OMG...technology makes me happy.

Never mind the storied rivalry between the universities.  Rich Goldberg and Kevin Caves work with UNC and Duke respectively in very unique engineering programs, and they and their students collaborate to make amazing things happen.

Every year they collaborate on a program where their students develop custom assistive technology

"You just bend your hand in it and boom, it closes." ~Holden

devices for people with disabilities.  According to their website: "their project ideas come from therapists and clinicians in Durham and Chapel Hill who serve as project advisors throughout the semester". My guess is that they stay local because their students need to be able to work closely with their "clients".

You can find info about their program here. 

Their mandate, as I understand it, is to make a device that is useful/necessary to increase the individual's occupational performance and independence. The "thing" they build can not be available on the market.  Over the years I've seen some really remarkable products from them to help students in both Durham and Chapel Hill.

Recently they worked with a local boy to 3D print a prosthetic hand. Material cost: $20. There is a terrific article with accompanying video and WUNC audio interview here. Of note is that the projects are made for specific individuals and are not commercially available at this junction, nor do Goldberg or Caves plan to make them available. My guess is having done the ground work, commercialization is left up to some other individual.

Stay inspired!

Pendulum and Politics...

The political climate is often like a pendulum, swinging from one extreme to another.  The deconstruction of public education has been swinging for a long time in North Carolina.  Could it be beginning to swing back to sanity?

IMHO, teaching has been under attack in our great nation for several years now. As a country, we have asked teachers to perform the tasks of teacher, parent, social worker, behavior specialist, english-as-second-language-teacher, and many other tasks beyond the scope of their training. All while decreasing pay and benefits for the same job.  North Carolina has been a front runner of such craziness.  North Carolina is ranked 46th to 49th (depending on which source you reference) in teacher pay. Remember how many states there are in the US? That's pretty low.

It seems disingenuous at best to hear Governor McCrory "lament the state's near-bottom average teacher salary" after the gutting his administration just gave NC teachers (cutting education budget by $285 million, lay-offs, eliminating differential pay for Master's level teachers, etc). The $4,200 pay bump to be doled out over two years to the newest teachers (by some estimates about 24,000 teachers)is a move in the right direction, but may well stick in the craw of veteran teachers (by some estimates about 71,000 teachers) who might resent new teachers making more than they.

I don't have any faith in McCrory and his "friends" wanting to repair our education system.  I'm of the opinion that they are not interested in doing so. However, what they may be interested in, is if enough North Carolinians continue to be outraged and express their outrage in a variety of forums.  That is why he's offered this tiny pay-bump, and with enough pressure may make further changes. So, keep the pressure on folks, speak out, write McCrory, and support your teachers however you can.

Hold the Date! 30th Annual NCACA Conference!

NCACA Conference

Alright North Carolinians! February 21-22 brings us the 30th Annual Augumentative Communication conference. And for those of us in the Piedmont, it's in Durham again!

Linda Burkart

The title for this year's conference is "We've Come A Long Way: 30 Years of AAC in NC".  And this year we have the pleasure of hearing Linda Burkhart  presenting on "Communication Strategies for Children Who Face Severe Physical and Miltiple Challenges".  Ms. Burkart is an internationally known pioneer of simplified technology for children with severe challenges.

This conference is designed for SLP's, OT's, PT's, Psychologists, Educators, Para-professionals, Families, and Consumers interested in increasing their knowledge of AAC and AT.

Every year I've attended this conference I have left with new knowledge, and fired up to try new tactics.  Don't miss it! You can find out more details here.

AT Classifieds in NC

Need a piece of equipment but maybe your funding is all used up? Want to find a home for a piece of equipment you are no longer using?

It is with this in mind that the North Carolina Assistive Technology Program (NCATP) publishes the Assistive Technology Exchange Post.  Think of it as a Craigslist in North Carolina for Assistive Technology equipment.

Sorry out-of-state friends, only residents of North Carolina may list assistive technology items for sale on the Assistive Technology Exchange Post. Designed to facilitate equipment exchange between individuals the program is not for the use of vendors or distributors.

NCATP does not profit from the sale of listed devices, nor do they warranty items listed, so do shop with both eyes open!

Happy Technology!

Walter Dalton Announces Education Plan, NC

This seems good for our fine state. Dalton for Governor.

Walter Dalton's 18-page education plan includes a detailed outline on his plan to increase educator pay, restore cuts to the classroom, expand early childhood education, and make higher education affordable and accessible.

To read Walter Dalton's education plan, visit this link

Dalton says: "Growing our economy is as much about creating jobs as it's about making certain we have the graduates to fill them. Our state's economic success will depend on how well we align our education system with our job needs. If we fail to make this connection, our economic future could be in jeopardy and the best jobs might move out of state or never be created at all.

While in these tough economic times state government must prioritize how it spends taxpayer money, it's during this critical period when we should be investing in public education - not turning our back on it."

Check out more on Walter Dalton here.

North Carolina Coastal Federation: Lobbying Legislators

Two "things" near and dear to me: the environment. And my best buddy, Rob Lammé. North Carolina Coastal Federation: Lobbying Legislators