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April 2002
 Lightweight Communication Aid
Go Talk is a new communication aid produced by Attainment Company, Inc., available in the UK from Inclusive Technology Ltd. Go Talk has nine message keys with four levels and six minutes of recording time. It sells as £139, making this the cheapest multi-message communication aid on the market! So is Go Talk value for money and worth buying?
It is lightweight (12 oz) and reasonably small - about the size of a sheet of A4 paper. A built-in handle makes it portable for use at school or home. Some suggested uses might be story-time or out shopping with the class. It can easily fit in a school bag or be carried by a user. This is a flexible communication aid that can be used for an individual or as a class resource.
With nine keys and four levels to record on, this gives you 36 messages of 10 seconds each. So you'll need to plan what messages you put on the device and how you find them again. On the back of the Go Talk, there's space for a name - this would be a good place to put a list of the vocabulary that is on each level.
BoardMaker overlays for PC or Mac can be downloaded from www.mayerjohnson.com. Download the overlay to the desktop of your computer and then transfer it into the Pre-made Grids folder in your BoardMaker folder. The overlay prints out as ‘portrait’ on A4 paper.
Go Talk has a clear protective sheet that overlays can be placed under, this eliminates the need for laminating. If you're going to create and use a large number of overlays, a file with a punched pocket for each overlay and a list containing the vocabulary to be recorded in each key would be useful.
The communication aid has a record lock so messages can't be accidentally recorded over and a level lock to prevent unintentional level change. You do need to practice recording messages on Go Talk as it’s not quite as simple and intuitive as, for example, the TechTalk. To record, hold down the record button, wait for the light to flash, press the key you want to record into, the light will flash again, release the key and speak into the microphone. When you have finished recording, press any other key, or let the recording time expire.
Go Talk is a good introductory communication aid for an individual user or as a class resource. The cost at £139 makes it affordable and within reach of most budgets.
Available from: Inclusive Technology, Gateshead Business Park, Delph, Oldham OL3 5BX Tel: 01457 819790 Fax: 01457 819779.
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