West Virginia Assistive Technology - WVATS

10/19/2026

10/13/2026

🗣️ Happy AAC Awareness Month! 💬

We’re proud to support individuals and Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) across West Virginia by providing access to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices through our lending library. We’re happy to help SLPs explore AAC options, incorporate devices into therapy services, and support the evaluation process to help individuals find the communication tools that best meet their needs.

Everyone deserves a way to communicate, and we’re grateful to be part of making that possible! 💙

10/08/2026

🌟 Meet Christen! 🌟

Christen’s accomplishments are a true reflection of her hard work, dedication, and determination. From graduating high school with high honors to becoming a graduate of Partners in Policymaking, she has continued to use her voice to advocate for herself and others.

🏆 She has been named People First of WV Self-Advocate of the Year twice, serves as a Governor-appointed member of the WV Developmental Disabilities Council, and is a VIP member of the WV Statewide Independent Living Council.

Beyond advocacy, Christen stays active in her community through Special Olympics bowling, Challenger Baseball, inclusive dance, and Tennis for Fun. She is also a passionate model and has proudly walked the runway for the Exceptional Possibilities Fashion Show for three years! 👠✨

Christen’s journey shows what can happen when hard work, confidence, and a passion for making a difference come together. We are proud to celebrate all that she has accomplished—and all that she continues to achieve! 💙🌟

10/02/2026

Today is the deadline to submit your proposal to the Mountain State Conference on Disabilities (MSCD)!

The MSCD Planning Committee is actively seeking proposals for short courses, workshops, and poster sessions from individuals with disabilities, caregivers/family members, researchers, professionals, and students to be presented at the MSCD at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, WV during April 15-17, 2027.

The conference planning committee encourages you to submit a short course, workshop, or poster proposal that relates to the conference theme of "Breaking Barriers, Building Possibilities." This theme was chosen to represent how all stakeholders in the disability community recognize the challenges that people with disabilities face and the opportunities that emerge when those challenges are removed.

DEADLINE for submission is October 2, 2026.
Notification of acceptance will be by December 4, 2026.
For questions, please contact Amy Burt at [email protected]

Submit a proposal: https://cedwvu.wufoo.com/forms/wb0wrve1swcn94/
Learn more about MSCD: https://cedwvu.org/mscd/

Association of University Centers on Disabilities
WV Developmental Disabilities Council
Disability Rights of West Virginia
WVU Health Sciences
WVU School of Medicine
WVU School of Public Health
WVU School of Social Work
WVU School of Nursing

10/01/2026

Welcome back to anothef Tech Thursday post! We’re continuing our series on built-in accessibility features on macOS. This video explores accessibility features that focus on Hearing, such as Flash Screen for Alerts, Real-Time Text (RTT), Mono Audio, Background Sounds, and Captions. These ate beneficial for individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or need other ways to process audio.

09/25/2026

Did you know that Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires all federal agencies to make sure electronic documents are fully accessible to people with disabilities?

This can include things like alternative text (alt text), which describes an image to people with vision impairments who use screen reading technology; reading order, which tells screen readers what order information should be shared; and color contrast requirements to make sure all images and font colors are easily viewable.

The West Virginia Assistive Technology System (WVATS) at the WVU CED has a great guide all about how to make accessible documents, including Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Adobe PDFs. Check it out to learn how to make your content accessible to all!

View the guide: https://wvats.cedwvu.org/how-to-accessible-documents/

West Virginia Assistive Technology - WVATS

09/24/2026

Happy Tech Thursday! Today we’re starting a series on Built-In Accessibility Features on macOS. This video explores accessibility features that focus on Vision, such as VoiceOver, Zoom, Hover Text, Spoken Content, and Audio Descriptions. These are beneficial for individuals who are blind, have low-vision, are color-blind, or have light sensitivity.

09/17/2026

Happy Tech Thursday! We’re concluding our series today on built-in accessibility features on Windows computers, focusing on Captions and Speech settings. These settings are designed to help individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, and fine motor difficulties be able to use their computer with ease. Features mentioned in this video include Live Captions and Voice Access.

09/10/2026

🌟 Advisory Council Spotlight: Cheyann McQuain & The Disability Action Center! 🌟

This week, we’re excited to spotlight Cheyann McQuain, a valued member of the WVATS Advisory Council, and the incredible work being done by The Disability Action Center (DAC)!

Cheyann holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Fairmont State University and recently earned her Master of Social Work from WVU. She is also a former LEND Trainee and currently serves as a LEND Mentor, helping support and guide the next generation of disability professionals. 🎓💙

Through her work with the DAC, Cheyann helps support programs that promote independence, employment, community involvement, and meaningful opportunities for individuals with disabilities. The DAC partners with the WV Division of Rehabilitation Services to provide life skills, job training, and job placement, while also offering enrichment opportunities and community experiences.

We’re grateful to have Cheyann’s experience and perspective represented on the WVATS Advisory Council and appreciate all she and the DAC do to create opportunities and support individuals with disabilities across our communities! 💙

📅 Be sure to check out the DAC’s upcoming events highlighted in our spotlight!

09/03/2026

Welcome back to another Tech Thursday post! Today we’re continuing our series on built-in accessibility features on Windows computers, focusing on Magnifier settings. These settings are designed to help individuals with low vision by providing dynamic screen enlargement. Features mentioned include Magnifier, Zoom Level, Zoom Increment, View Modes, and Invert Colors.