The Mission Project would like to thank the Westerman Foundation and the McGowan Foundation for making this project possible.

Friday, June 28, 2013

Visual Sequence for Connecting to a New Wi-Fi Network


I am posting this as a resource for the participants learning in this project. 

Just so you understand... "Wi-Fi" is wireless technology that uses radio waves to provide a connection to the internet. It's like an invisible cable that runs from a box (or a modem) to your device (or iPad).  Wi-fi is needed to visit websites, check email, view some apps, watch videos on YouTube, and send pictures to people. 

Some of you have a wi-fi network in your home and some of you don't... that does not make some of you better than others. It is a responsibility and a financial expense to have wi-fi in your apartment so not everyone chooses to have it. If you don't have wi-fi in your home, you have options like using the internet at your parents' house, or at a friends' house, or at a public place like Panera or the library. (Remember the hidden rules of public places though and make sure you use headphones or mute the volume on your iPad.)

These are the main steps to finding the wi-fi network so you can connect to the internet when you are at someone else's home or a public place. In many cases, it is a locked network, and you will need to put in a password before you can get access.  If you are a guest in someone's home, it is important that you ask for permission to use their wi-fi connection.  They have the right to not give you access and not give you the password since the wi-fi belongs to them and they are paying for the service, but I'm sure as friends, you all can work it out. 







Thursday, June 27, 2013

Getting Access to the Internet on the iPads

I have received emails from parents and participants asking about how to make sure the iPad is connected to the internet.  As I mentioned in the trainings, it is important to note that some apps will work without internet access while some will not. At this point, not all of our participants have wi-fi in their apartments. Those who do have wi-fi access will need to know the name of the network in their home and their password so they can share this information with their friends if their friends want to access the internet with their iPad while visiting. Using Apple Configurator, I have defaulted the wi-fi access information of our office building so that whenever we meet there, everyone automatically gets connected to the internet. One of the reasons I want the participants to learn this process is so they can access the internet on their iPads in public places, such as Panera which is a hangout spot nearby.

Click on this video tutorial below to learn how to connect an iPad to a wireless network: 

Using the iPads to Improve our Health

One of the long-term goals of this iPad Initiative is to teach the participants to use the iPads as a tool to help them improve their health. One of the greatest challenges of living on their own is maintaining a healthy diet and exercise routine. This weekend I will be introducing an app called, "Eat-And-Move-O-Matic".  It is a a health education app that allows you to search a food item and see how much exercise you would have to do to burn off the calories from that item.  The app is easy to navigate and the concept is simple.  Although this may not result in immediate health outcomes for our participants, it is an important tool for educating themselves about different types of food they put in their bodies and the impact of different types of exercise. 
This is a screenshot sample of the content of the app
This is how the app icon appears on the iPad

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

I Love Apps When They Are FREE!!


There are apps that are always free in the App Store, some of which are great, and some of which are junk. The good thing about them being free is that you can just delete them if you don't like them with no financial loss.  When you download an app that is a free app, you have to be prepared that it may be a lite version of an app that costs, it may include ads, or it may include multiple prompts within the app for in-app purchases. Even with that being said, I LOVE free apps and 90% of the apps on my iPad cost me NOTHING.  My favorite way of acquiring apps is to grab them when they are featured for FREE!  The app, AppsGoneFree, is my favorite solution for finding these apps. I simply read the summaries on these apps, and then 'purchase' the apps I want for FREE in the App Store. (When you click on the app within AppsGoneFree, it will take you right to the AppStore for installing it.)  There are definitely other 'meta-apps' that serve this same function of featuring discounted or free apps, but this one is definitely my favorite as it typically offers quality apps and ones that can save you as much as $3-6.00 per app. It only takes a couple of minutes each day to skim the apps that are featured and it's definitely worth that time investment for the financial savings in the long run.

This is how the app icon appears on the device.

When scrolling through the featured apps, you will see the original cost of the app, but all of them that are featured on that day are FREE.

Monday, June 24, 2013

Reflections from iPad training Session #3



Be sure and review the PDF in the post below that specifies all of the content covered in the 3rd training session.

These training sessions are getting more and more exciting because we're getting more and more into uses of the iPad that are meaningful to each of the participants. We started this weekend's session with a discussion of how the iPads have been used since our last training. About half of the participants actually spent time exploring their iPads and playing on their new apps that they learned about last week, while the other half did not touch them at all. Those who did explore came back with stories about how they shot video footage, made new collages in Pic Collage, took pictures, and improved their score in the bowling app. They asked great questions like, "Why couldn't I get onto the internet?", "How do I find an app about wrestling?", and "How do I send an email?"  I was thrilled with their questions and their enthusiasm!

