SC Assistive Technology Program

04/22/2026

National Assistive Technology (AT) Awareness Day

Today we recognize National Assistive Technology (AT) Awareness Day, a time to highlight the essential role assistive technology plays in advancing access, independence, and inclusion for people with disabilities.

Assistive technology includes a wide range of tools, devices and services that support individuals in learning, working, communicating, and fully taking part in their communities. From screen readers and communication devices to everyday technologies like smart home tools and adaptive software, AT empowers individuals of all ages and abilities to thrive.

National AT Awareness Day reminds us that assistive technology is not a luxury -it is a necessity that opens doors to education, employment, and community life. This day is also an opportunity to recognize the dedicated professionals, educators and advocates who work to connect individuals with the technology that best supports their goals, helping to promote dignity, independence, and opportunity for all.

At the South Carolina Assistive Technology Program, Center for Disability Resources, USC School of Medicine Columbia, we reaffirm our commitment to increasing awareness of assistive technology and supporting individuals in accessing the tools they need to succeed. This year‘s theme reminds us of “Assistive Technology. Everywhere. Everyone. “ -AT impacts all of us, and awareness today helps ensure access tomorrow.

We encourage our community to learn more about assistive technology, explore available resources, and continue working together to build a more accessible and inclusive environment. 

04/13/2026

The Blackboard Design team wants your input to make Blackboard more intuitive, inclusive and enjoyable. We're looking for students and faculty/instructors to join the Blackboard Task Force! We’re especially interested in reaching out to this group to help ensure disability and accessibility are continuously incorporated into early product development.
• What is the Blackboard Task Force? A volunteer community of students and instructors who give feedback on Blackboard.
• Why join? Help make Blackboard better for everyone – influence the tools you use every day and sneak peek at new features!
• What’s involved? Once signed up, instructors/students will be contacted if a suitable study is available. (Signing up does not guarantee a spot for sessions). These will be occasional, short, online sessions (30–60 min) such as user interviews, surveys, co-design workshops, or feedback sessions.

Sign up for the Blackboard Taskforce here!
https://forms.office.com/r/wrikALrddy
It’s important for us to make our products as intuitive as possible for instructors and students, and that can only happen when we create these products together with you – thank you for your support.

Best wishes,
The Blackboard Design, Accessibility, and Research Team

Dr. Amy Lomellini (she/her)
Director of Accessibility

________________________________________

03/30/2026

Bridging the Gap in Reading Support with C-Pen
For special education professionals, providing tools that foster independence is key. Devices from C-Pen help students with dyslexia, visual impairments, aphasia, and other reading differences access printed text more easily.

When one-on-one support or digital accommodations aren’t available, C-Pen’s text-to-speech tools help bridge the gap, promoting active reading, stronger understanding, and greater independence.

Find the C-Pen That Meets Your Students' Needs
C-Pen Reader 2 -Simple, reliable dailyreading support.
Offers core scanning, text-to-speech, and word definitions in an easy-to-use offline device. Perfect for students who need straightforward reading assistance.

C-Pen Exam Reader 2 - Designed for testing environments.
A secure, fully offline device that reads test questions aloud but doesn’t store content or access the internet, making it ideal for exams and accommodations.

C-Pen Reader 3 - Most advanced reading support.
The newest model with online features, more languages, and added learning tools. Great for everyday classroom use and students who want the most functionality.
Need help choosing the right C-Pen? Request a Consultation from School Health Corporation, 5600 Apollo Drive Rolling Meadows, IL, 60008, US

03/13/2026

The SC Assistive Technology Program will be at Family Time with the Phil (SC Philharmonic) on Sunday, March 15th. Come join us for a family friendly event with community resources available before the event starts!
https://www.scphilharmonic.com/calendar/03-15-2026/family-time-with-the-phil/
Image: Photo of calendar and scphilmarmonic.com
Family Time with the Phil - Discover the SC Philharmonic. Find upcoming concerts, tickets, music information, learning programs, and more.

