Professional resources
Materials written for teachers, therapists, and other practitioners — training guides, reference books, and continuing-education resources on assistive technology and disability support.
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AbleNet Symbol Overlay App
This free iPad/iPhone app lets you build printable symbol overlays for AbleNet speech devices and switches. You search thousands of SymbolStix symbols by keyword or category, add text under each one, and print using templates made for AbleNet's devices. The overlays can show a core word on a single-message device like the BIGmack, label what each button says on a multi-message device like the QuickTalker, or show what will happen when a switch is pressed. It also helps when several devices or switches are used in one activity, since each can be labeled. The app is a design tool only, so you need an AbleNet speech device or switch to put the overlays on, plus a printer.
Verified 4 days agoProfessional guidance helps -
Pathways for Snap Scene
Pathways is a free companion app that coaches parents on how to use Snap Scene, Tobii Dynavox's scene-based communication app, with their child. It offers tips, suggestions, and videos on getting more out of Snap Scene and on applying proven techniques to support a child's communication. It's a guide, not a communication tool on its own, so it only makes sense alongside Snap Scene.
Verified 4 days agoSetup with instructions -
PODD Alternative Access (A4 Version)
Est. $150–$400
This is a set of templates and guides for building PODD communication books, which are paper-based AAC (communication) books, for people who can't point directly to pictures. It covers 22 book layouts for eye-gaze access, partner-assisted visual scanning, and combinations such as eye-gaze plus scanning or coded access. The pack includes an information file on access methods and vocabulary, a step-by-step construction file, Boardmaker templates, and demonstration videos, all on a USB drive. You supply the Boardmaker 6 software, which is needed to customise and print the templates, so this is a build-it-yourself resource and not a ready-made book. It is intended for professionals and families, and it is sold to UK customers only.
Verified 4 days agoProfessional setup required -
Pragmatic Organisation Dynamic Display (PODD)
Est. $150–$350
This is a set of electronic templates and teaching materials for building PODD communication books, which are paper-style books that a person points to or has a partner point to in order to communicate. It includes templates for 14 book styles, from early books with simple vocabulary to books with expanded, complex sentence structure. It also includes the full PODD book as a PDF, with theory, teaching strategies, vocabulary suggestions, and construction guides. The templates work for direct pointing, partner-assisted scanning, and pick-up-and-show access. You make and print the books yourself, so it's meant for professionals and families who support a child using symbols to communicate. Note that it needs Boardmaker 6, which is sold separately, plus a CD-ROM drive.
Verified 4 days agoProfessional setup required -
Middle Ear Conditions- Laminated Chart Poster 20 in. x 26 in.
$54.95
This is a laminated poster, 20 by 26 inches, showing a chart of middle ear conditions. It's a visual reference for explaining ear problems to patients or families, and is most useful in a clinic or office where a professional can walk through it.
Verified 2 days agoProfessional guidance helps -
Legal Rights- The Guide for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People
$32.50
Legal Rights is a reference book from Gallaudet University Press that explains, in plain language, the laws and procedures protecting deaf and hard of hearing people from discrimination. It covers topics like hearing-aid-compatible phones, access to electronic and information technology, interpreters in federal courts, relay services, building access, and school classroom acoustics. It also points out which states do the most to protect access and equal rights. Because the laws are described as of this edition, check current rules before acting on a specific legal question.
Verified 2 days agoReady to use -
Kid-Friendly Parenting with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children
$34.50
This Gallaudet University Press book is a parenting guide for families raising deaf and hard of hearing children. Its chapters take on everyday topics like school problems, high activity levels, building social skills, setting limits, and communication difficulties. It's written for parents, and it also suits other adults who work with young people who have hearing loss. It's a read-and-learn resource, not a device, so it offers ideas and guidance but no tools or hardware.
