Last April, BridgingApps shared the basics on our two-year “expansion pilot project.” Through 2025 and 2026, we are hosting webinars for Easterseals affiliates in other cities, familiarizing them with our Search Tool database and favorite apps. Each program is shared with five affiliates, in five separate webinars, each month.
Today, we begin a series of posts where participating affiliates share what they’ve learned and how they’re using it. The following is from Josh Anderson, Director of Assistive Technology at Easterseals Crossroads (Indianapolis).
Q: Among the apps you’ve been introduced to so far, which are your favorites?
Josh: CanPlan is great because it is so versatile in teaching different skills. General computer use, vocational goals, and other skills related to daily living—anything that an individual struggles with and needs support on. For digital-literacy training, CanPlan is a solid and flexible supplement to help with content memorization and related tasks.
Morphic is another great tool for the individuals we work with, many of whom lack knowledge of the accessibility features in their own devices. Or they struggle with finding and enabling these features.
I also like all the productivity apps, which meet many different needs! Calendar and Notes (on Apple), and Google Keep and Google Calendar (on Android), have been especially useful for individuals who need to remember their digital-literacy meeting schedules. Or to keep track of work they complete independently between meetings.
Q: How else are you using what you’ve learned to help your consumers [aka clients]?
Josh: Our INDATA Depot is adding Morphic to laptops that individuals receive through our reuse program. This helps recipients utilize the built-in tools on the laptops.
Our Clinical AT Program uses the BridgingApps Search Tool to find apps that meet consumers’ needs. We offer one-on-one help with “app comparison shopping,” so individuals can find the best tool for themselves.
And our Digital Literacy team is using productivity apps to help consumers stay on track with their training and goals.
Q: What have your consumers shared about how digital training has helped them?
Josh: The BridgingApps Search Tool is shared with most individuals our Clinical AT team meets with, plus their families. It’s an especially valuable resource for assistive apps that may not be “vocationally necessary”—that is, not supported by the state’s Vocational Rehabilitation program. So now our consumers have a separate resource to learn about everyday assistive apps, before downloading or paying for them.
Note on digital-literacy training: People also appreciate learning about Microsoft-Office-type apps designed for professional projects. One consumer mentioned, after we went over PowerPoint, that he was able to help with a PowerPoint at his church. Another consumer, whom we helped to learn Excel, told me how they used it to make a spreadsheet to track budgets and other things for their family.
Further information on apps mentioned above:
- Calendar, Google Calendar, Google Keep, and Notes are tools for organizing appointments, lists, images, and other planning-related data.
- CanPlan was created by the University of Victoria as a teaching tool: it focuses on breaking multi-step tasks into to-do lists.
- Morphic provides a toolbar to organize digital-accessibility settings in one easy-to-find spot.
Watch for the second article in our “Expansion Pilot Update” series, coming soon!