Discover the South Carolina Philharmonic. Find upcoming concerts, tickets, music information, learning programs, and more.

03/13/2026

🌟 Thank You for Joining Us at the SC Assistive Technology Expo! 🌟
A huge thank you to everyone who attended the South Carolina Assistive Technology Expo! We truly appreciate your presence, your energy, and your commitment to learning about the latest tools and innovations that support independence and accessibility.
We hope you left with valuable information, new connections, and fresh inspiration. Your participation is what makes this event so meaningful each year.
We’re already looking forward to seeing you again in 2027! 💙✨
Until then, stay connected, stay empowered, and keep exploring what assistive technology can make possible.

03/06/2026

SC Assistive Technology Expo - March 10, 2026
Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center
Registration and parking are free
The Assistive Technology Expo will have great information for:
educators and leaders in education: discover forward-thinking strategies to increase participation and independence for every learner.
IT professionals who support technology in schools or organizations: What if accessibility wasn’t retrofitted, but designed from the start? Learn critical insights into aligning IT systems with assistive technology and compliance requirements.
Transition teachers and Transition age individuals: sessions designed to support students and adults with disabilities as they move toward employment, independence, and meaningful community participation. Let’s move from planning for transition… to powering it.
🎶 Designing Joyful Learning Experiences for Children with Complex Needs
Redefine literacy using interactive songs, multisensory materials, and the APH Joy Player to bring engagement to life.
🤖 From Artificial to Assistive Intelligence: AI, UDL & Accessibility
Learn how AI can proactively reduce barriers using Universal Design for Learning principles — with real classroom applications.
⚖ The ADA Title II and Its Impact on Schools
Accessibility is no longer optional. It’s essential. Understand updated digital accessibility requirements and practical implementation tools.
📈 Promoting Student Outcomes for Struggling Learners
Explore how statewide implementation strategies scale assistive technology equitably.
🌱 Infinite Careers in Nutrition and Dietetics: Pathways, Access & Assistive Technology
Hear from a registered dietitian with a disability who shares real-world career pathways, workplace accommodations, and assistive technologies that make professional careers accessible and attainable .
🚜 The AgrAbility Toolbox for Farmers and Ranchers with Disabilities
Explore practical AT solutions that support employment, safety, and independence in agricultural careers .
🚲 Pedaling for Life – Adaptive Cycling in Pediatric Practice
Discover how adaptive cycling promotes mobility, community integration, and lifelong recreation .
🦯 Innovations in Assistive Technology for Low Vision and Blindness
Learn about smart glasses, object recognition tools, and voice-first interfaces that expand independence in work and daily living.

The SC AT Expo 2026 connects AT for education, employment, and empowerment — all in one place. Encourage your students and their families to attend. Please see the attached full session list (speakers and bios) to choose your sessions and pay close attention to the CEU guide on the last page.
Invite a friend or neighbor. Share the invitation. Join us.
Thank you to the following sponsors:
SC Assistive Technology Program
Center for Disability Resources
SC Developmental Disabilities Council
The Transition Alliance of South Carolina (TASC)
South Carolina TEAMS
MobilityWorks
Amplify Life SSCEDPPediatric Mobility innovations
SC Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental BBHDD Office of Intellectual and Developmental DisabilitiesPrep for the Polls scvotes.gov
Morining Sun
SC Association for Educational Technology
USC School of Medicine Columbia
SC Commission for the Blind
South Carolina Association for Educational Technology


See you next week at the SC 2026 AT Expo on March the 10th!

02/24/2026

The SC Assistive Technology Program is hosting a webinar entitled: "Assertiveness Skills for Safer Travel"
Date: February 27, 2026
Time: 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Location: Webinar
Cost: Free
Registration Link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/nC79JUIDSBqbJEujD_UQaw

Participants must register to receive the webinar link. REGISTER NOW.

