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Commercial Tangible Systems

Author-Avatar Kelly Fonner

6/19/2015 11:26 PM

Creating Tangible systems can be time consuming. Often teams are creating each item individually rather than thinking of each item/word as a message in a larger language system. There are several tangible or object systems that have a common structure to them that you may want to investigate. Adaptivation - Tangible Object Cards http://www.adaptivation.com/product_detail.php?ID=194 Attainment Company now has a Tactile Talk Tool Kit for the GoTalk Now App http://www.attainmentcompany.com/tactiletalk-toolkit Britteny Asher Consulting has a system called the LORAC http://www.brittenyasherconsulting.com/products/shop/ From the American Printing House for the Blind - 2 products: STACS: Standardized Tactile Augmentative Communication Symbols Kit & Tactile Connections Kit: Symbols for Communication http://shop.aph.org/webapp/wcs/stores/ from the Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired, a free resource on creating and their system, a Tactile Symbols Directory. At their website they also have pictures of each symbol in the directory and a video explaining the system. http://www.tsbvi.edu/tactile-symbols#ACTIONS For Displaying, Sorting & Mounting these objects, look to the velcro boards & displays from Augmentative Resources. They have many creative portable carrying cases and table top mounts for you to use to present these types of symbols for communication, a behavior chart or schedule display. http://www.augresources.com/ For more information on Tangible Symbol Systems, Design To Learn has books and a video describing Tangible symbols as two- and three-dimensional objects used as symbols by individuals who have difficulty understanding abstract symbols such as speech, manual sign language or other abstract symbols. These products describe instructional strategies appropriate for a broad range of learners of all ages who need a conceptually concrete symbol system. http://www.designtolearn.com/products/tangible_symbol_systems

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Wonderful resources!

Amcastro - 5/19/2018

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Thanks Kelly! I knew about some of these, but not all of them. Great to have more resources.

Robin W-D - 7/8/2015

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I know I will access these links Kelly! Thank you!

Karen Natoci - 6/30/2015

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Thank you for sharing these resources. The development of a meaningful communication system can indeed be time consuming and the idea of one that can be used across a number of students or learning environments would have certain advantages. It may be worth noting that while such options may expedite the development of a concrete communication system they may in fact not be "Tangible" by the definition put forth In Tangible Symbol Systems (Rowland & Schweigert). In this book tangible is defined as being conceptually tangible from the perspective of the user. This suggests then that symbol selection is whenever possible done based on the experiences of the learners for whom they are intended rather than a predetermined set which may or may not be. With that in mind then I think the more readily a learner can relate the symbol to the referent the better and more successful they may be especially at the early stages of transitioning from pre- to symbolic communication

philip - 6/29/2015

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Thanks for sharing! I'm always looking for resources for tangible systems.

Jamie - 6/21/2015

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