When you’re blind or low vision, finding your way around unassisted can be an intimidating and sometimes be a downright dangerous task. Some cities are built to be more accessibility-friendly than others, but even within relatively accessible cities, there are still bound to be areas that are difficult to navigate. And while we’ve looked at a few apps that are designed to assist low-vision users with tasks such as shopping, identifying faces, reading descriptions, etc., but we haven’t seen many apps that do a decent job of assisting with navigation (at least none that have good information about navigating within New Brunswick).

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On the latest episode, Nakia and Seaver will be looking at the new AI-powered pocket companion called the Rabbit R1. Then we talk a bit about what’s new in the world of AT, and finally, we list our top ten tips for adopting AT.

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To celebrate the AT Help Desk’s 10th anniversary, we’ve compiled a list of our top ten tips for adopting assistive technology. If you’re someone who has recently been recommended assistive technology, or if you’ve been using AT for years but you’re wondering how to use it as effectively as possible, then this list is for you!

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Imagine that you have a technical problem or a computer question at work, you might call your company’s IT help desk. But what if you have a disability and you have a question about assistive technology? Maybe you need to find a device that will help you with your needs, or maybe your assistive technology isn’t working right and you need help. That’s where Neil Squire’s AT Help Desk comes in.

In 2024, the AT Help Desk celebrates 10 years of serving New Brunswickers with disabilities. Whether you’re working, studying, simply need an assistive technology that makes your life a little easier, or are calling on behalf of a client, student, or family member, anyone can reach out. And all services are available in English and French.

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For persons with disabilities, learning apps are a great way to approach new concepts for a couple reasons. First, they allow you to learn at a pace that is more suited to your specific learning style. Secondly, these apps are not only able to take advantage of your devices built in accessibility features, but they also often offer their own suite of accessibility options.

We’ve covered a few different math courses in the past, but most of those apps were focused on students from K-12. Today, we are going to look at a Math and Science learning app that was specifically designed for post-secondary students and professionals.

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On this episode, our AT Help Desk team talks about NFC-based automation for persons with disabilities, the Reading Progress and Reaching Coach tools that are now available for Teams, and finally we look at another AI chatbot that just might be our new favorite.

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By now most of us are aware of and have likely used Microsoft Teams. For those who aren’t familiar, Teams is a widely used communication platform that integrates all things Microsoft into a centralized space. Teams is also an incredible tool for teachers with a wide range of educational tools. But with the plethora of supporting apps that integrate into Teams, there’s going to be apps and add-ons that fly under the radar. Today we are going to talk about one of Teams’ supporting apps that you should definitely be aware of!

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In a previous e-bulletin we started to explore the concept of using AI as AT. We learned that there are many ways in which this new technology can be helpful to students, professionals, persons with disabilities, and beyond. We discovered that AI chatbots were even better at finding and synthesizing information than a traditional browser, and that the flexible, conversational nature of this technology is ideal for diving into a variety of complicated subjects. With that in mind, we are going to dive even deeper into what these chatbots are capable of as well as identifying and comparing the top three chatbots on the market right now.

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Today we are going to do a quick spotlight on a great assistive technology resource that we have recently discovered. This resource deals with Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) technology, so before we go any further, we want to mention that the New Brunswick Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists is the province’s main resource for everything related to speech and audio challenges. Click here to check out their website.

There’s not always a ton of resources and knowledge available when it comes to AAC. This probably has a lot to do with the specialized nature of AAC technology. This tech is often expensive, and it usually requires a bit of training to use properly.

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