About the Program
Learn the skills that increase safety, reduce risk, and strengthen independent travel. This session teaches you how to communicate your needs clearly, give effective instructions to drivers, decline unwanted assistance confidently, and respond decisively when a situation raises concern. We’ll be drawing on evidence-based personal safety practices and real community travel scenarios to learn phrases, behaviors, and actions you can rely on across rideshare, paratransit, public transit and everyday community interactions.

Participants will learn:

Communicate needs and boundaries clearly and confidently during travel situations, including giving directions, setting limits, and declining unwanted assistance.
Apply assertive language and behaviors to increase personal safety and reduce risk when using rideshare, paratransit, public transit, and navigating everyday community interactions.
Recognize early signs of concern and respond decisively using evidence based strategies and practiced phrases to maintain control of the situation.
About the Presenter
Alex Livingston
Alex has been an Orientation and Mobility Specialist for five years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from UNC Asheville and a master’s degree in special education from North Carolina Central University. She serves children and adults with vision loss throughout the state of South Carolina.

Accommodations
CART captioning is provided for all SCATP webinars. If you need an additional accommodation to participate, please contact us at least one week prior to the webinar via e-mail or by phone at 803-935-5263.

Description of Webinar: Learn the skills that increase safety, reduce risk, and strengthen independent travel. This session teaches you how to communicate your needs clearly, give effective instructions to drivers, decline unwanted assistance confidently, and respond decisively when a situation rais...

02/16/2026

BuildingWings Webinar: AAC Literacy Instruction
How do you ensure learners who use AAC have meaningful, engaging, and interest-driven access to literacy instruction?

Join our free live webinar, AAC Literacy Instruction: Boosting Access, Engagement, and Independent Learning, as we team up with Smart Box on February 18 at 2 PM CST.

The session features research-based literacy instruction practices for learners with complex learning needs. Presenters Maureen Donnelly, M.Ed., and Chris Gibbons, PhD, CCC-SLP will share how comprehensive literacy instruction paired with AAC supports communication growth, reading development, and independent learning.

📅 February 18
⏰ 2:00 PM CT

Register now!
Webinar announcement with speakers.
Attendees will:
Explore accessible reading tools available in Monarch Reader
Learn strategies that support consistent, high-quality instruction
Receive a certificate of completion

Save your Spot
Designed for teachers, SLPs, OTs, paraprofessionals, and anyone supporting learners who use AAC, this session will focus on strategies you can apply immediately in classrooms, therapeutic spaces, and small group instruction. We’d love to learn alongside you and share practical tools that make literacy both more accessible and joyful for learners who use AAC.

Copyright © 2025 Building Wings Co. All Rights Reserved

02/09/2026

Webinar to be hosted by Brainware Learning Company
Tomorrow: February 10
Cognitive Skills and Math: Beyond the Numbers

When children struggle with math, we often focus on more practice with math facts, more drilling on procedures, more examples and re-explaining. And while math instruction has changed over the years, there really isn’t a Science of Math the way there is a Science of Reading.

In our February Learning Brain Monthly session, Cognitive Skills and Math: Beyond the Numbers, we’ll explore why math success depends on much more than knowing facts or procedures — and why some students struggle even with good instruction and strong effort.

Together, we’ll look at:
• How number sense in math is analogous to phonics and phonemic awareness in reading
• How math fluency parallels reading fluency — and why automaticity matters
• How the Science of Reading does and doesn’t transfer to Math beyond those steps
• Why some students sail through early math but struggle when they get to algebra and geometry, while other students suddenly come into their own when they get to advanced math
• Why word problems and algebra create new challenges for many students
• What parents and educators can do to strengthen the underlying learning skills that support math success

We’ll also share real-world examples and practical takeaways you can use right away with your child or students.

If you’ve ever wondered why math feels so hard for some learners — or why progress can stall despite everyone’s best efforts — this session will give you a new lens and a hopeful path forward.

