Kia ora Visitor,

Update from ATANZ Chair

Welcome to our October newsletter! As we head into Term 4, daylight savings has kicked in, bringing longer days and the welcome promise of summer just around the corner. October is also AAC Awareness Month, a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate and promote augmentative and alternative communication. I hope you are all feeling refreshed and ready for the final stretch of the year.

On a personal note, I am writing to announce that I have resigned from the ATANZ Board and will be officially stepping down on 18th December. Serving alongside such dedicated, knowledgeable trustees on the board has been a true privilege. This change means we will have an upcoming vacancy. If you are passionate about AAC and interested in joining the board, please get in touch with us at admin@atanz.org.nz for more details.

I would also like to send a huge congratulations to Ann Smaill, a founding trustee of ATANZ, who was recently awarded the insignia of an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit! This is a wonderfully deserved recognition for her incredible work and dedication to the AAC community over many years.

Ngā mihi,
Kathleen Jones

ATANZ Strategic Roadmap

We’re happy to share our ATANZ 2026-2029 Strategic Roadmap, which sets out our focus for building capability and connections over the coming years.
 

AAC in Aotearoa Update 

Ann Smaill awarded Officer of The New Zealand Order of Merit 

We just wanted to congratulate Ann Smaill again for being awarded a ONZM for services to speech and language therapy received earlier this month.  Your dedication in the area of AAC here in Aotearoa and the  trailblazing work you have done in this area is truly inspiring and it is so awesome to see this recognised at such a high level. 

Upcoming Virtual ISAAC Conference 2026

ISAAC is hosting their online virtual conference from the 10-11th of November. The theme this year is AAC in everyday life: today, tomorrow and beyond. For more info please find the link here.
 

ISAAC Grant for an AAC User

In recognition of Sally Clendon’s role as co-chair for the 2024 ISAAC Conference on the Gold Coast, ISAAC Australia has allocated $5,000 from the event's profits to support New Zealand. This funding is intended to assist an AAC user in attending an ISAAC conference or professional learning and development (PLD) event. If you would like to nominate a suitable candidate for this grant, please contact us at admin@atanz.org.nz. Here is a link to the ISAAC conference 2027 - https://isaac-international.org/spain-2027/

AAC Awareness Month 

October is AAC awareness month. Throughout the month several organisations such as TalkLink, IALP, NZSTA and Practical AAC have been sharing awesome ideas and resources for whanau and clinicians supporting an individual who uses AAC.
One of these resources was the AAC Advocacy Toolkit template shared by IALP this month. Please find a link to download this resource here. 

CALL Scotland have also released their AAC wheel in partnership with Lauren Enders Gonzales. This wheel summarises different aac aps on the market and feature matches them to support clinicians when deciding what app may be best for the person they are supporting. Please find the link to this resource here.
 

CAT1 Support Referral Form/Equipment Set Up

TalkLink have updated the CAT1 support referral form to borrow ATANZ equipment, or to have funded equipment set up. This is now a Microsoft Form and will send you an email with a copy of what you have submitted. A reminder to please email a copy of quotes and the online order to referrals@talklink.org.nz with the client name. This is necessary so that TalkLink can check that the equipment that arrives matches what you have applied for. 

ATANZ procedure and policy updates

For those who missed it last newsletter we have been working hard to update our procedures over the last year as part of our strategic plan. These can be found on our website for all members to access. 
Please find the link to the procedures and policy tab on our website.

CAT 1 Accreditation Procedure

As requested we have put together a document outlining the process to get and meet your cat 1 accreditation based on the requirements from Enable New Zealand. Please find the link to this document here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nUt-m3GrWqf6gdhsFQ4L-hGwIyDCY8vh/view?usp=drive_link

Upcoming Professional Development

We have lots of upcoming professional development opportunities coming up this year! Make sure you follow our Facebook page to keep up to date on all upcoming PD as it is announced as well as our website: https://www.atanz.org.nz/events

Update on ATANZ Professional Learning and Development events

Our final course of this year, the full Online LAMP Words for Life and the LAMP Therapy Approach for Aotearoa / New Zealand with Dr Sam Brydon, kicked off last week with the first of four online sessions. We are now busy preparing our Professional Learning and Development events for 2027!

