Today we hear from BridgingApps client Mario Diaz, a graduate of Houston City College’s VAST program and currently a student at the University of St. Thomas. Mario, who has cerebral palsy, started with us in summer 2025. He:
- Has participated in multiple BridgingApps programs, and is among the clients who have received laptops through our digital-literacy classes.
- Has a YouTube page with over 16,000 subscribers (and counting).
- Was featured on the cover of Parenting Special Needs magazine in summer 2025.
Q: What do you like best about having your own laptop?
Mario: Before, every time I had a college assignment, I had to rely on others to let me borrow their devices. Or I had to use my iPad, which is really not built for [Microsoft] Word, so it was a struggle. During high school we had to return their laptops every year, so it never really was mine. Plus, those laptops were restrictive and pretty small.
Now, I can do my own work on my own laptop. And it stays with me, so I don’t have to start over with a whole new device for every different program and school.
Q: What other equipment has been helpful?
Mario: I really like the separate mouse and keyboard. The keyboards that come on laptops are too small: the separate one’s a little bigger. And I like having a wireless mouse, because a wired mouse has limited range of motion. I also love the bone conduction headphones. They are very convenient for when you need to work on the go!
Q: You also have the option of an extra monitor, a big second screen that plugs into the laptop.
Tell us a little more about how you’re using all this.
Mario: I occasionally watch YouTube videos and other stuff, though I still edit most of my own YouTube videos on my phone. But sometime soon, I’ll probably use the extra monitor to help with YouTube. I want to learn coding; I want to make my own video games, games that I wish existed right now, but they don’t. So if I start streaming about them on YouTube, I could play the game on one monitor screen and read the chat on the other.
I’m even trying to teach my parents how to use a computer, with the Spanish version of Northstar [one of the digital-literacy-training platforms used at BridgingApps].
Q: What would you like others to know about how technology can help?
Mario: For a student like me, technology has changed a lot of things. Especially in school: it is much easier to manage my assignments now. I’m extremely grateful for the technology and training that BridgingApps provided me with.
About HCC and BridgingApps
VAST Academy and Pathways to Success are higher-education/career-training programs for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Both programs are available through Houston City College (formerly Houston Community College).
Since Tara Rocha (BridgingApps Digital Learning Specialist) met Madelyn Traylor (VAST Academy/Pathways success coach) at a Harris County ARC event, Madelyn has introduced us to many student clients, including Mario.
“Many of the students that we serve at HCC did not have their own devices. Partnering with BridgingApps has been such a huge, huge blessing and a huge gift to them.” –Madelyn