Assistive Apps for iPad

[edit:  I also have a page on ChipIn available through this link, if the widget below is not working]

As I'm raising money for my own educational iPad, I thought I should let you know what I'll be using it for and what will be put on it.

First of all, I fully intend my iPad to be an assistive device.  I'll either be taking it to school or using it to test out apps for the Autistic Adult App Project.  As I am in Disability Studies focusing on social change, I hope that I'll be able to use what I learn with my iPad to give back to the greater Autism and disability communities.

Now, I'm planning to install very specific apps on my iPad.  I think that it's fair to let people who are investing in me know what I'm going to do with their donations.

Inspiration Maps: based on Inspiration software that I've been using for the past ten years.  It's a visual brainstorming program that turns a mind-map into an outline.  I can't count all the ways this program has been vital to my essay writing. With this, I can work on essays even away from my computer. (if interested, there is also a free version)

Full Version: $9.99

Blackboard Learn Mobile: this is actually a required app.  A lot of my courses has online content, and my school uses Blackboard systems.  This app thus will allow me to access my course materials anywhere that I have an internet connection.

 Free

Open Word:  a word processor, simple enough.  I picked this one because I'm used to the freeware Open Office, and this app supports .odt, .doc, and .docx formats.  Plus it looks like it can connect to Dropbox, Google Drive, and other networks.  
Always good to have a decent word processor.  

$3.99

 myHomework: homework organizer.  Definitely handy for when I have multiple courses with lots of assignments. 



Free

Miracle Modus: I reviewed this on the Autistic Adult App Project earlier.  This is an app created by an autistic programmer to deal with stress and sensory overload.  I find it quite useful and effective.


Free

EpicWin: one of the first apps I reviewed, and worth every penny.  A to-do list that integrates RPG gaming to give immediate rewards for completing tasks.  I use it to help me remember to do things like take meds, do laundry, and other functioning tasks.  Cause even when I'm away at school, I got to do things like eat, eh. 

$2.99

Talk Assist:  Another of the first apps I reviewed.  This is a text to speech app, for when I'm having difficulty speaking.  Free and easy to use.


Free

Dictionary.com: a dictionary and thesaurus, pretty basic, but meets most of my immediate needs until I can get to my large volumes.



Free

eSleep Lite: I recently reviewed this one on the Autistic Adult App Project. While designed to help people relax to sleep, I find it useful to relieve stress in order to work!  This is one of the better apps I've found out there. 

Free

Wikipedia: While I'd never suggest referencing Wiki as a source on an essay, it's a good place to look up general information about a topic that I'm unfamiliar with.  At least, most of the time, and until I can get to a library.

Free

ICE Standard: It's not assistive or educational software per say, but I think that it's important to have this one.  In short, it's a medical emergency ID card app.  I have one on my iPod, and I've used the notes section to put in autism-related information for first responders.  While I love the medical jewellery I make, I can include all my meds and contact information, which if I don't have to use in an emergency, can be handy if I ever have to talk to a doctor, especially a doctor that doesn't know me.           Free


I haven't decided yet, but I'm looking into an APA and MLA format guide.  As part of the social sciences, Disability Studies uses APA style, but I find it rather difficult and confusing.  Since I can practically cite MLA in my sleep, and my professors have been pretty good so far about it, I use MLA instead.  However, it's good to have style reference guides to double check, for both styles.  The ones that I am looking at right now are between $1.99 and $3.99.

Now, you'll notice that is eleven apps I have planned for my iPad, and that most of them are 1) free or cheap and 2) not necessarily disability-related.  I don't think I need to explain the cheap part; I have a very limited budget, and if there's something out there that suits my needs without (much) adjustment, I'll use it.

As for the disability aspect, well, part of it is the nature of my disabilities; most of which is information decoding and processing.   When I'm in the classroom, I have a number of accommodations set up, mainly note-takers (who usually emailed me their notes, oh hey look, email access on an iPad! Bam! Got my notes to study wherever I go), and I have texts scanned in for me, access to books on tape, and so on.  When the courses are online, the materials are online, and are in a format that automatically meets my accessibility needs.  At least, most of the time.  So the issue then is my own productivity.

