Building up your Table Top Mount

 Here's one more video from the good folks at Rehadapt. They make the tabletop mount for ConnectIT which is sold by Tobii Dynavox. If you need to assemble one, this video will help.

Mounting Made Easy: Monty 3D or ConnectIT 2-Lever

 Hey Tek-ninjas! This video from Rehadapt is really terrific for showing how to assemble the Monty 3D mount, or similarly the 2-Lever ConnectIT Mount, which is made specifically for Tobii Dynavox by Rehadapt. 

PODD and Gateway Professional Versions

Hey Tek-ninjas! Now that PODD and Gateway Pagesets are available, many therapists want to know how to access those pagesets on their iPads with their professional license. First order of business is to make sure you are running the most up to date iOS. You will need Version 1.14.1.1759. This video shows you how to make sure you have the right version, AND how to add pagesets.

If your professional copy of Snap Core First resides on a Windows 10 computer, the processes above are the same, however, you must complete the Migration process delineated here. 

Writing for Snap Core First users!

 Snap Core First users may want access to an eye-gaze accessible word processor with all the bells and whistles.... Check out this solution.

Mount Assembly with Chris!

Hey Tek-ninjas! My colleague Chris Kovach, Florida Solutions Consultant has some amazing Youtube videos for Tobii Dynavox users. For more great content like this, you might want to subscribe to his channel. 

Of particular interest to me are these two mount assembly videos. Even if you have a different floor mount, these are good as guides. 

This first video looks at a Vario floor mount.

This second video covers a wheel-chair mount. The main variation for most folks will be the attachment piece that goes onto the wheel-chair. Chris discusses this early in the video when he talks about the side-clamp versus the 1-inch round clamp. 

Ever wonder who your Solutions Consultant is? You can find out here.

Happy therapy!

Google Meet and Quick Assist

Hey Tek-ninjas! I've shared a few videos regarding how to use Quick Assist to facilitate Remote therapy. Specifically, I've shown how to pair that with Zoom. A number of you are not using Zoom, but instead are using Google Meet (especially school folks). Google Meet is great, and also free. And, like Zoom it allows users to share screens and allow remote access, but again, it can be demanding to navigate, and you are at the mercy of the caregivers technical skills. 

Using Quick Assist is super easy to teach parents to use, and once logged in, you can then log yourself into Google Meet with your student, and remotely control their device and support their eye-gaze access. This post shows how to set up Quick Assist, and there is a video for you and one for the caregiver. Remember, Quick Assist only works on Windows platforms, and requires the device to be "unlocked". 

I'm assuming if the reader is using Google Meet, they already have experience with the platform, so this is not a "how to" of the service, but rather how to leverage Google Meet WITH Quick Assist. 

A colleague asked, "why not just use Google Meet and share your screen with the student, and allow them to control it, wouldn't that be easier?" It would be easier, however - if the student uses eye-gaze, switch access, touch-enter, or touch-exit, they could not use them remotely on my software. So, it is easier for them to stay on their device, and for me to remotely model there. 

I strongly encourage folks to practice this kind of remote engagement with a co-worker, or even on two of your own devices if you can. This is a bit complicated the first few times, and you likely don't want to take all your tx time learning to log in. 

Comments, tips, or feedback are certainly welcome, as we are all going where "no man has gone before"....

Compass to/from Snap Core First

 If you have a Compass user and would like to help them make the transition to the newer Snap Core First (SCF), this video will show you how to make a button in Compass to SCF, and a button in SCF back to Compass. 

Saving and installing your SCF user pageset

 Hey Tek-ninjas! So after a trial of AAC what do you do with all that great work on the edited pagesets you made for the client. Well - back it up and install it when the client's personal device arrives. This less-than two minute long video shows you how. Boom-bada-boom!

Happy therapy!

Look to Learn integrated with Snap Core First

Hey Tek-ninjas! I learned something pretty cool today from one Mark A. Sardo, esq "tech support extraordinaire". Some of our emergent communicators and learners really benefit from Look to Learn.

Rather than have a Snap Core First user launch Communicator 5, then launch Gaze Point, and then launch Look to Learn (3 eye-gaze selections), Mark showed me how to make a single button which will do all the necessary steps at once. Check out the video to see how to do it. 

Happy therapy!

Snap Core First circular link with Communicator 5

Hey Tek-ninjas! A number of folks have asked how to make access the really powerful and user friendly Join In apps from Communicator 5, while still using Snap Core First Text Literate pageset as the communication tool. In this quick video I walk you through how to make this work. 

You may have read my post about the Join In apps a few months ago, but can read about it here if you missed it. 

Happy therapy!

Syncing within Snap Core First made easy!

This video drills down on how to sync page-sets between two parties (perhaps an SLP and a parent).

This web-page looks at syncing a pageset in Snap on multiple devices. And, this web-page really explicates "when to use Pageset Sync vs making copy or a user backup in Snap". 

