Introduction There is a small but growing movement among people with disabilities, engineers, students, families, and others who cherish personal independence and freedom of choice to take access to Assistive Technology (AT) to its next stage. This is an opportunity for all of us to gain control over the tools we need to support ourselves…

  By Aimee Sterk, LMSW, MATP Staff Society urges people with hidden disabilities, like me, to deny we have a disability.  From the time we are born, we are bombarded with messages that disability is a negative thing – something to be avoided and feared. Our society teaches us people with disabilities are less capable,…

By Jen Gosett, BS, CTRS, MATP Staff For any of us who enjoy cooking and baking, we know that time is a key ingredient of many recipes.  How long we need to bake cupcakes for, boil water & noodles for, fry an egg, etc. can mean the difference between delicious and disgusting!  The built-in timers…

Amazon’s second generation Dash Wand is out. What potential does it have to support personal independence for members of our community? The Wand is an example of the use of a technology platform (Amazon’s Echo/Alexa) to reduce the friction in accessing products of all kinds. While the technology is not specifically aimed at people with…

  By Jen Gosett, BS, CTRS, MATP Staff If you come into my kitchen and look on the counter tops, open the dishwasher, and peek in the drawers & cabinets, you’ll find a common theme: most of my utensils & kitchen tools are the OXO brand.  From the pizza cutter to the salad spinner, whisk…

“You are in a competitive bid area” we were told as we looked for a vendor who would accept Medicare for a family member who needs a walker. (The Medicare competitive bid program began a six-month phase-in period across the country, including rural areas, on January 1, 2016.) We found the one vendor in the…

By Aimee Sterk, LMSW, MATP Staff As a new mom, I’m pretty familiar with poop–all kinds of poop. And I’m pretty aware of my son’s pooping (or not), when he has a poopsplosion, what he’s eating that is causing what reaction… From the very beginning in the hospital, the medical professionals tell parents about tracking…

By Jen Gosett, BS, CTRS, MATP Staff In my last blog post, Google Calendar for Students!, I mentioned that one of my first professional roles after I graduated from Eastern Michigan University (EMU) was supporting young adults who had disabilities and were transitioning out of high school to whatever came next for them.  I shared…

Looking for ideas for apps for that new tablet or phone? There are so many apps and so little time. Where do you start? Here are some ideas, though certainly not everything that could help. I hope it will get you started at least. What is you are trying to do? Begin with the end…