Author Archive

MindNode: An Accessible Mind Map Tool

A person writes out an idea map on a whiteboard

The 2024-2025 school year is upon us, and we have plenty of new, accessible apps to review. If you have any suggestions or ideas about apps or products that you’d like us to cover, please send us an email at ta-atsupport@neilsquire.ca. We’ll even create one-pagers to explain specific app tools or functions by request. To see an example of some previous one-pagers that we’ve created, click here.

Today we are going to look at a mind mapping app. This relatively new tool is designed to help you visualize and organize your ideas in a digital space. And while the concept of mind mapping isn’t new in itself, the digitization of this concept is fairly new, and it has some great benefits for persons with disabilities.

WorkBC Assistive Technology Services Helps Ahmed Work as a Rideshare Driver

A close-up of a steering wheel in a car.

Thanks to vehicle modifications he received through WorkBC Assistive Technology Services, Ahmed has been able to work as a rideshare driver for the last four months.

Ahmed has a spinal cord injury and uses a wheelchair. His local WorkBC Centre referred him to Assistive Technology Services to support his self-employment goals.

“They changed my life. I couldn’t use my car easily. They gave me a transfer seat and lift for my wheelchair,” he shares. “I don’t need anyone to help with my wheelchair anymore. I can use my car alone.”

“It’s Been Fabulous,” WorkBC Assistive Technology Services Help Madeleine Feel More Confident as a Personal Trainer

A row of dumbbells on the rack

Madeleine works as a coach and personal trainer in Southeastern British Columbia.

“I love my job,” she says. “I get to interact with people of all ages, and help them feel fit and strong and capable of whatever goals they have.

“I am deaf in my right ear. I’ve been this way for as long as I can remember. As I grew older and more mature, [I realized] that I was missing out on a lot of conversations,” she shares. “It started to negatively impact my job situation when I realized I couldn’t hear clients if they needed help, if they were asking a question, if they wanted to point something out. I was missing that whole part of my job.”

Notion: AI-Powered Productivity

A person types on a laptop, while graphic overlays of files appear on top.

Today we are going to look at a relatively new productivity app that shows a lot of promise. It’s not exactly novel or unique, but it offers a ton of productivity tools in one package, and it does a great job of pulling these tools together into one very useful package.

Notion is a notetaking and project-management tool that allows you to create notes, documents, to-dos, wikis, and more, and it does so with the help of a built-in AI assistant.

WorkBC Assistive Technology Services Helps Rachel Communicate More Effectively With Her Employers

Toy airplanes hanging in a child's room

Rachel works as a child caregiver, taking care of a toddler, as well as doing light housekeeping and meal preparation. She has hearing loss.

“I have difficulty in hearing and understanding during conversation, as well, I can’t fully hear what the toddler says — I’m struggling to hear the toddler crying from his room from nap. Also I am unable to understand what my employers are trying to ask me when they give instructions,” she shares.

New Hearing Aids Help Karen Earn a Promotion

A woman holds a smartphone and uses a calculator, with some documents to the side.

Karen works in the finance department of an organization, responsible for variance reporting, budget analysis, and reconciliation. She oversees two bookkeepers, and also answers the inquiries of managers, donors, and stakeholders. Recently, she has noticed a decline in her hearing, particularly affecting her ability to hear speech.

“Accuracy is vital for my work,” she says. “This is significantly impacting my ability to perform my duties as an accounting assistant and is also affecting my relationships with colleagues and vendors.”

New Hearing Aids Give Suzy Confidence

A woman paints on a canvas in a garden.

Suzy is a visual artist based in Vancouver. She has also been teaching art for over 30 years.

She began noticing hearing loss nearly 15 years ago, and had previously considered getting hearing aids, but she couldn’t afford them. Suzy found it difficult to participate in events like gallery openings with her hearing loss, and as a teacher, she found she was asking students to repeat themselves multiple times.

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Hearing Solutions logo
400 – 3999 Henning Drive
Burnaby, BC V5C 6P9
778 945 1215
hearingsolutions@neilsquire.ca
Refer today