Free resources for communication

When you need something, it always takes lots of time, access to images of what you want to represent and money to develop them.

Here is a solution. All you need to do is, color print them and laminate for durability.(Officeworks is great here!).  You can even personalise them.

There are a couple of ways to access free sequences for all sorts of activities at Home and School and Early childhood settings from toilet routines (boy or girl) to dressing and play time.

Then there are sequences you can have for less regular activities, such as Going to the Dentist or Getting a Hair Cut. You choose how much detail of the sequence is needed, as you cut and paste the images for your own needs.  


 Did you know there is a pilot scheme for having your own child's non electronic communication board/s developed. Check our Kids Chat

There is a similar scheme for adults which has been going for a number of years now. NECAS

I am happy to provide assessment and help you identity  your person's vocabulary and language needs with regard to supports for communication  and interaction.

Cathy

Cathy Basterfield

Speech Pathologist

Access Easy English

cathy@accesseasyenglish.com.au

www.accesseasyenglish.com.au

ph: 0466 579 855

Free images and image storer

Welcome to 2015.

Check out this free download of Picto- selector. Stored on it are many of the free image sets I have mentioned previously, including Sclera, Mulberry St, and others.  Here they are all in one place.  They  are easy to locate and compare with each other.  It has been developed in Scandinavia, and  is available in many different languages if you need them.   The website says “The download contains over 28000 pictos (images) translated to English, Dutch, German, French, Danish, Spanish, Brazilian and Italian. (Some pictos are also translated to Arabic, Swedish, Portuguese and Indonesian).”   It can be used by multiple users.

This image storage selector can help you locate all your images of similar meanings, eg: type in "happy, and a range of different images from the various sets of this concept are available, If you have Boardmaker also, you can import these new images you regularly use, into the one storage system.

The image selector will also find words that have another word in it, eg: law, showed me a range of images for "law ", but also "lawn mower," "lawn" etc.

You can modify the images but this is limited. However, a couple of  good functions are

-  remove the border;

- remove the word from underneath the image or change the word (and/or place it in a different place as part of the image);

- have access to search function in a different language;

- easily add "no good" (red cross) good/right (green tick) over an image.

You could use this free download as a beginning point of images, or if you have a range of other image sets, use as possible alternatives.  

You can also upload photos you use regularly into Picto- selector. This is particularly useful when you cannot access Boardmaker or other image storage/selector systems.

When uploading the Picto-selector, check the copyright usage, although it does have creative commons copyright, it also asks you to acknowledge the source of your images.

Let me know your thoughts about this image storer, and the extra images you can use.

Cathy

Cathy Basterfield

Access Easy English

www.accesseasyenglish.com.au

cathy@accesseasyenglish.com.au

0466 579 855

Free download of resources

Books without Words regularly have at least one of their resources at 1/2 price to purchase.  This month it is “Going to the doctor” and “Going to Out-patients.”
http://booksbeyondwords.co.uk/news/books-month
This is a great way to build up your resource library from this organisation.  Remember though this is UK based resources, so some images or messages may not be accurate for an Australian audience.  However, you could add an Australian image, where needed, to your conversation with the person using the books.

 There are also many of their resources available at 5 pounds each for ipad or kindle. http://booksbeyondwords.co.uk/bookshop

In addition a number of their resources are available for free download. http://booksbeyondwords.co.uk/resources
Print these off in color and have them bound properly - they are great resources for many people.  Remember many people with low literacy prefer a hard copy to looking at screens.

Currently in the free download section, there are some titles which have no language, or a few words. Some have longer statements.  Use as a basis for making it work for your audience.
Check out the titles
- “How to look after my balls.”
- “Having a colonoscopy.”

Talk to Cathy about modifying your health literature for people with low literacy.

Cathy

Cathy Basterfield
www.accesseasyenglish.com.au
cathy@accesseasyenglish.com.au

0466 579 855

Free photos

Try this link from the UK - it has a huge range of free images,  as photos, which may be just what you are looking for.  There are also additional photos, if you log in, but these seem to be free also.

Read the provisos, and terms of use to make sure the use of the images is appropriate for your document or communication device.

Watch out you do not select a UK image (such as a Police Bobby) to represent police in Australia, or your own state.

There are clear and modern images of specific items - try “full car park”, or “laptop”.  Need a tool –try these clear photos also.

Talk to Cathy about other free image sets available, or image sets you can purchase for your needs

Cathy

Cathy Basterfield

cathy@accesseasyenglish.com.au
0466 579 855
www.accesseasyenglish.com.au