For the disability-affected person who seeks companionship along with practical assistance, the service dog is far superior to any inanimate tool. But though it’s a hard fact to face with any companion animal, a service dog is also likely to…
Author: Katherine Swarts (page 32)
STAFF PICKS: Daryn Ofczarzak on Augmentative and Alternative Communication
October is AAC Awareness Month—AAC standing for “Augmentative and Alternative Communication” or, in lay language, apps and tech devices for people with speaking and/or writing disabilities. Daryn Ofczarzak, Speech Language Pathologist at BridgingApps, shares her five favorite AAC apps below.…
The World of Cerebral Palsy
Today’s post is dedicated to World Cerebral Palsy Day, Thursday, October 6. Cerebral palsy is one of those disabilities that everyone has heard of but few (outside of the 17 million families who personally live with it) really understand. Ask…
ESGH and Current Events: Digital Inclusion Week 2022
Happy Digital Inclusion Week (October 3–7 in 2022)! Since 2016, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) has been working to raise awareness of the digital divide and to promote digital literacy. What Is Digital Inclusion? For those new to the…
STAFF PICKS: Amy Barry on Back-to-School Apps, Teen Edition
Amy is our Digital Marketing Lead—and the mom of three teens and two young adults. This is her list of most-used apps for reducing the overwhelm in keeping track of everyone’s schedules, whereabouts, and school needs. Google Calendar is a…
When It’s Your Turn to Make Reasonable Accommodations
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, anyone with a disability has the right to “reasonable accommodations“–modifications to public and work environments as required for equal participation in everyday activities. A few examples: employee handbooks in audio form; captions or a…
Living with a Dual Diagnosis: When Mental Disorder Meets Substance Use Disorder
Mental and emotional disorders present challenges on two fronts: dealing with the disorder itself, and dealing with stigma attached to the disorder. Public understanding has come a long way in recent decades, but it’s still easy to find people who…
Hearing Loss: The Most Isolating Disability
“The problems of deafness are deeper and more complex … than those of blindness. Deafness … means the loss of the most vital stimulus—the sound of the voice that brings language, sets thoughts astir and keeps us in [human] intellectual…
Make the First Five Count
Life inevitably includes unwelcome surprises; and for parents, among the most dreaded surprises is hearing that their baby isn’t as physically and mentally “perfect” as hoped. But if this happens to you, don’t let anyone tell you that your child’s…
STAFF PICKS: Tara Rocha on Education
Time for another “Staff Picks” list of Top 5 recommended apps. Featured topic: Education. “Staff Picker”: Tara Rocha, BridgingApps Digital Learning Specialist. 1. Canva A “go-to” favorite: you can create all types of content on the go, including presentations, videos,…