AT for OT

This is the link to the YouTube Channel of the Assistive Technology Center. The Assistive Technology Center created this channel to post videos of individuals successfully using different types of assistive technology. In addition to creating their own videos, they have also made several playlists comprised of videos posted by others that demonstrate using assistive technology. These playlists are broken down into categories such as hearing, vision and learning disabilities, and they also have categories that are age-specific. I think this channel would be very helpful to someone beginning their search for a certain type of assistive technology. Because this channel has categories, a person could easily see if someone has posted a video about the type of device they are looking for. It is also helpful for OTs who are recommending a device to a client. We could quickly pull up a video to show the client how someone else uses the device to help them better understand its’ benefits.

I found this article on Zite and it is from the Easter Seals Crossroads foundation located in Indiana. The website provides lots of information for individuals with disabilities as part of the Indiana Assistive Technology Act. This article describes top vacation spots in the US for people with disabilities, and it also provides tips regarding travel agencies, airlines, hotels, and all the things involved with planning a trip. I think this would be a great resource to share with a client who uses a wheelchair. Going on vacation is often a valued part of a person’s life, and there are many extra variables to consider when planning a vacation for someone who uses a wheelchair. 

Since we talked about the importance of finding the right fit for a wheelchair, I thought it would also be important to know how to help your clients make their homes accessible. One of the most important things to consider are ramps that allow you to actually get into your home in your wheelchair. This video was made by a company that installs equipment for seniors. It briefly describes the different types of ramps and ramp materials, and what to consider when choosing a ramp for your home. I think as OTs we could have this discussion with clients, so it’s important for us to be knowledgable so we can provide good advice. 

October was AAC Awareness month which I thought was very fitting for this class! I found this blogger on Zite. She is a SLP who has over 20 years of experience with assistive technology and is passionate about AAC. This post is in honor of AAC Awareness month and is about a poster titled “The Do’s and Don’ts of AAC”. The poster has quick facts for AAC users and their families with info about how to use them and what not do do, for example “Do: use the AAC system to talk to yourself. Don’t: expect the AAC user to talk to you without modeling how”. I think this would be a great poster for families to keep in their homes or teachers to put up in classrooms. It is short and sweet, but provides people with a lot of helpful info about AAC. 

This is a really cool video made by a guy who was born blind. He has an entire YouTube channel dedicated to showing the general public what blind people do. In this video he demonstrates an app called TapTapSee that allows a blind person to take a picture of an object, and the app will identify that object. In the video he has the app identify a $20 bill, a white Adidas ankle sock, and a can of Healthy Choice chicken noodle soup. Tommy said that he thinks the app is incredibly helpful for things like cooking and dressing, but it does take some practice to be the most successful. I am glad that he demonstrated that the app sometimes is inaccurate, like when he held the sock too close to the camera. It is important for us as therapists to know the positive AND negative aspects of the technology we are suggesting to our clients. This video was made in 2013, so the app may have made vast improvements and work even better. I was also happy that he demonstrated how he uses the voiceover feature to use his iPhone. It was interesting to play with it ourselves but I thought it was very beneficial to see someone use it who is actually visually impaired. Check out some more of his videos, like “Do Blind People Believe in Ghosts?” - he’s a funny guy!

Don Martin designed a sailboat for individuals with physical disabilities. The boat uses the sip n puff system we learned about in class. The sailor sips to turn the sails on way and puffs to send them the other way. The boat also has a lot of other creative design features that make it impossible to capsize and prevent water from coming in the boat. Don spent 20 years perfecting this sailboat and I think it shows his strong passion for sailing and making sailing a possibility for anyone. This is really cool outside-of-the-box thinking (maybe he should consider OT). We learned about the sip n puff controlling computers and wheelchairs, but it never crossed my mind that it could be used to maneuver something so large. This is an awesome demonstration of the power of creative thinking paired with technology. 

ZyroMath City Count is a new app for young children. The app teaches kids how to count by ones and tens. The great part about this app are all the features that make it work for kids with all different levels of physical and cognitive abilities. The game itself is extremely customizable, so parents can limit distractions in the form of background displays and sounds that can all be saved in a user profile and adjusted as needed. The app also pledges no external links, ads, or in-app purchases to further limit distractions and ensure internet safety. The game has switch accessory compatibility as well. The app recently won a platinum award from the Best Mobile App Award, the highest honor for its category. The link is a review of the app form a parent who has a child with Autism, and she loves it. I think it is a great example of how rapidly technology can change and grow to meet the needs of all types of people. I hope technology continues to be more accepted for learning so kids with all abilities can have fun during the learning process.

This article that I also found on zite takes the opposite approach to technology and education as the first article. This article was written by an educator who specializes in assistive technology and has worked with children with dyslexia for over 20 years. The purpose of this article was to describe several easier ways to make digital versions “dyslexia-friendly” worksheets, rather than paper copies. She provides options for desktop software, google chrome apps, and iPad apps. Once the worksheets are converted to a digital format, students can then use assistive technology such as text-to-speech or word completion software to complete their worksheets successfully. I think it is very helpful to get the opinions of someone who has been doing this for a long time and who has used all of the programs included on the list. The online product guide can make anything sound awesome and exciting, but until you use it with your kids you never know what works best. 

I found this article on zite and was immediately a little shocked. It is common for our generation to hear about how “technology is ruining our lives” and how we will never be successful if we are “stuck behind our cell phones”, but I was surprised that a school has taken this concern so far as to ban all technology from their curriculum, and require parents to enforce the bans at home. The chair of the board of directors at the private school says that the change is “about encouraging creativity so that the children are active creators rather than passive consumers”. While I do agree that it’s easy to waste the day away on Facebook or playing Words with Friends without realizing it, but we have learned in class and through this assignment that we are capable of so many things through the use of technology. If the kids are never allow to touch a computer before age 16, can they learn enough about the technology to be prepared to thrive in a digital world in college and beyond? If a student with a disability attends this school, will they force the student to struggle and fail at handwriting for 16 years before finally allowing him to be successful using a keyboard? I think this idea has a lot of flaws, but I hope that they continue to update this story to see how their plan unfolds.

This blog is written by a man looking to provide people with information about the latest and greatest AT related gadgets - some which are still in the prototype stages. This particular blog describes a cool new type of shoe designed by Nike that can be donned and doffed easier. The coolest part is that it was designed by a young man with CP who just decided to shoot Nike an email suggesting they make a shoe that doesn’t tie normally. The result is pretty cool! This shoe can be “peeled” off from the back and only requires one hand. Nike says it’s great for individuals with CP, those who have had a stroke, and amputee patients. I agree!

This blogger uses assistive technology to read and write and blogs about new and cool equipment to help individuals with a wide range of physical and cognitive disabilities. I thought this specific post was appropriate because it’s all about our favorite new program - Inspiration Maps! The blogger posted about it because it is now available for the iPhone (as of July 2015), when it was previously only available on the iPad and desktops. The blogger does not share whether or not he uses this software, but says it’s a useful tool to help students organize ideas.

This is a video of a really cool guy who suffered a TBI a few years ago that caused episodic memory loss. If you start the video at about 7:10, he starts talking about collaborating with his therapist to think of strategies to catalog everything in his day-to-day life. He decided to use Twitter to keep track of the things he does and activities/places/people that are important to him. This section of his talk provides a lot of information about his twitter account, but if you’re extra curious you can view Part 3 after finishing this video (: I had never thought to use Twitter to be able to recall the things you did all day, but it’s so simple and is more convenient than carrying around a journal and pen everywhere.