Verified 2 days agoReady to use -
Prop-it Speech Therapists Tool Kit
$39.95
This kit gives a traveling speech therapist a portable work surface for sessions held in clients' homes or schools. It includes a collapsible free-standing stand, a non-breakable mirror with a magnet on the back, a magnetic board with a dry-erase surface, a non-toxic marker, and a felt eraser, all packed in a zip-closing clear vinyl bag. The stand folds flat to about 8 1/2 x 11 inches, so it fits easily in a work bag. The board and mirror each measure about 6 3/4 x 10 3/4 inches. It is a set of therapy tools, not a program or curriculum, so the activities and goals come from the clinician using it.
Verified 2 days agoProfessional setup required -
Macular Degeneration: The Complete Guide
$16.95
This book by Lylas Mogk, MD, is a plain-language reference for families who are facing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) for the first time. It starts by explaining what AMD is in everyday terms, then turns to practical ideas for living well with the vision loss. It also includes recipes meant to support eye health. It's a printed book, so it's reading and reference material, not a device or tool.
Verified yesterdayReady to use -
Vision Loss: Strategies for Living with Hope and Independence
$19.95
This softcover book by Peggy R. Wolfe is a practical guide to living well with vision loss, whether it's yours or a loved one's. It covers eye care, reading, cooking, organization, technology, and managing money, with tips for staying independent in each area. It's printed in large print on heavy paper, so people with low vision can read it themselves. This is a book to read and learn from, not a device, so it won't change how you see.
Verified yesterdayReady to use -
Low Vision Rehabilitation A Practical Guide for Occupational Therapists
$82.95
This is a textbook written for occupational therapists who work with adults with low vision. It lays out an evaluation approach and treatment methods aimed at helping clients get back to the everyday activities that matter to them. The authors draw on decades of low vision therapy and optometry practice along with current research, and they describe the OT's role as one member of a vision rehabilitation team. It also covers much of the core knowledge for the ACVREP low vision certification exam and AOTA's low vision specialty certification. It's written for clinicians, so it won't be much use as a self-help guide for someone with vision loss.
Verified yesterdayProfessional guidance helps -
Macular Degeneration Resource Guide, on CD
$9.76
This is a self-paced learning course on CD for people who are just starting to learn about macular degeneration. It was created by Dr. Jeff Blanco, an optometrist who specializes in low vision. Seven audio lectures cover what macular degeneration is, how to keep your vision from getting worse, and how to make the most of the vision you have. A printed workbook goes along with the lectures. It suits someone newly diagnosed, or a family member who wants to understand the condition and what it means day to day. It is an education tool, not a device that changes how you see. You will also need a CD player to listen to the lectures.
Verified todayReady to use -
Zimmerman Low Vision Simulation Kit
$465.00
The Zimmerman Low Vision Simulation Kit lets a sighted person experience a range of vision conditions by wearing the goggles and lenses. It is a teaching tool for instructors, eye care and rehabilitation professionals, and anyone running workshops or training on low vision. You can create 11 different simulations, including four levels of acuity loss, three degrees of tunnel vision, and lenses for macular degeneration, cataracts, scotomas (blind spots), and bilateral hemianopsia. Everything comes in an attaché carrying case. These are approximate simulations meant for teaching and awareness, so they show what a condition can look like, not exactly what any one person sees.
Verified todayProfessional guidance helps -
Alphabet Scramble, Notes to Reader
$14.00
This is a short companion booklet for the Alphabet Scramble braille storybook. It explains what the story is meant to teach and how a reader should track along the braille lines. It also covers how children recognize braille symbols by touch and why knowing letters matters when they start to read. It is written for the adult guiding the child, so it only makes sense alongside the storybook itself.
Verified 3 days agoProfessional guidance helps -
CVI Companion Guide
$39.99
The CVI Companion Guide is a resource for parents and professionals that covers the social and emotional needs of children with CVI (cortical or cerebral visual impairment). It's a reading and reference piece, not a device or program.
Verified 3 days agoProfessional guidance helps -
Tactile Connections, Guidebook, Large Print, Spanish
$30.00
This is the large print Spanish guidebook that goes with Tactile Connections: Symbols for Communication, a set of tactile symbols used to build communication in young children. It's written for the adults who use the symbol set, such as teachers and family members, and it isn't a stand-alone kit. You'll need the Tactile Connections symbols themselves to put it to use. The publication is made to order, so delivery takes several weeks, and a free downloadable version of the manual is also offered.
