Douglas works as a support worker at a treatment centre in Chilliwack. He has hearing loss and it was making it hard to do his job.

“Obviously, if I can’t hear my clients, I don’t have a job. And obviously, you lose the confidence of your clients, you lose confidence in yourself,” he shares. “I need to be able to hear people speak, and I need to be able to hear when we’re filling out intake forms — very important that I’m hearing the proper drugs they’re using.”

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Today, we’re going to do a quick overview of the free apps that are available to students through Google Workspace. These apps are well designed with accessibility in mind, they’re free, and each app is designed to be used from anywhere, on any device. This is why the Google Workspace (formerly known as G-Suite) is a great choice for post-secondary students. Unlike primary-school aged children who often get free access to Microsoft 365, college and university students can’t always afford premium technology. So without further ado, let’s dive into the apps that are currently available for free through Google Workspace.

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Since immigrating to Canada, Aliakbar has had a hard time finding employment. He faced a language barrier, a lack of Canadian education, and hearing loss.

“I used to work as truck driver for 20 years in my home country and need help to find a similar job here in Canada,” he shares. “I have profound hearing loss and it had significant negative impact in my job search activities and also my ability to learn a new language, English.”

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Learning to create an effective cover letter is crucial for anyone entering into the workforce. Unfortunately, this is not always taught in a classroom environment, even though there is a very particular structure that is expected. If you want to catch the eye of a potential employer, your cover letter has to be well-structured, well-designed, and attractive.

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Steve works as a paralegal in the Lower Mainland. The job is front-facing and services-oriented — he is responsible for producing documents for lawyers that clients need, as well as interacting with clients.

Steve also has hearing loss.

“While the loss itself is relatively mild, it makes it quite difficult to hear others. As my job revolves around being able to listen to others, whether receiving instructions from co-workers or talking to a client, it is very important for me to be able to hear properly,” he shares.

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Student life can be challenging for anyone, and for persons with disabilities, this is especially true. Of course, there are plenty of tools and apps available to help overcome barriers surrounding disability and education, and we’ve explored many of those solutions in past e-bulletins. Unfortunately, some of these solutions require extensive training, funding/purchasing of equipment, etc., which can sometimes present a whole new set of barriers to the student. Today, we are going to look at some cutting-edge accessibility features that come built-in to mainstream technology. These features are free, they already exist on the device in question, and they are typically fairly easy to activate and operate. Let’s take a look!

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Gaynor is a retail worker in the North Okanagan, doing customer service, stocking shelves, and cashiering. She has hearing loss.

“It impacted me in every aspect,” she explains. “I had customers approaching me all day with questions, I had co-workers talking to me, we had pages overhead that sometimes affected me, we had group meetings that I was involved with, so hearing in a situation like that was everything, it could get frustrating sometimes.

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Over the past several years, Microsoft has been gaining ground in the battle for most accessible computing systems. During that time, Windows has made vast improvements in its out-of-box accessibility. And now with a new Windows OS on the horizon, it’s evident that Microsoft has embraced the concepts of universal design and accessibility in a big way.

Windows 11 seeks to pack in even more accessibility features than the already impressive Windows 10. In today’s e-bulletin, we’re going to dive into those features a bit, but keep in mind, some of the features that we’re looking at today might change or be updated as OS continues to evolve.

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George had been working in retail in Victoria and was looking forward to starting a second job, a work from home position as an accessibility tester for digital products. But he needed the right equipment to start his new job.

He has Tourette Syndrome, with a frequent motor tic and a stutter when he speaks. In particular, he has difficulty using a computer with a keyboard due to his motor tic.

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Denise works part-time as a cashier, but is currently looking for her “ideal job” with WorkBC Employment Services in Coquitlam.

Since recovering from encephalitis, Denise’s right hand is weaker than her left hand, particularly making typing difficult. She also struggles with sitting for long periods of time.

Her WorkBC Customized Job Specialist told her about the WorkBC Assistive Technology Services program, and she decided to apply.

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