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Go Green!
By Aimee Sterk, LMSW I’m behind this year… way behind. With a new baby (5 months is still new right?) and going back to work after leave, I have been short on time for anything at all and have neglected my garden. My colleague Laura had a great blog about getting out and working in…
Read MoreThe Need for Transformation in Special Education
I became directly involved in special education advocacy in 1981 when I went to work for Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service. The national special education requirements (The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975) were still relatively new then. But, over the years, the large-scale vision of educational support customized to each individual student…
Read MoreAdventures in Lawn Work
Spring is finally here! It’s my first spring in my first home and I’ve been anxiously awaiting the time when I could finally get out in the sunshine and work in my very own yard! I knew it was going to be quite the job. Our home had not been lived in for two years…
Read MoreBook Scents and E-Reader Sense (Part 1)
By Jen Gosett, BS, CTRS, MATP Staff I am a person who loves the smell of new books and bookstores. I am not, however, one who loves reading from paper books. They can be cumbersome, sometimes older books can be smelly in an unpleasant way, and physically distracting to hold and use. And there isn’t really…
Read MoreFinding Grab Bars
By Kathryn Wyeth, MATP Team Leader In my last post, “Simple Things”, I wrote about finding a toilet paper holder that works as assistive technology. I also mentioned that we put in plywood behind all the walls so we can securely place grab bars now and in the future. The search for grab bars wasn’t…
Read MoreLet Me Take You for a Ride!
By Aimee Sterk, LMSW, MATP Staff I went back to work after an extended maternity leave in early April, and soon after, my back problems flared up. After trying PT with no success, I set an appointment with my chiropractor who quickly deduced that my new behavior was long drives–not having a child. I was…
Read MoreTry it Before You Buy It–Short Term Loans
By Aimee Sterk, LMSW, MATP Program Staff Michigan’s Assistive Technology Program has a short term loan program. This program allows you to borrow equipment, free of charge, from our inventory, after you participate in a demonstration of the device(s). Device loans are useful if you are considering a purchase and want to “test drive” a…
Read MoreNo Please, Don’t Drop that Mic!
By Jen Gosett, BS, CTRS, MATP Staff Recently I attended a professional conference in a facility which was equipped with newer technology. On my registration form, in the accommodations space, I requested in advance that presenters use microphones so that I could hear what they shared. At the conference, no microphones were used. Unfortunately, this is not…
Read MoreGoogle Home: Useful Services
Virtual Assistants and home devices are evolving rapidly. Alexa had a sizeable jump on the market and is doing very well with a huge number of “Alexa Skills”. But Google Home also has capabilities that can be of use to people with disabilities and you don’t have to enable them as you do with Alexa.…
Read MoreA Piece of Candy or a Fish Cake? Up for Interpretation!
By Jen Gosett, BS, CTRS, MATP Staff Let’s set the record straight, is it “Emoji” or “Emojis”? Merriam-Webster tweeted that it’s both and defines Emoji or Emojis as, “small images, symbols, or icons used in text fields in electronic communication (as in text messages, e-mail, and social media) to express the emotional attitude of the writer,…
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