2026 PLD events: Now Open for Registration
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| Newsletter December 2025 | ||
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Kia ora Visitor,
In our final newsletter of 2025, we would like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who has supported our work throughout the year. Whether by attending our events, sharing expertise through the delivery of inspiring workshops and courses, or through your continued membership support. We wish you a wonderful, festive and relaxing holiday season and look forward to welcoming you back to our exciting lineup of events in 2026. This newsletter highlights all newly scheduled events for the coming new year which are now open for registration!
News from the world of Assistive TechnologyMessage from our New Chair!Kia ora koutou, I am pleased to be writing to you for the first time as Chair of the ATANZ Board. It is a privilege to take on this role and to serve an organisation that strives for excellence in communication assistive technology provision and support in New Zealand. I would like to begin by acknowledging and sincerely thanking our outgoing Chair, Shannon Henning, for her leadership over the past four years, and her incredible six years of service to ATANZ. Her tenure encompassed an exceptionally challenging period for the disability sector, with the impacts of COVID-19 and significant funding changes creating ongoing uncertainty. Shannon was a strong and steady advocate, championing the needs of disabled people, and guiding ATANZ with integrity and purpose. We are deeply grateful for her time, commitment and the foundations she has helped to build. I am also delighted to welcome two new Board members, Ella Foreman and Beth Smith. They bring valuable experience, fresh perspectives, and a shared commitment to the ATANZ mission of “Promoting excellence in assistive technology service provision in New Zealand.” We look forward to the insight and energy they will contribute to our board. As we move into 2026, I am committed to working closely with the board and our membership as we look ahead to an important year. Gaining member feedback will be a key focus as we review and update our strategic plan, ensuring it reflects the priorities, experiences, and aspirations of our members. As we come to the end of the year, I would like to wish you all a safe and restful holiday season. I look forward to connecting with you in the new year.
Ngā mihi nui, Equipment pool update.We have received a large number of requests for trials in term 1. Please be patient while we work through these. Please also ensure that devices are returned on time with all components!
Newly launched Professional Development events for 2026. Now all open for registration on our website events page!
Please check out all the details for each event here below in this newsletter and or visit our website's events page, where you can also register online. Feel free to share all the attached flyers to this newsletter of each event, widely with your networks! First up in 2026 - Increasing learning opportunities for all students: a hands-on iPad workshop for school leaders, including SLTs - by David Niemeijer & Shannon Braithwaite, 27 FebruaryMany of our members will remember the great 'Rethinking AAC and AAC practice workshops with David Niemeijer Erin Sheldon from 'AssistiveWare' in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin in February this year. Just this week David & Erin made themselves available for a follow up online Q& A sessions where they created an opportunity for participants to ask questions and share their experiences with different ways of modeling, larger AAC grid sizes, use of AAC for teaching, and/or the use of Proloquo. We are very excited that on the 27th of February David will visit us again from Amsterdam, this time accompanied by Shannon another AssistiveWare team member, for two half day workshops with new and different content in Auckland at the Jetpark Hotel. There is a limit of 24 participant per workshop so please make sure to secure your spot in! Registrations close 20th of February or when sold out! This hands-on workshop, creates an opportunity to explore new tools and strategies to make teaching easier while increasing the learning opportunities for all students, including AAC users. These tools and strategies are designed to help you deliver grade-level lessons while effectively supporting students with higher and complex learning support needs. This workshop is designed for school leaders (e.g., deputy principals, heads of curriculum, heads of instructional technology, heads of assistive technology), including Speech-language therapists, and AAC coaches. We encourage up to 3 people to attend from the same school to support transfer of information into sustainable practice. Check out all the details and register online via our website events page: Morning workshop from 9.00 am-12.30 pm; for full details & online registration click here. Affternoon workshop from 1.30-5.00 pm; for full details & online registration click here. Please also check out the attached flyer and feel free to share it throughout your networks!
Back by popular demand - 2026 Switch access and switch-adapted Technology - by Jacki Mayne-Davis, 1 May in WellingtonA 7-hour workshop suitable for teachers of earners with PMLD, school-based OTs and SLTs, CDT OTs and SLTs, rehab MDTs, day programme facilitators, and whānau. In September this year this event sold out with 50 participants and an additional waiting list. Registrations opened last week for people on the waiting list and we are now pleased to officially launch this event and open registration for all our members and our wider network. Discover how switch access and switch-adapted technology can transform participation, communication, and learning for children with disabilities. You’ll explore practical frameworks such as CanChild’s F-Words, the Traffic Light Framework, and Linda Burkhart's Stepping Stones to Scan-Select (switch access mastery), which help keep the “big picture” in mind for every child. But this workshop delivers much more and has been updated with the latest, so please check out the full details here which is also your link to the online registration for this event. See also attached flyer which you are free to spread widely! Exciting return next year - 2026 Coaching for Communication Partners workshops, A two-day workshop using the "Empowering Parents for AAC Approach" for professionals who support children to use AAC - By Dr Sam Brydon, Auckland 10 & 11 August, Christchurch 20 & 21 August.We are really pleased that next year Sam Brydon will offer the Coaching for Communication Partners worksop for us again. This two-day professional development workshop is grounded in the current AAC research. It provides professionals who work in the field of AAC a framework for coaching communication partners (including parents, family, and educators) in how to use supportive AAC strategies. The workshop combines information sharing, demonstration, videos, group discussions, and multiple opportunities to practice the coaching skills. Participants will leave with a framework for coaching communication partners, as well as a set of instructional resources Sam Brydon is well known for her researched based programmes, her wide expertise and her generous and approachable facilitation style. People who have already been trained by Sam will know that they will be in for a treat when they register for this workshop! Please share this programme wide and far as we would like to be able to offer this workshop in both Auckland and Christchurch. But we will need a minimum number of 20 participants to go ahead! To check out the full details and to register online registration please click here for the Auckland workshop at the Auckland Jetpark Airport Hotel and clickhere for the Christchurch workshop at the Russley Golfclub. We would very much appreciate if you could share the attached promotion flyer for this event with your wider network especially in the wider Christchurch area.
Surely last but not least, another unique learning opportunity provided by Dr Sam Brydon. 2026 Full Online LAMP Course (Aotearoa/New Zealand) - Words for Life & the LAMP therapy approach (October–November 2026 | via Zoom)ATANZ is excited to offer again this year, the full 2‑day LAMP course as an online programme for Aotearoa/New Zealand, in response to community feedback. The course is delivered across four online sessions over 8 weeks:
This workshop will provide comprehensive training about the LAMP therapeutic approach, which was developed by John and Cindy Halloran, and Mia Emerson, and focuses on supporting autistic children to use AAC. This approach can be used across AAC systems, but it is particularly suited for use with the LAMP Words for Life app. Professionals who complete ALL three first sessions can apply for a free LAMP app license. Further details about access and activation will be provided after completion of the three sessions. For all the full details and to register online for the 2026 Full Online LAMP course please click here Places are limited to 30 participants. The sessions will not be recorded! Sam has agreed to open a few extra spots in the 4th session for participants of the 2025 Online 6 weeks course who haven't been able to attend the additional 4th session on the 26th November this year. If you are interested in attending the 2026 4th session on the 23rd November, please email our events manager at events@atanz.org.nz The flyer with all the details about this event is also attached to this newlsetter. can spread it far and wide! You can contact our events manager with any events related questions.
Keep in ContactATANZ loves to hear from you - whether you have success stories to share, questions, comments, feedback, suggestions or new ideas - let us know.
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| www.atanz.org.nz | ||
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