Which leads me to the next part; what you need to remember is that I'm a late-diagnosis.  While diagnosed with ADHD in Grade 1, I didn't know about it until Grade 6, and accommodations were whatever my parents could scramble up with my teachers, cause I had no formal IEP until Grade 10 and I was in a private elementary/junior high school with no special needs programs at all.  I didn't feel comfortable using accommodations until at least Grade 12, which is also the year I was diagnosed as autistic.

So I have a strong belief in doing more with less.  I also had something of a crash course in learning what works best with me.  So I'm not about to waste my or anyone else's time and money on things that is not going to work. Now, I know these apps above are the best apps for me, or most like to be the best apps for me.  It's kinda hard to tell when I've never had an iPad before, and it might be that in the future I'll find more wonderful apps.  But from my experiences and research, these are the best. 

And final part.  The iPad itself.  I know I go on about apps and the wonderful things app technology means for disabilities.  However, let's look at the iPad itself.  I know I just said that I never had an iPad, but I've tested out tablets in stores and whenever I could get them away from friends.  To me, tablet computers are exciting in of themselves, because it is the device that makes apps possible.  It is a small, lightweight computer that is portable, (generally) easy to use, conceivably compatible with various systems, and adaptable to meet many needs.   This opens doors for many disabled people, not just autistic people.  And there are so many styles and models to choose from, something almost unheard of in assistive technology until recently.

For me, the iPad means more than just the latest gadget to show off to my friends (ironically, the reason my parents bought my first iPod when all I asked for was an mp3 player).   It is a device that helps me to organize my thoughts, to keep track of my schoolwork, to manage my stress levels, and to help me learn.  It does this in part by the apps it provides, and also by its design.  Yes, there are a lot of tablets out there, a lot of which are cheaper.  However, as I pointed out above, I know what works for me.  When I tested tablets, I found that the iPad was the only one with a big enough screen for me to work the most comfortably, that I could type easier and use the system more fluidly.  To most people, my difficulties with perception and motor skills is unnoticeable, but to me, it is a source of frustration.

Which is why being able to get an iPad means so much to me.  It will allow me an ease of access in the classroom that I never had before.  Each donation towards my iPad makes me wordlessly excited! I want to thank everyone, and I don't know how!!  Every little bit goes towards helping me give back to the communities.

So please, if you haven't already done so, make even a small donation, or help spread the word!  Every little bit helps! And if you have already done so, I thank you immensely. 


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ChipIn for School iPad

[edit: I also have a page on ChipIn, available though this link, in case the widget below isn't working.] 

I remember back in 2003, when I was first setting out to university, it was suggested that I get both a laptop and a palm pilot.  Remember Palm Pilots?  I vaguely do.  From what I remember, I was to use one as a digital calender/schedule book to keep me on track.  Given the recent developments in technology, I'm not sure whether they're even still made nowadays.

PalmPilot

I was suppose to use a laptop as a glorified typewriter, to take class notes and write essays on.  I wasn't too keen on that, given how bulky, heavy and expensive laptops were (and still kinda are).  My parents and I found a compromise, getting me a Dana from AlphaSmart.

AlphaSmart Dana, now known as NEO

Basically it was a PalmPilot with a full keyboard and a big enough memory that I could type up research, pieces of essays, and some class notes with ease.  It would sync with a computer and transfer a document into, well, any open window.  I had a note taker in class, so I mainly used my Dana for research.  I'd go into the library, find passages of information I needed, then copy it down with references.  It was light-weight enough that I could take it to school regularly in my backpack.  Unfortunately, the battery passed on some time ago.

Now, my needs have changed over the years, as I've gone from being on campus all the time, to being on campus occasionally.  I need something less like a Dana, and more like a laptop, without being as bulky and heavy (cause yes, they are still that) as one.  I need something that I can take to my intensive sessions, whether for two weeks or a weekend, that has the assistive technology of my full computer and iPod, but can do notes and be portable.

People have suggested I get an iPad.   To be honest, I've thought about it, for over a year now.  At IMFAR, I got to see iPads in action.  For the past year, I've browsed through iPad apps and sighed as I wishlisted them.  Every chance I got, I'd test out the display models in stores.  And in long last, I have decided that I should get an iPad.

It's light and portable.  It has full keyboard and word processing capabilities.  It has apps, for functioning, stress relief and communication, plus testing.  It'll be used for school and education purposes only.

