Inclusive Practitioner's Summit: Eye Gaze Considerations for AAC Users with Visual Impairment

Join us for the annual Kansas Infinitec Inclusive Practitioners' Summit. This is an opportunity to learn from Kansas educators who are passionate about inclusion and our inspiring keynote speaker Lee Ann Jung.

Breakout Session: Eye Gaze Considerations for AAC Users with Visual Impairments

This session is designed to empower educational teams, including Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) and Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TSVIs), with the knowledge to effectively utilize eye gaze heat maps for optimizing communication devices. Participants will learn the significance of eye gaze data in determining the ideal placement of symbols on communication devices, ensuring these tools are tailored to individual visual patterns and needs. We will cover vision-related questions that should be addressed by the team, such as field of vision, impact of visual complexity, and color perception. Attendees will learn to integrate information about a student’s vision into selecting and customizing the features of communication devices. 

Speakers: 

Anna Cyr M.Ed, TSVI/COMS - Field Service Specialist with Kansas State School for the Blind

Paige Buckingham, MS, CCC-SLP - Buckingham Educational Services & Training, LLC

Participants will:

• Be able to explain why the use of eye gaze heat maps may support the consideration of placement of symbols on a communication device.
• Identify questions related to vision that should be discussed by an educational team which includes the SLP and a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TSVI).
• Make use of knowledge about a student's vision when considering the features of a communication device.