My predominant model for the training this week was small group stations. Last week I had the volunteers be the ones to move at the transitions but this week I chose to have the participants shift so they had frequent  opportunities to get up and move their bodies, which alerted them and refocused their attention. The small group model of 2-4 participants per volunteer focused on one task lasting for 5-10 minutes was perfect for this crew. Each volunteer was assigned a task (ex. demonstrate and teach use of Photo Booth) and they taught this same station for all 5 rotations. By doing this, the volunteers were able to identify the common challenges across all of the participants they worked with.

Here are some of the challenges that we discovered with some of our individuals:

  • difficulty with the fine motor aspect of touching and quickly releasing small targets on the touch screen (one volunteer recommended we try to use styluses for selection in the future)
  • discomfort with the process of taking pictures of themselves and immediately looking at them. 
  • understanding how to lock the orientation of the screen (portrait vs landscape).
  • knowing what to do when a prompt box appeared asking to "allow" or "not to allow" access.
  • dealing with the anxiety of learning something new and not feeling confident enough to initiate and explore on their own.  
Here were some of my favorite moments of the day... the little moments to be celebrated:
  • ...when one of our guys found a video of his favorite techno artist on the YouTube app... he immediately stood up and started dancing and giggling with glee!
  • ...when one of the women took a picture of me and added bright red lips, a mustache, and a silly hat using the Doodle Buddy app and she cracked herself up!
  • ...when a couple of our women searched the App Store with the term "wrestling" and found free apps highlighting their favorite wrestlers.
  • ...when one of the ladies figured out on her own how to find an app that gave options for backgrounds and she chose the picture and set it on her iPad all on her own.
  • ...witnessing one of the women, who typically keeps to herself, take a leadership role in the small groups and share her knowledge of the iPad with her friends!
We've hit an important milestone now that we're to the point of shopping on the App Store for free apps, customizing the look of our iPads, collecting our own photos, and accessing our own music, because all of these tasks are ones that make each iPad more individualized and also more engaging for each participant. 




Powerpoint from Training Session #3

Click here to access: Mission Project iPad Training Session THREE (PDF)

Photos from Session Three - What a wonderful crew of volunteers!!






Special thanks to our wonderful and gifted volunteers: Dr. Edna Smith, Darcy Lippman, Dana Worley, Renee Griffin, Kelli Christman, Elisa Parker, and Michelle Brewer!!!

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

"So where do you find iPad apps?"




In this post, I am going to answer this question, from my experience and perspective:

"Where do you find iPad apps?"


  • Start with the basics of understanding the App Store: App Store info on Apple Website 
  • Know well the functions of the built-in apps, as there are so many ways to build on interventions with the Camera, Calendar, and the use of Siri (if your model of iPad has this featuer): Built-in App Info on Apple Website
  • Within the App Store, explore the Education Collections, as there are collections such as "Special Education Apps", "Apps for Teachers", "Apps for Kids"
  • Explore: Apple's Education page for the iPad
  • In a previous post, I mentioned one of my favorite sites, Bridging Apps. I LOVE this site because they have done a lot of the work for you. Check out this page specifically: Bridging Apps app search
  • I frequent the site, Education Technology and Mobile Learning: A Resource of Educational Web Tools and Mobile Apps for Teachers and Educators
  • I follow meta-apps that feature apps and reviews for a free or discounted rate on particular days (more on this later)
  • I follow the websites and YouTube channels of some of my favorite assistive technology specialists who are leaders in the field,  such as Luiz Perez and James Nutall and Lucy Gray
  • I follow people on Twitter like @_luisfperez, @apps4kids, @EdSurge, @mr_brim, @ECEtech
  • I attend the annual Missouri Assistive Technology Power Up conference
  • I frequently search the name of an app on YouTube and look for demonstrations, tutorials, reviews, and even just video of individuals using the app
  • I join communities on Google Plus such as EdTech, Google Apps for Education, Topics on Assistive Technology and Disability, and the OT Tool Box, among others. 
  • Otherwise... I am social, I talk about what I do, and ask a lot of questions when I meet people!!



Please share some of your favorite Go-To Resources...

Questions about iPad apps ????



I am frequently asked the following questions...
"So where do you find apps?"
"How do you know which ones to try?"
"How do you afford the cost of all of these apps?"

In the next few posts, I am going to attempt to answer these questions from my practice and my perspective but I WELCOME the participation of others through their comments on this blog as I know I have a lot to learn. Technology and the field of Education is EVER-evolving and you never are a master!