Quick Assist: Windows remote control

Quick Assist, is a simple and quick way to take remote control of another person's Windows 10 based device. I find it's easier to walk a tech-neophyte through setting this up rather than the other platforms. I still like to use a video platform such as Zoom for my eye-gaze users, so I can see their level of engagement, affect, and even make suggestions about positioning. Together, they make for a robust tool set. It's free, and built into all Windows 10 computers. Keep in mind, your client's device will need to be "unlocked" for any teletherapy hosted right on the device. 

This first video is for you the Assister. You are the therapist or consultant. You might want to send a link to this page for your client or client's caregiver if they've never used Quick Assist. 

This second video is for the Assistee. You are the client or helping caregiver. 

Snap Core First: Multi lingual user profiles

Occasionally, you may run into an AAC user who is fluent in multiple languages. If so, it might be nice to give them the option to speak in both languages. Perhaps they have family members speaking in one language while they need another for work.

This video shows you how to make one user profile in Snap Core First, that allows the user to easily change between languages.

You probably ALREADY knew this...

Hey Tek-Ninja’s! Recently I learned some “stuff” about disposable surgical masks, and how to wear them. In the video I mention to wear the blue side out, but it might be green or other colors. 

I’m not claiming to be an expert by any means, but this information helped me, especially as a glasses wearer, and I thought it might help other’s as well... especially those of us who have worked in fields which are parallel to medical fields. 

If I’m missing any salient details, please post in the comments section!

Stay safe friends!!

Magic Eye fx and that troublesome menu

This tip came to me from middle and west Tennessee Solutions Consultant, Casey Lacefield. 

Enhancing visual cueing for teletherapy

How to print from Snap Core First

Did you know, you can print your user's pageset(s) right from their Snap Core First? Here's the overview. 

Corrected Pronunciations in Snap Core First

This video quickly shows how to make pronunciation corrections within Snap Core First. The process remains the same regardless of which kind of Pageset you are using (Core, Aphasia, etc). I also help you pronounce “Appalachian” the “right way”. 🤓

Setting up Text-literate Pageset

This is a quick video to help caregivers to setup the newer Snap Core First Text-literate Pageset. For an in-depth explanation of this pageset and other tools in Snap Core First be sure to watch this video.

No Login passwords for our AAC users

No disrespect to Microsoft intended here. It’s just that if our user require an alternative access modality, that access tool won’t be available before they log in to the Microsoft Account. This is why I recommend most, if not all of my AAC user devices do not have a password.

Zoom file transfer

Sometimes we want to make a quick file transfer for a device we are working on remotely. You might want to do this for a setup, or actually for therapy. No doubt, there are many ways to achieve this, but this method, with Zoom seems quick and easy. I’ve not tried it “in the field” yet, and if anyone does, please let me know how it works.

Just to be clear, I‘m using a Pro Zoom Account. I do not know if this will work with other levels of Zoom.

Communicator 5 Remote Support via Zoom

This quick video shows you the necessary radio button that needs to be switched on in order to be able to remotely access communicate or five through Zoom.

 Make sure you are running the most recent updated Zoom. 

Navigate to ”Share Screen”, and then select “ Enable the remote control of all applications”.

High contrast PCS for Snap Core First

Did you know Tobii-Dynavox offers high contrast symbols sets as well as sign language symbol sets at no additional cost. Here’s how you get them.

Calibration for i13 and i16

Most often the default eye-gaze calibration on the new high 13 and I 16 works fine. Occasionally though, some users will need to fine-tune it or get a specific calibration.

This video covers that process using the Eye Tracking Settings software which serves both Communicator 5 and Snap Core First.

eFunding Portal walk-through

Hey Tek-Ninja’s! If you ever try to secure funding for a client‘s AAC equipment, the Efunding portal at Tobii-Dynavox.com is really super easy to use but occasionally folks run into a couple of hiccups.

Our funding department managers have stated that when clinicians use the portal, we have significantly less revisions required, and faster turn-around. That means less work for you, and faster equipment distribution to your clients!

This video below should help you navigate the system and eliminate most of the issues people run into.

i13 and i16: Eye gaze pause and sleep menu disengage

Hey Tek-ninjas, with the old i-12 and i-15, training an end-user to use the off-screen controls for Pause and Sleep was sometimes super hard... until the user "got it".

With the new i-13 and i-16, it's so much easier to use. To the point, that sometimes, for my emergent users, it pops up inadvertently all the time.

This short video will show you how to disengage that function until you and your user decide to put it back on.

Happy Therapy!

Backup Communicator 5 to myTobiiDynavox.com

This quick video shows you how to back up your Communicator 5 Profile to myTobiidynavox.com. 

Bi-lingual pageset: ABC/QWERTY layout

Hey Tek-ninjas! Today I got a phone call from a clinician out towards the coast and I have to admit she stumped me.

She asked: “how do I change a keyboard from ABC to QWERTY in a bilingual page set”.

Well I was pretty sure that I had that because I’ve made that video a while ago.

Turns out that process does not work in a bilingual page set. Take a look at the video below if you need to do this for a client.

Happy therapy!