Date & Time: Tuesday, February 10, 2026, 12 Noon Central
Click to Register https://brainware-learning-company.getlearnworlds.com/learning-brain-monthly-join

Your free 30-day trial will give you access to this month's presentation ...
And... Access to ALL previous monthly sessions, including ...
• Sleep and Cognitive Functioning
• Memory and Forgetting: Making Learning Stick
• Students Need More than Accommodations
• Processing Speed: The Misunderstood Struggle
• Why Reading Scores Are Falling, Even with the Science of Reading
• Executive Functions and Executive Functioning
• and more....

Join a growing community of educators, parents, and learning advocates who want real answers and science-backed strategies.

Join The Learning Brain Monthly

Warmly,
Betsy Hill
Neuroeducator and President, BrainWare Learning Company
Co-Author, Your Child Learns Differently, Now What?
image: BrainWare Learning Company

The Learning Brain Monthly is your foundation—your starting point for understanding how to work with your child’s brain, not against it. If you're uncertain about what your child really needs, this is the perfect place to begin. Before you invest in costly interventions or one-size-fits-all solu...

02/06/2026

Registration is open to attend the 2026 AT Expo!
This statewide event brings together professionals, educators, service providers, and individuals with disabilities to explore the latest innovations that empower independence and inclusion. Register today!
Date: Tuesday March 10, 2026
Location: Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, 1101 Lincoln Street Columbia, SC 29201
This year’s expo will feature:
• Exhibit Hall and Makers Space: A dynamic space for hands-on demonstrations and networking. This year's Maker's Space features 3D printing.
• Educational Sessions: This year's expo will feature 15 education sessions open to all attendees. Education sessions feature expert-led presentations on trends and best practices in assistive technology and accessibility. Please see attached session list for more details on CEUs and speaker information.
• Networking Opportunities: Whether attending to find out about new technologies or connecting with vendors, friends, and colleagues, the SC Assistive Technology Expo is the place to be!

The participant scheudle includes:
8:30 am Registration is open; there will be 8 check-in stations for registration.
8:30 am - 9:30 am Participants visit Exhibit Hall
9:30 am-10:30 am Participants attend an education session
10:30 am-11:30 am Participants visit Exhibit Hall
11:30 am-12:30 pm Participants attend an education session
12:30 pm-1:30 pm Participants visit Exhibit Hall
12:45 pm Door Prizes will be given away in Booth 18
1:30 pm-2:30 pm Participants attend an education session
2:30 pm-3:30 pm Participants visit Exhibit Hall
2:45 pm Afternoon Break in front of Booth 18
2:45 pm Door Prizes will be given away in Booth 18
3:30 pm Exhibit Hall Closes to Particpants; Exhibitor

The concession stand will be open in the Exhibit Hall from 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
The Exhibit Hall is open to participants from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30p.m.

Thank you to our sponsors listed on the flyer below.
2026 Assistive Technology Expo Flyer is attached.

02/04/2026

WebAIM Digital Accessibility Series by ATAP and AT3, on a light blue background with large repeated white text reading "TODAY'S THE DAY" three times, followed by: "The Americans with Disabilities Act, Web Accessibility, And You: Updates to Title II and What They Mean for Covered Entities" and a call to action "Register and Learn More Here.

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wOkZeBO6TRGsC_BAo66lgw

02/04/2026

South Carolina Youth Leadership Forum: Applications Open
Do you know a young person with a disability who shows leadership potential? Is that person you?
The South Carolina Youth Leadership Forum (SCYLF) is now accepting applications. This immersive leadership experience brings together disabled youth from across South Carolina to build leadership skills, confidence, and career-focused networks.

Program Details
📍 Location: Presbyterian College
📅 Dates: June 21–24, 2026
👥 Eligibility:
• Ages 15–23
• South Carolina residents
• Disabled youth with demonstrated leadership

If you mentor, employ, teach, or know a young person who could benefit from this opportunity, we encourage you to share this with them.

👉 Learn more & apply: SCYLF.org






Able South Carolina
720 Gracern Road Suite 106
Columbia, SC 29210
United States
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