Our latest post on the Expansion Pilot project and this year’s participating Easterseals affiliates. Today’s comments are from Jonathan May, Occupational Therapy Assistant and technology professional at the Easterseals Rehabilitation Center headquartered in Evansville, Indiana. (The affiliate’s official service area comprises southwestern Indiana, southern Illinois, and western Kentucky.)
Q: What are the most surprising things you’ve learned so far?
Jonathan May: It was a surprise just to learn how many quality apps are available for free! Cost is a hurdle to so many families, so it’s great that the BridgingApps database is able to filter by cost.
It has also been surprising to learn how many helpful apps exist to help with everyday tasks. Productivity, medication tracking, mental health, exercise: the list of things apps can assist with just keeps growing! Even default applications such as Calendar, Reminders, or Notes are much more powerful and capable than most people realize. The curated reviews in the database provide helpful information on the apps’ lesser-known features.
Q: What other important questions has the Expansion training answered for you?
Jonathan May: Diving into specific apps has given us a framework for assessing applications before making recommendations to clients. Hearing trainers explain apps they personally enjoy and feel passionate about, has helped me learn about features that are important or helpful to specific demographics. For example, considering useful features for school-based learning requires a very different framework than assessing mental health apps.
Learning about all the different categories of apps helps us narrow down what may best assist specific clients in their goals.
Q: Among the apps you’ve learned about, what are some of your favorites?
Jonathan May: Three come to mind:
- Paprika: This app is a recipe manager. It lets you easily add your own recipes/photos, or download them directly from websites. Makes it very easy to organize and share the recipes.
- Visual Countdown Timer for kids. The paid version allows custom backgrounds to be revealed as the visual timer counts down. This is helpful for kids who have a hard time transitioning, especially if you set the background to show what activity is coming up next.
- Yuka: This app allows you to scan grocery barcodes. Then it breaks down the qualities of the food—such as what additives are included—and gives it an overall health rating on a scale of 0–100.
Q: How will what you’ve learned enable you to better serve your clients?
Jonathan May: I now have a much greater knowledge of how to help clients find their best apps. For example, if available funding sources don’t cover the first assistive technology I recommend, I now can help clients look at free or low-cost alternatives that may help them reach the goals we were discussing. This can make a big difference in a client’s quality of life.
I can also educate clients about BridgingApps, teaching them to look up apps and reviews for themselves. This provides not only extra resources, but greater autonomy in reaching their goals—even after the evaluation and recommendation process is over.