Hi everyone
I have discovered a new Text and symbol to speech app- only 57p/ $0.99 -
see:

AutoVerbal :

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/autoverbal-talking-soundboard/id368727888
?mt=8

It looks a bit bizarre but basically each row (horizontally) is a
category e.g. colours, activities, basic needs, represented by a
picture.
You can also programme the top line of symbols to be some phrases.

At the end of the day, it is another app useful to show to clients as an
option for them in their communication,

Kind regards
Helen

Helen Paterson
Specialist Speech and Language Therapist
Central London Community Healthcare

Community Assessment and Rehabilitation Service
Stamford Brook Centre
14-16 Stamford Brook Ave
London
W6 0YD

Tel: 0208 383 6411
Fax: 0208 383 6412
Mobile: 07507778442

Assistive Communication Service
Speech and Language Therapy
Parsons Green Health Centre
5-7 Parsons Green
London
SW6 4UL

Tel: 0208 8466626
Fax: 0208 846 7840
Mobile: 07507778442

www.clch.nhs.uk

Central London Community Healthcare (CLCH) is the community services
provider in Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea and
Westminster. CLCH is hosted by NHS Kensington and Chelsea.
Chair: Mike O'Donovan
Managing Director: Claire Holloway

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-----Original Message-----
From: xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jake Heinsky
Sent: 19 June 2010 12:30
To: CM AAC Forum
Subject: [AAC Forum] Hi-tech and Low-tech AAC

To whom it may concern

My sister has had several assessment for her communication needs. I
can't give her name as she's a minor and considerably younger than me!
We used a number of companies among which TechCess South, Possum and
Creatively Communicating. We found TechCess to be most helpful and
their products are amazing but we didn't think their EuroVocs Suite
was advanced enough.

We found other companies such as Possum AAC seemed to be just
concerned about making most money/profit & didn't seem to care about
their customers. Possum are the leaders in their field so we didn't
understand why they did not show any concern or sensitivity to my
sister's needs. Possum's Say-It-SAM! didn't work properly during the
assessment & the salesman kept saying to us that "it is a good
communication device." It's been our experience that most companies
don't seem to be too interested in 'advancing' their communication
products for people who have similar conditions to my sister. One AAC
company we had round only seem interested about getting more money for
less work.

It'd be easier if AAC companies tried to update their websites with
information about their products more. We telephone AAC companies and
we find out that they have new products out which aren't on their
websites. If we didn't telephone the companies then we would probably
not have known about their new products.

Both Gordon Brown and David Cameron said that Britain needs to start
manufacturing products again but my family and myself think that hi-
tech AAC companies haven't been developing/improving their
communication products for some time.

Companies making AAC products should always investigate ways to
develop/improve their products rather than thinking that they are
perfect.

My family and I would appreciate any information about word prediction
software as well as Pathfinder with minspeak. I prefer no questions
about my sister directly.

That's providing I don't get taken off this forum for voicing our
experiences of AAC companies.

Jake Heinsky

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