Katherine Swarts – Page 12

Views of Houston Abilities Expo 2024—and the Larger Abilities Expo Program

“Despite [Hurricane] Beryl’s best efforts, the NRG Center structure remains strong and Abilities Expo Houston will proceed on August 2–4.” –Announcement on the Houston Abilities Expo website, July 2024 Houston’s 2024 Abilities Expo had over 20 live programs and nearly…

Switch-Adapted Gadgets and Assistive Technology

Before there was eye-gaze technology, there was switch-operated technology; and for people with limited but functional muscle control, the switch can still be the preferred method. Eyes get fatigued like any other muscle. Alternative-access switches can be manipulated by a…

students and teacher gathered around a laptop at table

Program Update from Ale Gonzalez

Fintech, short for “financial technology,” comprises everything from international cryptocurrency to the Venmo app on your phone. Most people use some form of fintech regularly; still, security and digital literacy often raise concerns. Fintech literacy is among the training services…

Back to School Apps for Students

Are your kids ready for the 2024–25 school year? Or if it’s started already, how are they adjusting to new routines and challenges? School success isn’t just about mastering reading, writing, and STEM topics: there’s also personal time management, healthy…

man standing at podium teaching veterans digital navigator skills

Program Update From Walter Prescher

At BridgingApps, we place high value on keeping our clients and followers updated. As summer moves toward autumn and the second half of 2024 picks up speed, our August blog posts will highlight “Program Update” reports from BridgingApps team members.…

mom and son hugging in front of school bus

Back-to-School Apps List for Parents

As families across the country begin a new school year, thoughts turn to new routines—and new hassles. Adjusting wake-up hours. Getting everyone from bed to bus. Scheduling extracurricular activities. Briefing new teachers on accommodation and health needs. If you need…

How to Take Your Dog on Vacation: Assistive Technology for Pets on the Road

’Tis the season to be vacationing, and over 40 percent of Americans plan to take, or already have taken, at least one road trip in 2023. The majority travel with family—and not just the kind of family that walks on…

Your Right to a Real Life: The Story of Olmstead v. L. C.

Last June 22 marked the 25th anniversary of Olmstead v. L. C., when the Supreme Court ruled that it was illegal under the Americans with Disabilities Act to keep people in disability-care institutions when they were better served elsewhere. The…

A young man wearing headphones and glasses sits on a bus, looking at his smartphone. The bus is relatively empty, and sunlight is streaming in through the windows.

Video Captions and the Curb Cut Effect

Curb cut effect: what happens when something, designed with one demographic in mind, proves to benefit the larger population. —————————————————- The first captioned media was likely the silent movie, popular in public theaters a century ago. At the time, there…

family gathered in living room preparing for emergency

Could a Disaster Interrupt Your Vacation? How to Travel Prepared

(This article was largely drafted as Houston sat out the “sideswipe” by Hurricane Beryl, and was completed in a public “cooling center” the next day.) An Emergency in Strange Territory: One Family’s Story As most ESGH clients know, Houston has…