The Montrose Re-1J State Wide Assistive, Alternative, Augmentative Communication Team (SWAAC) works with area students who have disabilities by using different equipment to aid them in the classroom.
Cathalee Nielsen, a Montrose Re-1J SWAAC volunteer, is one of six local volunteers who helps students. She orders different forms of technology that she and the staff believe can assist students who have a learning disability or suffer from a physical disability, such as cerebral palsy.
  
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"They all have the smarts to do it," Nielsen said. "All of this technology can help out a lot."
SWAAC uses a variety of technology in the classroom that has been aiding students. Nielsen spoke highly of "Mathpad," a small device that works like a computer by scanning a child's math homework pages. Students can then type in the answers on the page. Nielsen said it is designed to aid students who have difficulty writing. It also helps teachers avoid having to decipher illegible handwriting.
SWAAC also provides different kinds of technology that can help students outside the classroom and make it easier in everyday life. The "Go Talk 9+" is a device from which a child who has difficulty speaking can choose a picture to point out what they are trying to say. The device then uses audio relay to speak the child's message. Nielsen said SWAAC would test the product by taking a child to McDonalds to order a meal. The child would have a picture of French fries, an ice cream cone, hamburger and a hammer to choose from. She said if the hammer was selected, then the product wasn't working well for the children.
SWAAC made it easier for children to play with toys as well. Students who have a physical disability often have trouble moving their toys around. Nielsen said the problem can be eliminated through products like a stuffed giraffe, which is moved by the press of a yellow button. The toy allows children who might have trouble moving their toys to see them walk, make noise and function without frustration. The "press of a button" concept also comes across in a small Plug-in box. Electrical equipment, such as a blender or a fan, can be plugged in and then be turned on by turning a knob.
"Kids who want to participate in making a smoothie or a shake can do so," Nielsen said of the product. "It makes it so they can do it and not have to just watch."
SWAAC currently works with 30 students in the district, ranging from preschool to high school. The technology is available in the schools for students to use, but Nielsen said SWAAC often has difficulty in providing a lot of new technology because the school district cannot afford to keep up with the rapid pace at which new technology is released. Nielsen said the Montrose Re-1J SWAAC team is currently in the process of getting a grant.
The grant will allow for SWAAC to purchase "WYNN Literacy Support," a program that helps students with learning disabilities to easily read off a computer and utilize it to its full potential. The product will cost nearly $8,000.
"It could help out a whole lot," Nielsen said.
SWAAC was also recently recognized by Gov. Bill Ritter, who declared Oct. 12 - Oct. 18 Assistive Technology Awareness Week in Colorado.
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