves are available that can be very helpful. The following two items are a typical contribution to one of the AAC listserves and information on a listserve focusing on people who rely on AAC.
I hope that some of you have had the opportunity to hear Bruce Baker's recent thinking on the issue of training. As a linguist he looks at language issues a bit differently from the rest of us. He notes that, of the several hundred most frequently used words, precious few (probably around 15%) are picture producers. These typically are limited to some of the nouns and hardly any words in other categories. This suggests that the relationship between the vast majority of words and the single meaning pictures that would represent them must be taught. Bruce demonstrates this in a compelling way through the use of pictures (Mayer-Johnson, etc.) with the words removed or in a different language, such as Greek. Try this yourself with any person who has no cognitive disability and see what happens. Most picture systems don't even provide for the various morphological forms.
The ISAAC Conference was one of the more recent events at which it was convenient to observe the obvious and major differences in fluency, articulation, and spontaneity between people who rely on Minspeak and people who rely on other systems. Granted, those attending the conference, for the most part, had little or no cognitive disability. However, positive reports of Minspeak use with other populations are becoming more common, particularly as recognition of the low performance using the other paradigms becomes more widespread. The pendulum is swinging in thedirection of semantic compaction, although we must acknowledge that Minspeak may not be the most effective system for everyone.
So it is clear that of the many AAC intervention paths, all do not lead to the same destination. The tragedy is not only in choosing the "easier?" path, but also in failing to recognize and disclose that a destination will be potentially far short of what is possible. Once armed with this understanding, teachers, SLPs, and parents then can choose their priorities and behaviors based on their resources (including time), personal values, and sense of responsibility.
So what are we doing about it? The very nature of language imposes some limitations. However, we at Prentke Romich Company are building features into devices that facilitate self instruction, self exploration, and support by family members and others. Two of these powerful features are icon prediction and icon tutor. (Karen Erickson of the UNC Center for Literacy and Disability, if you're here you might want to share on the 3 yr. old from Arkansas using Word Strategy.)
We also have developed, and continue to do so, products that support the application of Minspeak. The Unity Minspeak Application Program system accommodates growth and its standardization justifies investment in understanding and therapy material development. The BUILLD (Bringing Unity Into Language & Learning Development) therapy programs and related materials are powerful tools that can be used by SLPs and also family members and others. Also, many AAC professionals are developing therapy materials to support Minspeak with the intent of making them available to others.
While there is no easy solution to this complex problem, at least today we can see what is possible. We no longer need to operate on the basis of a hope and a promise. We have real live models of what works and, unfortunately, of what doesn't. If you have not made these observations yourself, please do so before choosing a path for someone else's life.
ACOLUG stands for Augmentative Communication On-Line Users' Group. ACOLUG is an Internet LISTSERV.
ACOLUG was created to exchange ideas, information and experiences on augmentative communication by people from all over the world. By using e-mail, participants of ACOLUG discuss issues related to augmentative communication, such as equipment, funding tips, learning techniques, supports, etc.
There is no cost to participate in ACOLUG.
To subscribe send an email to: listserv@vm.temple.edu
Leave the subject blank
In the message type: subscribe acolug yourfirstname yourlastname
Example: subscribe acolug barry romich
You will immediately receive a message under the subject Command Confirmation Request
Use the reply function to reply to the message within 48 hours. Leave the same subject and in the body on the message type the word: OK
For more information, contact: Graciela Slesaransky-Poe
Institute on Disabilities/UAP
423 Ritter Hall Annex
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA 19122
Tel: 215-204-1356
Fax: 215-204-6336
email: graciela@astro.ocis.temple.edu