Susan Mistrett
Susan Mistrett has directed the Let's Play! Projects since 1995. Supported by the U.S. Department of Education, these projects examine and promote the participation of young children with disabilities in all daily activities, including play. Sue and her colleagues have identified AT supports that are used by families to assist their child's ability to move, communicate and interact – in other words, to participate – in family routines. These successes have helped parents rediscover and support the role of active participation in their children's lives, adding to their joy of “familyhood!” The most recent Let's Play! Project activity was to develop an AT Wheel for Young Children where AT supports are listed under sample routine activities. This was done with collaborative input of six AT experts across the country. Outcomes of Sue's work include identification of best practices to integrate technology into existing programs for maximizing the independence and participation of children with disabilities in home, education, and community settings. She has authored articles, book chapters and training curricula that focus on Assistive Technology for young children, and has been a speaker at a number of state and national conferences on topics relating to early childhood technology . Lisa Johnson
Lisa Johnson has been married to her incredible husband Stephan for seventeen years and is a stay-at-home mom to nine year old Trey. Besides facing numerous health challenges, Trey has Down Syndrome and autism. He is non-verbal. After a speech therapist declared that three year old Trey would never talk, he received his first augmentative device - the Tech Speak 32. He quickly outgrew this and went to the Dynamyte 2100 which has been an amazingly empowering tool for him.
Before becoming Trey's Mom, Lisa was a secondary business educator for twelve years. She knew that computers could play an integral part of Trey's life so she started playing computer games with him when he was only two years old. This has enabled Trey to develop amazing computer skills. His computer capabilities have evolved so that even though he is nonverbal he is able to make presentations to his regular education class. Much of the software Trey now uses was introduced to us through the K.I.T.E. program at Pacer Center 's Simon Technology Lab. |