Keep an eye out for our newsletters in the coming weeks, as we plan to launch most of next year’s events before the end of this year.

For all your events related questions please contact our events manager at events@atanz.org.nz

Have your say!

ATANZ is always keen to find out what PD opportunities are useful and or of interest to our members! Contact us at events@atanz.org.nz

Upcoming tools workshops

Tools workshops run by the TalkLink Trust are a great way of keeping up to date with what tools are available to apply for as a CAT therapist as well. This can be extremely helpful for both newly trained therapists as well as therapists who have had their CAT for a while. 
For more information on tools workshops coming up in your area please contact courses@talklink.org.nz  

Aotearoa AAC SIG

Interested in joining the AAC SIG? This is a online special interest group held every term online where topics on AAC are discussed and presented. If you are keen to be a part of this SIG, join the Aotearoa AAC SIG Facebook page for updates and links to the next meeting: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/19XAKvVHm3/?mibextid=wwXIfr

ATANZ Members Facebook Group

We have had a lot of requests from members for support to connect with other members who have their CAT 1 or 2. In response to this we have created a ATANZ members only Facebook group. This is a way for members to connect re peer supervision, to find a supervisor or to seek advice and guidance from other CAT therapists in similar settings. 

This is for CAT therapists only and an ATANZ membership number is required to join. Please find the link to this page here:

https://m.facebook.com/groups/1375092974583267/?ref=share

Free online workshops for AAC users and their support teams 

Just a reminder that as part of their support, TalkLink is running free online training webinars for teams who are supporting individuals who have recently been funded with a high tech AAC device. This training is to complement / would be in addition to the training that they receive from their CAT assessor when they are issued their equipment. For more information and to register check out their website:  https://talklink.org.nz/online-help-with-your-communication-devices 
 

Talking Mats Workshops

Focused Foundation Training Course around Eating & Drinking 

This will be offered online and is focused around the eating and drinking resource Talking Mats offers. This will be held across three sessions in November & December this year. See attached flyer for more information, contact alaynemckee@talkingtroublenz.org to book. 

ATANZ Grants

A reminder that ATANZ members are able to apply for grants towards professional development in the area of AAC. Please find attached the link to find out more info on our grants, who is eligible and how to apply: https://www.atanz.org.nz/professionals/grants-and-funding 

Equipment Updates

Updated Trial Equipment Policy 

Just a reminder of the ATANZ trial equipment policy that was published last news letter in response to the growing demand for CAT 1 equipment. This is available on our website as well as through the hyperlink below: https://share.google/XgXDV92e0SduOV1PQ 

Equipment Returns and Trials

Please make sure your equipment is returned on time. If equipment is damaged or lost, inform us. Please refer to the damage/loss policy for more information. 

Trial requests are offered in date order of the requests received - please remember to fill in the form to request equipment.

When you return a trial device, please make sure all passcodes (guided access and app passcodes) are removed. This saves valuable time which means the loan devices can then be sent out to the next person in a timely manner!

Repairs/Replacements

TalkLink are the contracted repair provider for repairs, and they will need to see the device before a like for like is completed.

CAT Supervision

It is really important to ensure that all CAT applications, including low and mid tech, are submitted with a CAT report that highlights the essential need of the equipment and that this report is peer reviewed by a fellow CAT 1 or 2 therapist. 
If you are needing supervision support please find a list of therapists who can provide CAT supervision via our website: https://atanz.org.nz/professionals/professional-supervision 

If you would like to be listed as a supervisor on our website please get in touch with ATANZ via email (admin@atanz.org.nz).

Keep in Contact

ATANZ loves to hear from you - whether you have success stories to share, questions, comments, feedback, suggestions or new ideas - let us know. 

    
As always you can email us at admin@atanz.org.nz