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Mission Project iPad Initiative Wordle

Created on www.wordle.net

A Challenge to the Rehab Therapists and AT Specialists Out There

What I love about Apple is that the developers have often thought of multiple ways for the user to access the device for the same purpose (i.e. to reveal the dock on the ipad, you can swipe with four fingers up or double-tap the home button), and because of this, often this makes their devices more accessible to individuals with disabilities, simply because it opens up more options. However, there are times that multiple options, or even the availability of further accessibility options, are not enough.  This is where AT Specialists come in.  It is their job to look at alternative ways to get the job done, whether it's a different technology option, a different device altogether, a modified set-up, or even an alternative way to approach the task physically. 

So here's the challenge... (and answering this will help one of our participants)

When you take a screenshot on an iPad, it requires two hands working together at the same time because one finger of one hand hits the power button and one finger of the other hand hits the home button. A user can take a screenshot on an iPhone with one hand simply because of the size of the device, but this is not possible on an iPad. So, looking at the photos below, and assuming that this person cannot grip or isolate fingers on this affected hand, how can this person take a screenshot on an iPad?

Hemiplegia with high muscle tone in upper extremity

The required bilateral movement pattern that required to take a screenshot

Powerpoint from Training Session #2

Click here to access: Mission Project iPad Training Session TWO (PDF)

Getting Comfortable with Navigating the iPad

To view the YouTube videos that are paired with each app, go to the full presentation that is available in the next post. 
This week I purposefully chose 5 apps to introduce to the participants.  What do these apps have in common? They are fun, free, and simple to navigate. After covering the basics of  iPad navigation basics like swiping, selecting by touching, pushing the home button, taking screenshots, and touching and moving an image, for example, it was time to apply these skills in the context of apps that I knew would engage their attention.  As anyone knows who has taught technology, learning needs to happen by DOING!  It isn't always intuitive for these guys, and they have many questions along the way, but they have to just dive in and gain confidence just by trying and producing results. As we transitioned from 'instruction time' to playing with these apps, I saw shoulders relax, expressions of anxiety turn into smiles, and I saw independence and initiation from those who had not been showing this. It was a proud moment looking around the room and seeing EVERYONE engaged.  There were bursts of laughter when they figured out how to make stamps in Doddle Buddy that sounded like 'burps and toots'... there were "ooohs and ahhhs" when they created cool effects on the screen with Magic Fingers Lite... I heard "STRIIIIKE! I DID IT!" when they were playing the bowling game... and I got a lot of "Sarah, HURRY, come look at what I made!!" when they were making scrapbook pages on Pic Collage. I was tickled, to say the least.

I learn something new with every session by seeing the struggles that some of them are having and I immediately go into 'problem solve' mode to think through how to make it easier. For example, many of our guys have difficulty with fine motor coordination, which is common to their diagnoses.  It is taking a few of them a lot of practice for them to learn how to touch and release on the screen with a quick motion (rather than keeping their finger on it like they are pushing down a real button), or double-click the home button (as they are not doing the two clicks fast enough), or coordinate their two fingers to pinch and release for zooming in and out.  For my therapist audience... it is clear they are having difficulty with the motor planning of these novel tasks and it is going to take a lot of repetition to get these movement patterns to become smooth and automatic. They'll get there... I know they will.

Photos from Session Two of iPad Training



Pictures posted with permission from the participants and volunteers. 

Friday, June 14, 2013

Powerpoint from Training Session #1


Update on Logistics

(snipped image 'borrowed' from Apple website)
I should preface this by saying that some of these posts are going to include a lot of 'tech speak' and details that may not be interesting for some readers. I am documenting these details for the sake of those who may be interested in duplicating this program and who need to know the technology management side of such a project.   

Although, we are a week into the training, we are still getting our feet under us in regards to the infrastructure of the technology project. I have chosen to take an approach of the 'layered approach' of iPad management. In other words, all of the iPads being used in their project are BOTH supervised and allowed to be customized.  Using the Apple Configurator system  (Deploying Apple Configurator), as the manager, I am able to create restrictions, lock settings, default wifi settings, etc, but as the individual users, they are still able to purchase their own apps with their Apple IDs and customize their own devices.

