In-Person (w/ virtual option) Young Adult and Parent Open Lab: Central Location

Like last month, we are going to offer an opportunity to check out our lab.  We’ve had a lot going on this month and plan to only get busier, but we would like to show you some new equipment that we have added to the lab at our central office.  We hope you will join us in person, but will also offer a virual option if that works better for you.  We’d love to have parents stay/join if possible.

This event is always open to the public, so feel free to share.  It is typically held every 4th Thursday of the month.

We will also talk about transitions, keeping up with schedule changes and productivity apps to help with back-to-school.  Bring your mobile device, tablet and/or laptop.  I always come prepared with a topic to share, but as always we will talk about tech you are using (including questions you might have).  If you like to write things down, but still like to use your mobile devices to keep track of your appointments and events, we’ll show you a couple of free hybrid apps (allowing you to do both – write with paper/pencil and have it on your phone also without double the work). We will also talk about adding reminders to your phone to keep you on track.

We also will be sharing our newest technology that is mobile — in every sense of the word… and we aren’t just talking about Mobile Devices.  We will be introducing our brand new “BridgingApps Tech Traveler: Smart Home edition”, otherwise known as the BATT case.
Come check it out!

For parents, we still have our resources for Texas Youth 2 Adult website, which helps transition-aged adults and their parents that we can also talk about.  Although we will gear our conversations towards young adults, it is very helpful to have parents attend as well.  This website is geared to helping parents navigate all the many lists of things to do as their young adults transition into adulthood.

Here is the login information below.  We created a new link, so hopefully those that tried to join last month and weren’t able to will be able to this time.
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/240303940816530?p=VQSJNHqr9sUZWvjfOJ
Meeting ID: 240 303 940 816 530
Passcode: aC2CJ3YP

For step-by-step instructions on how to join us virtually, click on the link below:
Directions on How to Join a Teams Call
Contact TRocha@eastersealshouston.org to let her know you are coming and to ask questions about a specific device or app.  She can also be reached at 832-707-7672.

Here are some of our past open labs we have had in case you missed them —

August:
Tour and overview of our assistive technology lab. We had some great introductions and met some new friends.  We had planned to talk about productivity apps for our transition aged families including scheduling and notetaking.  We will continue that conversation in September, as we didn’t get to finish all of that in our conversations.

June
During the open lab, we learned about cloud storage, including the differences between iOS and Android platforms and how to access iCloud files from a Windows PC. We also reviewed a fall internship opportunity, discussing eligibility, application requirements, and available supports.

July
We had a virtual session and had an awesome turn out.  We talked about some of Easter Seals newest projects, including a grant we just received with Meta, where we will be conducting trainings on using Meta glasses and how they can help with daily living.  Currently all of those spots are full, but we are adding people to the waiting list.  We also shared a pilot with a company we met at CES (a tradeshow we attended back in January).  The name of the company is iPolish and it is color changing nails. “Change your nails in seconds. Change your outfit. Change your mood” with an app.  Please let me know if you are interested in trying it out.  We also talked a little bit about syncing calendars and creating events.