Overview of CommunicATion SpAACes
CommunicATion SpAACesTM, is a woman-owned start-up/not for profit dedicated to providing high quality printed products (no/low tech) and other educational and physical interactive materials to families, schools, clinics, therapy centers and community spaces for individuals with communication disabilities who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). We are committed to creating communication-barrier-free, inclusive communication-accessible environments while promoting language learning for all. We believe that when providing products with a Universal Design of Learning in mind we can create user-friendly CommunicATion SpAACesTM for all.
What is AAC and why is it important to create these spaces?
AAC is a method of communicating for people who can not use their voice to communicate. AAC users point to Icons or picture symbols (Symbolic Communication) to create a message to or in response to their communication partner. Adults and peers are essential communication partners and by modeling language and using the simple steps of Think, Point, Say™ allows everyone to become communication partners for individuals with communication disabilities. When communication partners point to the words as they speak the word, they are modeling language verbally and in print to a child/adult as well as showing communication disabled children/adults how to communicate using symbolic communication.
So what’s the problem?
Individuals learning to communicate with symbolic communication require Aided Language Stimulation/Input in order to learn how to communicate utilizing their mode of AAC. Having quality readily available materials to teachers, parents and communication partners is critical to high-quality teaching and learning.
“The average 18-month-old child has been exposed to 4,380 hours of oral language at a rate of 8 hours/day from birth. A child who has a communication system and receives speech/language therapy two times per week for 20-30 minute sessions will reach this same amount of language exposure in 84 years.”
— Jane Korsten
Our Solutions!
An 84-year communication language learning gap is not acceptable. CommunicATion Station by CommunicATion SpAACes hopes to fix this gap by creating high-quality teaching and learning products.
Therapists, special educators, and parents of children with communication disabilities deserve to have high-quality products like their non-disabled peers. Currently, almost all teaching materials for individuals with communication disabilities are made by individual teachers or therapist whose expertise vary. Often the cost of these products is the burden of the therapist or teacher. CommunicATion SpAACEs strives to change that by creating interactive teaching and learning products which incorporate Single Message Devices (SGD) into their main flagship product the CommunicATion StationTM. SGD’s that are currently on the market are too expensive ($60-$300 per SGD) for the average consumer (schools, parents, therapy centers) to provide the type of interactive product the CommunicATion Station provides (80 SGD’s). It is the mission of CommunicATion SpAACes to develop, manufacture and produce products that are cost effective. We are currently working hard in creating an SGD that can be produced at a low cost to make the CommunicATion Station affordable for all.
Check out our other Assistive Technology teaching products.