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…

In my last post, I tried to make the case that now is the time to disrupt special education because it has become rigid, compliance-driven, bureaucratic, and politically corrupted. In other words, the mission of special education as it was originally envisioned when it began in the 1970’s has been gradually parasitized by the interests of…

“Necessity is the mother of invention” an English-language proverb, is certainly true when it comes to technological innovation. People who have disabilities are often the spark as they have the necessity or need to be able to do something and this has led to innovative solutions. Many of these innovative solutions have become technology that…

By Jen Gosett, BS, CTRS, MATP Staff 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 comes next.  At the time, I was only a few years older than the people I met with and…