The only issue is money.  I'm a low-income student, with a part-time job and two courses.  I could maybe afford the apps that I need for on the iPad, but I can't afford the iPad itself.  So, I've started up a ChipIn.  I'll be grateful for whatever people donate.  Every little bit helps!

My New Store PearlGarden on Etsy!

I'm not very good at advertising and selling myself, skills needed to apply for jobs.  However, I do try my best.

Some time ago, I decided to start wearing a medical ID bracelet.  I looked into services such as MedicAlert, but found that for their services, it was too expensive for someone like me who has a very limited budget.  Plus, being Canadian with a health care system that's becoming networked, I didn't think that I needed all of the services provided.

What I am concerned about is not the information doctors and nurses need once I get to the hospital; that information is available via my health card and medical records.  What I was worried about is information that paramedics might need should I be unable to respond, either through injury or shock.  Things like what medications I'm on, and conditions like asthma and my chronic anemia.

Which means is that what I really need is a bracelet and tag that has any immediate information that paramedics need.  Friends on Twitter pointed me to very lovely stores selling medical bracelets online.

I bought a few bracelets, at least $50 each, as well as tags, and while lovely, I felt uneasy about wearing them all the time.  Some of them are not suitable for day to day activities and broke rather easily.  Not waiting to pay additional fees for something I thought I could fix myself, I decided to do it myself.

Along the way, I discovered a delight in designing and creating my own bracelets. Not only what I made was beautiful, but I also made them to be strong and durable.  And I really wanted to keep making bracelets.  But what would I do with all of them that I had made?

So I decided to open a store on Etsy, and to celebrate, I'm offering 25%!!

click image to go to store

 Take a look, and if you decide to buy something, be sure to use the coupon code FALLOP2012 for 25% off! 

Expanding Spoons

The original Spoon Theory was created by Christine Miserandino to explain living with Lupus to her friends.  Since then, many people have picked up the metaphor and applied it not only to diseases, but to various disabilities as well.  I know many people in the Autism communities who use the metaphor as an expression.  I myself have attempted to merge Spoon Theory with my own metaphors of Batteries, and use the expressions in my regular life, with spoons being used more frequently than batteries 

Lately, I have found myself and my friends being creative with the metaphor. For example, "my spoons are too big for that", "my spoons are too small" and "I don't have the right type of spoon for that".

As my friends and I have discovered, people can have different size spoons and spoons that do different things.  Take a look around a kitchen.  There are measuring spoons, teaspoons, tablespoons, serving spoons, soup spoons, stirring spoons, salad spoons (okay, those are tongs, but they look rather like spoons to me).  There are spoons designed for certain tasks and certain uses, and there are general, all-purpose spoons. 

In the world of spoons, there is a great diversity that can be used to expand the use of Spoon Theory from being a metaphor to being an expression, a key wording to expain why someone is withdrawing or leaving ("I need to get more spoons") or as a short form for why someone cannot currently do something that they might have been able to do before ("I don't have that spoon right now"). 

Spoons are the tools, abilities to access and take our energy (batteries, as I've previously called it) to do things.  Sometimes I've had spoons that are totally not right for the task I'm supposed to do.  Sometimes I have spoons that can't access the energy I know I still have to do something.  Sometimes my spoons are too small for a job.  Sometimes they're too big.  Sometimes I can use what I've got to do things, even if it's not the right spoon, and sometimes I just can't.

My friends say that their spoons are too big if it's tough.  As in, it takes more energy-brain power-ability to do something.   If it's a small spoon job, then it's a pretty easy task, maybe one that can be done without thinking too hard about it.  We joke about each of us having different spoons as our "regular" spoons, some of us using teaspoons, while others use ladles. 

Sometimes I have too many spoons, sometimes I have too many and have left overs at the end of the day.  I wake up each morning never too many spoons I have, because sometimes I don't actually know, like they're hidden and only revealed to me throughout the day.  So I ration spoons carefully, because it might be one of those days where I'm in danger of coming up short in the end.  Because if there's anything that I've learned, it's that I can never totally forget that it costs me to be a part of the world, and that I always could use a few more spoons.

