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<\/p>\nAlfaisal University recently hosted the Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Think Tank in order to support the research community that strives to improve outcomes for people with complex disabilities and their families. The think tank was organized by Alfaisal\u2019s AI Center in the College of Engineering in partnership with Afsih, a local AAC Startup for AAC and Assistive Technologies.<\/p>\n
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On Saturday, Dec 25th, the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Design Lab at Alfaisal\u2019s AI Center, in partnership with Afsih, brought together researchers, clinicians, policy makers, and practitioners in the \ufb01eld of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) from across the country to meet, network with other subject-matter experts in the \ufb01eld, and build research connections to advance the broader understanding of AAC in our local context of Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
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AAC systems, which often include tablets, computers or mobile devices, help both children and adults, whose speech does not adequately meet their communication needs due to cognitive or neurological disorders such as ALS, autism, traumatic brain injury or other disabilities, to better communicate with their families and peers.<\/p>\n
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Event organizers included leading \ufb01eld researchers Dr. Norah Alghusun, Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP) and CEO at Afsih, a local AAC service provider; Dr. Sheikha Alrajebah, MD and a partner in Afsih; Dr. Areej Al-Wabil, Director of the AI Center and Co-founder of Sawty, an Arabic AAC startup which is a spin-o\ufb00 of the HCI Lab; and Dr. Khuloud Alhussein, SLP and chairperson at Afsih.<\/p>\n
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According to Dr. Areej Al-Wabil, \u201cAAC, like many areas at the intersection of technology and health care, poses signi\ufb01cant challenges in research and service delivery especially in Arabic-speaking populations. The AAC Think Tank was all about connections \u2014 connections among researchers and students working to solve diverse problems; connections among these students (from both technical and applied health domains) and leading researchers in the \ufb01eld; connections among AAC research labs from across the Kingdom; and connections among ideas from diverse disciplines spanning health, technology, policy and social sciences. Ultimately these connections will serve to propel AAC research forward to enhance understanding and improve quality of life for children and adults with complex communication needs and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe are proud at Afsih to conduct the \ufb01rst Think Tank for AAC and Assistive Tech (AT) in collaboration with the AI Center at Alfaisal,\u201d said Norah Alghusun, CEO at Afsih who highlighted how exciting it was to see the participants energized by the AAC Think Tank. Activities in the AAC Think Tank shed light on how others had addressed their own research goals or challenges in clinical practice, and this in turn gave the participants renewed energy and new ideas for pursuing their vision for the \ufb01eld of AAC in their domains. \u201cWe look forward to fruitful future collaborations,\u201d said Alghusun as she addressed the Think Tank\u2019s participants in the event\u2019s welcoming remarks.<\/p>\n
Activities included presentations and discussions on Arabic AAC technologies, clinical practice for AAC, establishing a line of research in AAC, and building research teams; and an exhibit for participants to discuss their current and proposed AAC research activities and meet with other practitioners and students who may have similar research interests. Participants in the Think Tank included the Secretary General of the King Salman Center for Disability Research, Dr. Ahmed bin Abdulaziz AlTamimi; Dr. Mohamed Hassan representing the Disabled Children\u2019s Association; Dr. Heidi Askari representing the Royal Commision for Riyadh; Dr. Faisal Al-Nimri, the Chief Operating O\ufb03cer at the Autism Center of Excellence (ACE); Dr. Areej Al-Asiri, consultant SLP; and a diverse group of specialists from clinical and policy domains in the Ministry of Health, Saudi Health Council and the Authority for People with Disabilities (APD).<\/p>\n
\u201cThe AAC Think Tank was a wonderful opportunity to learn from experts in the \ufb01eld and participate in a vibrant community of diverse researchers, clinicians and practitioners who are dedicated to making a di\ufb00erence in the lives of individuals with complex communication needs,\u201d said Dr. Shaikha Alrajebah, SLP and co-founder of Afsih as she highlighted the key contributions of the AAC Think Tank in the event\u2019s closing remarks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Introduction Alfaisal University recently hosted the Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Think Tank in order to support the research community…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":3938,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[128,19],"tags":[],"college-department":[{"term_id":10,"name":"College of Engineering","slug":"college-of-engineering","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":10,"taxonomy":"college-department","description":"","parent":0,"count":272,"filter":"raw"}],"class_list":["post-3937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","category-students","college-department-college-of-engineering"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n