Begun in 2020, Inclusive Post-Secondary Education (IPSE) Day (May 1) emphasizes college options for disabled and underserved students. Intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs), as well as the more “extensive” physical disabilities (e.g., deaf-blindness and quadriplegia), mean extra challenges. In today’s…
Author: Katherine Swarts (page 10)
The World of Police Encounters: How to Prepare a Disabled Family Member
The traditional motto of a police department is “protect and serve.” For many people, however, the word “police” evokes quite opposite feelings. Traditional police training took few steps to prevent biased and rough treatment of certain populations—a concern which often…
Safety Highlight: Assistive Technology for Wandering and Elopement
In honor of Autism Acceptance Month, today’s post shares tips for keeping track of family members with wandering tendencies. It’s a parent’s worst nightmare: a child wanders off and disappears. The nightmare gets even worse if: All the above are…
Celebrating Earth Day with Sensitivity Issues
April 22 is Earth Day: an event recognized by nearly 200 countries worldwide; a day for making eco-friendly resolutions, picking up trash, planting trees, and otherwise honoring the natural world. Many places host community festivals with nature presentations, farmer’s markets,…
Business Etiquette with Autism: Or, How to Be Professional Without Exhausting Yourself
See also: April is Autism Acceptance Month. Employers value “soft skills”: problem-solving, team-based collaboration, clear communications, time management, flexibility, self-control. Which is why the majority of U.S. adults with autism are unemployed: autistic brains have limited executive-function capacities, which regulate…
My Child Has Autism: Could I Be Autistic, Too?
It’s happened to many parents. Your child seems to be developing slowly, or struggles with making friends, or has behavior issues at school. You consult a specialist, who suspects autism and recommends a formal evaluation. Then comes Early Childhood Intervention,…
Client Success Stories: Learning and Growing with Autism
April is Autism Acceptance Month. Daryn Ofczarzak, BridgingApps Speech Language Pathologist, shares the stories of two youngsters meeting autism challenges with help from ESGH. Juliet Juliet is 13 years old and has cerebral palsy, autism, and visual impairments. When her…
Autism Apps Sales
April is Autism Acceptance/Awareness Month: celebrate with a new app (or two or three) to make life with autism a little easier. Not all the best life-skills and AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) apps are free, but many are half…
BridgingApps Featured App | GoodMaps Explore
Traditional navigation apps are designed for drivers. While many include “public transportation” and “walking” options, the typical assumption is still that the user can read street signs, identify landmarks, and otherwise see where they’re going. It’s only recently that navigation…
Client Success Story: Growing and Learning with Down Syndrome
March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day. Our BridgingApps Digital Learning Specialist, Tara Rocha, shares the story of one client’s journey. We first met Sarah Brhlik at Reese Technical Center (Fort Bend ISD), in an 18+ transition program taught by…