Upcoming Webinars, Trainings, and Events

SWAAAC hosts a variety of professional development events each school year, including webinars, trainings, team meetings, and more. Check back here regularly to stay up to date with upcoming events! Please note, registration typically closes 2 weeks before a scheduled event. 

An Artificial Intelligence Toolkit for the Special Education Service Provider

with Amanda Peters

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

3:00 PM - 4:00 PM MST

via Zoom

Description: Come learn about emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools that benefit you and your students! These tools can help you meet the individual needs of your students and dramatically cut down on your prep time. Specific AI tools that will be covered include Magic School AI, Curipod, Goblin Tools, Seeing AI, Google Lookout, and Brisk. We will discuss what you can do with the free versions of these tools.

Learn how to use these tools to generate social stories, create a vocabulary list, instantly prepare interactive slides based on any topic and at any grade level, create lesson plans in record time, adapt a lesson to a student's reading level, and empower students to creatively express themselves and be more independent readers and much more!

Que Pasa con Bilingual AAC and Intervention?

with Rui Hernandez and Ivonne Aguirre-Hernandez

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

from 12:30-4:00 PM MST

via Zoom

Description: While best practices encourage clinicians to support all languages used by AAC users, implementing bilingual interventions often presents more challenges than benefits. This presentation will offer an overview of bilingual AAC options and strategies for personalizing AAC vocabularies. Attendees will learn practical techniques for developing engaging, relevant, and fun lesson plans that foster AAC language skills in Spanish and English. The session will also cover how to identify AAC communication partners and cultural contexts that enhance effective implementation. Additionally, clinicians will be guided on key considerations when selecting therapy targets, including the bilingual approach, family values, and the child's motivations. A framework for creating lesson plans, along with a review of bilingual resources, will be provided. Finally, attendees will leave equipped with two actionable bilingual lesson plan ideas to implement immediately.

Creating a Communication Ecosystem in Schools: Welcome to Our Jungle!

with Rachel Butler and Leslie Powell

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

from 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM MDT

via Zoom

Description: Creating a supportive communication ecosystem in schools is critical to empowering students with complex communication needs to achieve autonomy and success. This presentation explores strategies for developing a collaborative, multimodal approach to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) implementation in educational settings. Attendees will learn about defining communication ecosystems, implementing classroom-based AAC supports, and addressing challenges like device abandonment and generalization. Through practical examples, case studies, and evidence-based practices, participants will gain actionable insights to foster inclusive communication environments that engage students, educators, and families. 

Registration coming soon!

Conference for Assistive Technology and Education (CATE) 2025

Save the date for CATE 2025! 

June 5-6, 2025

Registration coming soon!