Verified 3 days agoProfessional guidance helps -
A Parents' Guide to Special Education for Children with Visual Impairments (EPUB)
$24.95
This handbook walks parents, family members, and caregivers through the special education services that children with visual impairments are likely to need and are entitled to receive. It also explains how to make sure those services actually happen. This is the digital EPUB edition, so you'll read it on a phone, tablet, or computer with an EPUB reader app.
Verified 3 days agoReady to use -
Self-Esteem and Adjusting with Blindness
$381.00
This book looks at how self-esteem develops, how people feel about blindness, and how they adapt to it. It is a long-standing title in the field. It is a reading resource, not a device or a program, so it works best as background for the professionals and families who support someone adjusting to vision loss.
Verified 3 days agoProfessional guidance helps -
Babies with CVI: Nurturing Visual Abilities and Development in Early Childhood (EPUB)
$31.95
This is an EPUB guide to cerebral/cortical visual impairment (CVI), the brain-based vision difference, in babies and toddlers from birth to 36 months. It covers the history of CVI and best practices for supporting a young child's visual development. It's a good fit for parents, early interventionists, and teachers of students with visual impairments who want a grounded starting point. It's a digital book, so you'll need an EPUB reader app or program to open it.
Verified 3 days agoProfessional guidance helps -
Vision and the Brain: Understanding Cerebral Visual Impairment in Children
$55.95
Vision and the Brain is a sourcebook on cerebral visual impairment (CVI), a form of vision difficulty tied to how the brain processes what the eyes see. It pulls together what is currently known about CVI and best practices for working with children who have it. This is a reference for the adults around a child, such as teachers, vision professionals, and families, not something a child uses directly. It is made to order or digital, and the digital version needs an EPUB reader app to open.
Verified 3 days agoProfessional guidance helps -
ECC Essentials: Teaching the Expanded Core Curriculum to Students with Visual Impairments
$45.95
ECC Essentials is a book for teachers of students with visual impairments. It covers the nine areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum, which are the skills these students need to learn so they can reach the regular school curriculum and become independent. For each area, the book explains why it matters and offers suggestions and strategies for teaching it. It's written for the educator, so it isn't a workbook or something a student would use directly. It's also made to order, and it can come as an electronic EPUB file that needs an EPUB reader.
Verified 3 days agoProfessional guidance helps -
Beginning with Braille: Firsthand Experiences with a Balanced Approach to Literacy
$41.95
Beginning with Braille is a teaching guide for educators who are helping beginning students learn braille. It has been a go-to resource in the United States and abroad for more than 15 years, and it takes a balanced approach to literacy. This edition is made to order or digital, so you'll need an EPUB reader if you choose the electronic file.
Verified 3 days agoProfessional guidance helps -
Partners in O&M: Supporting Orientation and Mobility for Students Who Are Visually Impaired
$45.95
This book is a guide to teaching orientation and mobility (O&M), the skills of knowing where you are and moving safely from place to place, to children who are blind or have low vision. It's written for O&M specialists and for people in training to become one. It also covers ideas and strategies that other professionals can use to reinforce O&M skills. It is a text for the adults who teach and support students, not something a child uses directly. It is made to order or digital, and the electronic version needs an EPUB reader.
Verified 3 days agoProfessional guidance helps -
Orientation and Mobility Techniques: A Guide for the Practitioner, 2nd Edition
$38.95
This is a reference book for orientation and mobility (O&M) practitioners, the specialists who teach people who are blind or have low vision to travel safely. This second edition uses an easier-to-read color layout with photographs. It adds updated guidance on crossing streets at complex intersections and a new chapter on O&M for people with low vision. It's written for the professional, not the traveler, so it works best as a library reference for someone already doing or training for this work.
Verified 3 days agoProfessional guidance helps