Guided Hands AT for Upper Extremity Disabilities: Supporting Education, Rehabilitation, and Independence

Presenter(s)

Event Details

Topic:

accessibility & UDL

Format:

demonstration

Subject Level:

intermediate

Age Span:

infant / toddler
preschool
kindergarten - grade 6
grades 7-12
adult

Target Audience:

AT specialist
autism specialist
consultant

educator
family member / caregiver
healthcare administration
K-12 administration
occupational therapist
paraprofessional
physical therapist
special educator
speech language pathologist
teacher of the visually impaired
university professor / personnel
vision impairment specialist

Professional Development Credits

IACET CEUs:

.01 CEU

ACVREP CEs:

1 CE

Presentation Length: 1 hour

Location:

Atrium 2

Description:

Explore Guided Hands, an award-winning assistive technology helping children and adults with upper extremity disabilities write, paint, draw, and use touch-screen devices! Guided Hands is used by health professionals, educators, and families in schools, hospitals, and homes across 25 countries, improving quality of life and helping clients achieve their IEP and rehabilitation goals. Participants will learn how to set up Guided Hands and apply client-centered adaptations to support a wide range of mobility needs, including spastic movements, tremors, high and low muscle tone, and visual impairments in individuals with conditions such as spinal cord injuries, stroke, autism, and more. The session will be led by Lianna Genovese, CEO & Founder of ImaginAble Solutions, who invented Guided Hands at age 19 for her friend with Cerebral Palsy.

Learning Outcomes:

As a result of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Identify and describe methods for enabling clients with upper limb disabilities to write, draw, paint, and access touch-screen devices using assistive technology that leverages gross motor skills instead of fine motor control.

• Set up Guided Hands for a client with an upper limb disability and identify at least five adaptation modalities based on the client’s level of mobility, including individuals with high tone, low tone, spasticity, and Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI), among others.

• Apply strategies for incorporating Guided Hands into IEP and rehabilitation plans to support independence and self-expression in educational and clinical settings.