Resources for Eye-Gaze Users
About Me
Hi, I’m Heather Roach—PODD trainer, AAC and educational consultant, and a passionate advocate for meaningful communication. I specialize in supporting individuals who use AAC and the teams around them, combining professional expertise with lived experience as a parent to a complex communicator. I support both school teams and families by helping build strong communication, literacy, and learning strategies. At school, I work with teachers and therapists to create plans that support students who use AAC. At home, I help families understand IEPs, feel more confident talking with the school team, and find ways to support learning every day. Whether I’m guiding teams through partner-assisted scanning or helping a parent speak up in an IEP meeting, my goal is always the same—making sure communication is possible everywhere, and that each person has the tools they need to grow and succeed.
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Recent Articles & Tips
February 2024 Virtual PODD Group Recap: Supporting New Users & Efficient Printing Techniques
https://youtu.be/xx3XudMLnBE Welcome to my February 2024 Virtual PODD Group recap! In this session, I delved into some tips for supporting new users diving into the world of PODD communication systems from the perspective of a special education teacher and PODD parent. First, I touched on the importance of adopting a team approach that centers around…
PODD Book Demonstration – Partner Assisted Visual Scanning Books
Follow along with me as I provide examples of doing Direct Models with Pragmatic Organization Dynamic Display (PODD) books. I’ll be using four different Partner Assisted Visual Scanning (PAVS) books: 12 and 20 expanded functions, 40 keyword, and 80 expanded keyword. Each of these books have an operational panel for users who are unable to…
Creating a Personal Voice on iOS 17: A Tutorial for AAC Users (with TD Pilot iPad, & Proloquo)
Imagine a world where your communication device is as unique as you are. As both a parent of a child with complex communication needs and an experienced Educational and AAC Consultant, I’m beyond excited to introduce you to the experience of creating your very own voice using iOS 17. The moment I learned about this…