Autism Project Ideas

Originally posted on my tumblr: 

 

Autism project ideas that I have no clue how to start/run

• Autistic mentors network, connecting young Autistic people with older Autistic mentors, a sort of You Are Not Alone, we can get through this together thing to help with self-esteem and mental health issues
• a guide to give to house/room mates of Autistic people.  I find it so exhausting to try and educate each housemate I encounter, and find I forget the little things, like the need to have plates stacked a certain way, my annoyance in wet floors, and sensory issues.  It’s great that there’s materials for Autistic people, but what about the other people in the household? Why do we always have to be the ones to compromise?  Especially when other members are willing to learn about what we need to live comfortable?

For the guide, it’ll be cool if there was something like it, so I could just print it out and hand it to housemates.  So if it already exists, let me know.

As for the network, haven’t heard much about that sort of thing, but I think it might be good to have.  It just seems like something that I don’t have the spoons to do.

An Autistic at IMFAR 2012

I finally got my article done on IMFAR 2012.  Whew!!! 

It is quite long!  Instead of dividing everything up, I did one big article on Storify, because then I could snag the tweets I did throughout the week. 

I'm very sorry it took so long to get this done; I hope it's worth the wait. 

Because the Storify format can cause lag on people's computers, I'm just going to link to it on here. 

An Autistic at IMFAR 2012

 

Crisis with the Help Lines

You know those crisis help phone lines?  The woman's shelter lines, the pregnancy lines, the talk help, kids help lines, and mental health crisis lines?  Those.  It has occurred to me that those help lines are kinda ableist.

Think about it.  They all require people call them over the telephone and speak to them.

In a time when you can get customer service over an internet live chat, where are the help lines for people who are non-verbal, people who communicate better in written or typed word, or who are so into crisis mode that they lose all verbal capabilities?  Or people whom English is not their first language or whom aren't fluent in English?  Or who have sensory problems and have difficulties using a telephone? Or are in a situation where they cannot seek assistance through their caregivers to communicate the crisis?

Also, when in crisis, it can be very hard to verbalize the pain and what going through, even if one does retain verbal capabilities. Failure to address the needs of the non-verbal population means that there are people who are not being supported or have access to community resources and accommodations.  This leads people further into crisis, with no where to turn for help. 

So when someone goes into crisis mode, they also go into survival mode, a state where someone purposely or subconsciously shuts down skills in order to cope.  This is dangerous, because now the person have further difficulty in  accessing community help and services, cannot communicate, and is more vulnerable to further crisis, including escalation into self-harm coping strategies.  The longer in this state, the pain caused by the crisis can lead to extreme measures of self-harm, eventually leading to suicidal behaviour. 

At this stage, there are more than one crisis; the initial crisis and the mental health crisis.  The results of care then become dependent not only on the structure of support for that person, but also the preparation of local mental health services in dealing with complicated crisis situations. 

Now, there are online resources available for mental health crisis, such as the list provided by Boggle, including a Forum and live-chat online services.  However, there needs to be access to non-verbal crisis support across the global, and a connection to local mental health services.  With many service providers, crisis support phone lines already exist, and they maintain a team to respond to calls.  What if there was also a way to text into the crisis line?  What about maintaining a Twitter and/or Facebook account, where it's possible to private message the operator? Monitoring Twitter and Facebook messages can be done while monitoring a phone line.  There is also the option of a Forum, where there can be group support and private messaging options for daily support as well as crisis support. 

Non-verbal accessibility is possible, and is incredibly valuable to a wide population, not just non-verbal Autistic people.  It has the possibility of connecting mental health services to the online communities, to people who cannot otherwise access much needed support.  Yes, it does require making adjustments, getting people to write code, retraining employees, and other costly changes.  But this is an area of need within the disability and mental health communities that is not being adequately met, resulting in the isolation and despair of many.  It also sends out a negative message to people, that their needs are not deemed worth to be addressed, that their crisis, their methods of communication, are not significant. 

In my opinion, it is the obligation of mental health services to develop ways to make their services accessible to all.  Otherwise, they are failing to help the people that they are suppose to support, a failure that can have drastic and fatal results.  Yet, it is possible to correct this, to make crisis and other types of support accessible, if service providers are able to embrace alternative, online and text-based methods of communication.  Then truly they will be able to reach those who need their services.