Attainment Company is an
independent, family owned business based in
Verona, Wisconsin. Since 1979 Attainment Company has been dedicated to
helping people with
cognitive disabilities succeed at school, work and life. Don Bastian,
founder and CEO, created Attainment's first product when he was
a program coordinator at the Rock County Rehabilitation Services (now
called Kandu
Industries) in Beloit, Wisconsin. The Work Skill Development Program,
which used
a task analysis approach to teach work behaviors to young adults with
disabilities, is the foundation for our present
Work
Activity Packages.
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Attainment Company has for many years,
advocated supported employment as a community-based alternative
to sheltered employment for adults with significant disabilities.
Here, Don
Bastian, CEO, chats with three long-time supported employees.
Larry (center) has been with Attainment for 25 years, Mike (far left)
for 14 years, and Steve (second from right) for 10 years. Lindsay Kinney is their
supervisor. |
Soon after Attainment's inception, we began publishing
functional life skill
curricula. A picture-based cooking program called Look
n' Cook was
soon followed by Illustrated
Shopping Cards, Looking Good, Keeping House, Stepping Out, and Plan
Your Day. These unique programs were the
first to
combine picture cueing, story-based instructional video and structured
lesson plans. They have all been updated and are still popular
today.
Times change and so does Attainment. We created our
first assistive
technology device and instructional software in 1993. The Pocket
Talker was
known for its easy use, durability and value. These qualities
are still
inherent in the contemporary GoTalk line. The newest version
of our first software program, Dollars and Cents, anchors
the
Attainment
Workstation, an all-in-one touch screen computer preloaded
with 32 Attainment programs to
teach math, literacy, life and work skills.
In 2001 Attainment launched the IEP
Resources publishing
brand. Its premier publication, Writing Measurable IEP Goals
and Objectives, by
Barbara Bateman, has sold over 60,000 copies. IEP Resources
is now a leading publisher focusing
on critical issues in special education.
In 2006, Attainment established a growing
older adult product line. Award-winners include Aerobics of
the Mind, Mind Your Mind and the
DVDs — What
Every Caregiver Needs to Know About Alzheimer's Disease and Straight
Talk About Dementia.
In 2007, Attainment Company, in collaboration with
the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, published the ground-breaking
Early
Literacy Skill Builders (ELSB).
ELSB is the only scientifically-based reading program for children with
significant developmental disabilities, including autism.
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So
what's coming next? All kinds of good stuff!
COMING SOON
Here's a sampling of products in development from
the creative minds at Attainment:
Connections in the Workplace Multimedia Software
This easy-to-use program complements the Connections
in the Workplace Student Reader and Teacher's Guide. The
software highlights the text as it's read by a professional narrator
featuring talking quizzes with a "hint" option and a management
system that stores quiz results for teacher review. Expected release
is March 2008.
Reading for Content: Social Studies
Based on the concept of Daily Reading Comprehension,
this reader provides 120, one-page stories with a matching student activity
exercise. Divided into three sections: American
History, World Events, and Civics
and Government. Written at a fourth grade reading level. For students
with mild to moderate disabilities or English language learners, grades
7-12. Expected publication date: April 2008.
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