Augmentative/Alternative Communication iPads (Oak Park)
All Program Information Provided By: Shelley Harris, (Oak Park Public Library)
Program Outline
Circulating iPads loaded with the top six augmentative/alternative communication apps:
- Grid
- TouchChat
- TD Snap, Proloquo2Go
- Proloquo
- Proloquo Coach
- LAMP Words for Life
These ipads benefit local therapists and families equally. AAC uers need to trial a variety of options before finding the one that works best for them. It's hard to do that, and wait times are very long. Therapists can now borrow multiple at once to trial. Additionally, caregivers need to be able to practice using it and modeling for the AAC user, which is hard when the user has the device! Now families can familiarize themselves with their family member's app at no cost.
Partnerships with Organizations outside the Library
I worked with a local speech therapy clinic to identify the communication apps that they used the most with their clients.
In-Library Collaborations
Material services, tech services, and circulation were the main collaborators. Materials had to help set the loan rules and approve circulating such an expensive item. Tech services was in charge of buying and loading the apps. Circulation is in charge of holds, and we worked with them for the best workflow: ipads on shelf would be in the Kids workroom, ipads on hold would be with the other on hold tech items we circulate in the circ closet.
Rules
Three week checkout (standard for all items), automatic renewal if no one is waiting (standard), Oak Park card holders only (standard for tech items).
Marketing
This is a very niche audience--only a small percentage of disabled people need communication support like this. So I email the local therapists and school therapists/special educators/etc regularly.
Biggest Obstacles
The price. I've wanted to do this for years, but each app is a few hundred dollars, plus the price of the iPad. I decided to plan to buy one a year during the twice annual half price sales offered by most companies. But then IT said they would buy them all! And they pay the $10 monthly fee for continued access to Proloquo/Proloquo Coach. I am so lucky.
Start Up Cost
Thousands of dollars. $600 ipad (x2) plus about $3-400 per app.
Yearly Maintenance Cost
$120