RERC on AAC
The RERC on AAC is a collaborative center committed to advancing knowledge and producing innovative engineering solutions in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The RERC on AAC will support a research and development program that addresses three areas of rehabilitation science and engineering:
- Improving access to technologies through exploration of innovative approaches and through integration of multi-modalities;
- Developing innovative language support technologies, including natural language processing and computer-mediation, to support effective communication for children and adults with limited access to language;
- Improving the human computer interface to reduce cognitive visual processing demands and enhance communication performance.
We also will support a range of training and dissemination activities. Our goal is that the AAC technologies and knowledge generated by the RERC on AAC will enable individuals with complex communication needs to achieve the basic human right of communication, and to maximize their participation in education, employment, health and community activities.
Effects of an AAC App with T2L features on Single-Word Reading of Individuals with CCN (Caron et al., 2020)
Caron et al. (2020) investigated the effects of T2L software features within a grid-based AAC app on the single-word reading skills of five individuals with CCN.
Communication supports for children and adults with complex communication needs during the COVID-19 pandemic
A collection of strategies and resources for individuals who rely on AAC and their families during the COVID 19 crisis.
Using AAC VSDs to increase participation and communication for adolescents with CCN (Babb et al., 2020)
Babb et al. (2020) investigated the use of video VSDs to support participation during a volunteer activity for adolescents with CCN.
Information Theoretic Feature Transformation Learning for Brain Interfaces (Özdenizci & Erdoğmuş, 2019)
Özdenizci & Erdoğmuş (2019) address potential confounders caused by heuristic feature ranking and selection based dimensionality reduction methods that are widely used for brain interfaces and extend this focus with a novel information theoretic feature transformation concept.
“Building capacity in AAC” the most frequently downloaded paper in 2019!
McNaughton et al. (2019) article was the most frequently downloaded paper in the AAC journal in 2019.
RERC on AAC at ATIA 2020
RERC on AAC to present at the ATIA 2019 Conference in Orlando, FL.
Multimodal Alternative AAC Access for Adults With Cerebral Palsy (Mandak et al., 2019)
At the 2019 ASHA Conference, Mandak and colleagues explored a new multimodal access technology which integrated eye-gaze and scanning with two adults with cerebral palsy.
Effects of video VSDs on communication during play: A pilot study (Laubscher et al., 2019)
Laubscher et al. examined the effects of video VSDs and instruction on communication between a child with ASD and a peer with typical development during play.
How Individuals with Down Syndrome Visually Attend to and Interact with AAC Displays (Barwise et al., 2019)
At the 2019 ASHA Conference, Barwise and colleagues used eye-tracking technology to investigate how individuals with Down Syndrome interact with AAC displays.
New and FREE online resource: Thinking about Thinking for AAC (TAT4AAC)
The TAT4AAC is a new resource to help us better understand the cognitive demands of various AAC technologies.