For many students, essay writing is the most difficult and demanding type of writing they will ever do. This is due to a number of factors, but most students would agree that it’s the rigid structure of the document as well as the requirements for accurately cited references that proves to be especially difficult. For students with learning disabilities, this process can be particularly daunting, since there are so many steps and processes to follow, and for students with mobility challenges who rely heavily on speech to text, having to worry about properly formatted citations could mean hours and hours of extra work.

Essayist is an essay-writing app that is designed to allow students to focus on content rather than format. The app is available for iOS only, but there are Android-based alternatives available.

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We’ve briefly touched on AAC devices in the past, but due to the complicated nature of speech and language pathology, we tend to point potential AAC users towards the New Brunswick Association of Speech-Language Pathologists. That being said, while the app that we are looking at today does technically fall under the category of AAC, it’s broad enough in functionality that it’s definitely worth talking about today. Not to mention, compared to the more advanced AAC apps and devices available, this app is considerably more user-friendly.

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It’s just about that time again! Yet another school year is about to begin, and since we know what it’s like for both teachers and students during those hectic first weeks of school, we thought we’d take the time to discuss our top five back to school apps to consider this fall. The apps that we are going to recommend today are apps that we consider to be tried and tested and true, so you can feel confident that you’ll be making a solid choice with any of these options.

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In this solo-cast, Seaver explores his top five apps for going back to school in 2023. After that, we take the time to review some best practices when it comes to using the internet, including tips for avoiding phishing and other scams…

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Guest Feature by Jonathon Beaumont

Having trouble writing a professional paper? Looking for a new correction checker or even wanting to learn a new language? By now you’re probably aware of the multitude of writing aids available online, but what you may not realize the extent in which these technologies have advanced in just a few years. The app that we are looking at today is one of the more advanced writing aids available right now, and it’s available in both of Canada’s official languages.

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In this episode we are joined by our summer student, Jonathon Beaumont. Jonathon is a relatively new AT user who has been diagnosed with a rare neurological condition known as Friedreich’s ataxia. We talk about what it’s like to be diagnosed with a neurological condition at age 13, which AT he uses and why, his experiences in university as an AT user, and much more.

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Today we are joined by Ainsley Congdon. Ainsley has worked at the Learning Disabilities Association of New Brunswick in many capacities since 2017 and has been the executive director of the organization since 2019. Coming to LDANB as a former classroom teacher Ainsley brings with her a unique, hands-on perspective on learning disabilities in the classroom. We talk learning strategies, types of accommodations, psych-ed assessments and why it’s so difficult to get one in New Brunswick, and much more.

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Losing your ability to speak due to aphasia, stroke, or other brain injury can feel like being a prisoner in your own mind, especially when you’ve spent your entire pre-injury life with normal speech and language skills. Thankfully there are apps and other resources available to individuals suffering from speech and language-based injuries/disabilities.

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Staying on top of accessibility updates, features, news, and resources is no easy task, even here at the AT Help Desk where we do our absolute best to cover everything we can, there’s just so much accessible content and information out there that it’s impossible to keep track of absolutely everything related to accessibility. Thankfully, most companies who deal with accessible devices do a great job of providing information and resources related to those products. That is especially true for Apple’s excellent accessibility page, which we have discussed in previous e-bulletins.

Today however, we are going to look at Apple’s chief competitor Microsoft, and we are going to see how their newly redesigned accessibility page stacks up against the competition. And with Windows products and Microsoft 365 being so widely used within the New Brunswick school system, this information will be useful to just about any parent, teacher, or student with accessibility needs.

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We all like to have choices in life, and kids are no different. In 2023, there’s certainly no shortage of games and gaming platforms to choose from, and apps like Roblox see millions of users and new games added every single day. So why can’t we apply the same approach the educational content? Wouldn’t it be great for students to choose from as wide a range of educational content as possible? The developers of the app that we are looking at today clearly thought so!

MentalUp is an app-based gaming and learning platform which features thousands of games, hundreds of fitness exercises, tests, and much more. When you first turn on the app, you’ll be prompted to enter some information regarding your child’s age and learning needs. Once you’ve completed the initial set up, then you’ll find yourself in the MentalUp “galaxy” where you can choose from a variety of activities. To choose between categories of activities, users navigate to different “planets”.

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