What is Tennessee Talks?
Tennessee Talks is a grant-funded project of the Tennessee Department of Education. Regional contracts are working collaboratively to provide assistance to educational teams as they address the needs of their students with significant communication challenges.
Tennessee Talks will work directly with schools at no cost to assist support students, school staff, and parents interested in learning more about AAC. It is our goal to disseminate information on evidence-based practices, provide helpful resources, support teams and SLPs as they begin to address the needs of their students, and support long-term learning through the development of professional learning communities.
Services
Partnering with Tennessee Public Schools to Support Students with Complex Communication Needs
Students
Tennessee Talks can:
Provide guidance and resources for completing student AT-AAC assessments (we do NOT independently complete assessments, but assist school-based SLP staff with process to support learning)
Help teams identify necessary access supports (e.g., switches, mounts, etc.) for students with physical disabilities
Assist teams with matching students with appropriate communication systems
Devices
Tennessee Talks can:
Offer trials of devices and equipment from our regional AAC lending libraries
Support with learning to customize device programming
Assist in procuring communication systems for students
Troubleshoot problems with current AT-AAC equipment or practices
Speech Therapists and Parents
Tennessee Talks can:
Provide staff and parent trainings on topics related to AAC
Expand participants knowledge through creation of educational webinars and professional learning communities
Offer resources to support student AT-AAC use and learning