Reminder 2026 recently launched ATANZ PLD events + upcoming AGOSCI event
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| Newsletter January 2026 | ||
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Kia ora Visitor,
A new year, new opportunities for growth!
Hari tau hou! Happy new year to you all, The start of a new year is about fresh beginnings and new opportunities for growth. ATANZ aims to offer you again in 2026, many professional learning development opportunities. In case you missed our last newsletter from 2025, which we sent out just before our holiday break, we would like to remind you of all the recently launched PLD events that are now open for registration on our 'Events webpage'. With the first workshop event "Increasing learning opportunities for all students" already coming up soon on the 27th of February! When David Niemeijer and his team will visit us from Amsterdam to share their cutting-edge new tools and strategies to make teaching easier for all students, including AAC users! This is a unique opportunity to try out their technology in a 3-hours hands-on iPad workshop for school leaders & SLT's. With the choice between a morning or afternoon session which ever you prefer. Please share the attached flyer far and wide and ask families to also share this workshop with their specific contacts at schools so we can get the numbers in time for this rappidly approaching event! You can find all the details and how to register online below in this newsletter, as well as an overview of all our other exciting 2026 PLD events that are currently open for registration. This newsletter also shares with you all the details of an upcoming AGOSCI workshop series, starting the 2nd of February! We recommend that you keep an eye out for our newsletters this year as we have a few more promising events lined up for 2026 which will be announced via these newsletters. Please do get in touch with any specific requests around possible PLD topics and or specific presenters that you would like ATANZ to engage with, for future trainings and workshops.
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 last year. On December the 15th of last year, David & Erin made themselves available for a follow up online Q&A session 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 in person 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 participants 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. Afternoon 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 workshop - 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 last year this event sold out with 50 participants and an additional waiting list. Registrations opened first for people on the waiting list and was recently officially opened for 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 will deliver 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 this year Sam Brydon will offer the Coaching for Communication Partners worksop for us again. This two-day, in person 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. We will need a minimum number of 20 participants to go ahead! To check out the full details and to register online please: click here for the Auckland workshop at the Auckland Jetpark Airport Hotel and click here for the Christchurch workshop at the Russley Golfclub. We would very much appreaciate if you could share the attached promotion flyer for this event with your wider networks especially the flyer for the Christchurch event. 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 up a few extra spots in the 4th session for participants of the 2025 Online 6 weeks course who weren't able to attend the additional 4th session on the 26th November last year. If you are interested in attending the 2026 fourth 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 newsletter and can be spread far and wide!
Upcoming AGOSCI Online Workshop seriesPODD page sets for speech generating devices online workshopThis workshop series is proudly presented to you by AGOSCI and CPEC Presented by Gayle Porter. Online: 2, 9 & 16 February 2026 7.30 pm - 9.30 pm (AEDT) (9.30 pm - 11.30 pm Welllington time) For all the full details and how to register online click here Please note that completion of a two- day PODD Introductory workshop is a prerequisite for this workshop series.
Please feel free to 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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