In order to make this happen, many things need to occur. I have the group management side covered, but it's easier said than done getting each individual set-up on his or her own device. Here are some key steps:

  1. Set up an email account with an email address that is easy to remember, and set up the password for that email account. (I recommended all participants set up a Gmail account for various reasons.)
  2. Set up an Apple account by using that same email address as the Apple ID, and set up the password for that Apple account.  (For the sake of easy remembering, I recommended that the passwords be the same, but in hindsight I realized that some email account passwords were set up as all lowercase (i.e. tomato123) and Apple requires at least one uppercase letter in their passwords so we had to tweak it a little (i.e. Tomato123)  See Create and Manage Apple ID 
  3. Set up the individual's Apple ID on the iPad so that ITunes and App Store is connected to the Apple ID.( Settings->ITunes & App Stores) This set-up can occur without the use of a credit card, and free apps can therefore be 'purchased' without a credit card number included.
  4. Set up iCloud on each device with the individual's Apple ID so that the individual's data (mail, contacts, calendar, photos, notes, etc) is backed up on their own iCloud account. (Settings --> iCloud). This ensures that they have access to their data even if they leave The Mission Project and are no longer using that specific iPad. 
Apps can be purchased and pushed to each individual device using the VPP (Volume Purchasing Program) (VPP for Business) but we're still finalizing our set-up of this system, so at this time, the only option for loading apps on each device is manually one device at a time, going through the App Store using the individual's Apple ID.  This is one of the reasons we are focusing only on FREE apps and BUILT-IN apps right now. This is time intensive since this is not an independent skill for our participants at this time. I will be thrilled when our VPP is up and running.

Based on our learning experience, setting up the Volume Purchasing Program is not as easy as it sounds. It's probably most challenging for small not-for-profit organizations like ourselves. The Apple VPP enrollment process requires a business credit card and business information that sometimes is not readily available.  The take home note to this is... if you are managing a project like this, give yourself plenty of time prior to 'launch' to take care of all of the administrative set-up.  

Gettin' real about the challenges

One of the many purposes of this blog is to document this project, the positive outcomes and the challenges.  You have probably heard of the terms "digital natives" and "digital immigrants". Well, in this specific project, I have two audiences I am teaching, the adult participants themselves and the parents of these participants, and both would be considered 'digital immigrants'.  Unlike our youth of this generation, neither of these groups were born into a world so embedded with technology, and therefore there's a much more steep learning curve.  The learning process itself with these two audiences needs instructional steps and demonstration versus when teaching young children, there's a much more intuitive, adventurous approach.  With this population of adults with developmental disabilities, there's the challenge of modifying the learning to meet them at their cognitive level but additionally, there's the challenge of the anxiety and feelings of 'information overload' simply because in most cases, this type of learning is not intuitive.   There are a couple of exceptions to this in our group, specifically our men and women on the autism spectrum with whom technology is a special interest. I am taking full advantage of their knowledge and challenging them to help their peers, but even there lies a challenge.  When technology is easy from their perspective, they don't understand why it's not for others and they lose patience quickly. They may have the skill knowledge, but struggle with the social dynamics of being a mentor or a helper.

As an O.T., I see it as my job to find the "just right level of challenge" when I am teaching new skills. It's one thing to do this in a one-on-one therapeutic situation, but it's another thing in a group learning situation with 18 adults with technology as the subject of learning. I have to consider the cognitive level of each individual, the social needs of each individual, the frustration tolerance of each individual, and most importantly, I need to keep in mind how this project is and will be meaningful for each individual in their own unique way.  I am not accomplishing anything if they just learn to tap a screen, swipe correctly, and open and close apps.  I will only consider it a success when I see each individual apply their learning of this iPad technology in a way that helps them do what they want and need to do in their daily lives. Only then have I done my job as an effective teacher and as an occupational therapist.
This project has challenged me professionally and I love that.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

The Built-in Camera and Photos Apps


The first built-in apps we focused on were the Camera app and the Photos app. My reasons for this are because I knew it would be a motivating activity for the participants, it could easily become a social activity,  it provided an opportunity for them to get up and move around while navigating their iPads, it immediately gives them a new leisure skill (taking pictures of friends and their environment), and because understanding these apps is fundamental to using a variety of other apps that we will be using in the near future (i.e. Pic Collage and Action Movies). During the practice time, I wanted them to demonstrate how to take a picture of something or someone in front of them, take a picture of themselves (using feature that flips the camera), and go into the Photos App and review the photos they took.  As part of this lesson, I introduced this blog to them and talked about how I would like them to take photos that could be posted on our public blog.   

Involving the Parents and Guardians

The involvement of parents and guardians is integral to the success of Mission Project. I am posting the agenda of the parent meeting that launched this month of iPad trainings. In the case that someone would want to duplicate this project, it's important to note how many components there are to consider. 


Parent Meeting agenda:

Inspiring videos
Brief explanation of ipad management system – layered approach
What I’ve been doing to prepare for the launch of this project
Big picture: integration of ipad use throughout calendar activities and daily routines.  Individualized goals!!
The blog – educate yourself, dialogue with one another, follow along, take pics and video for me to post, success stories, follow along!
Logistics of Saturday trainings (time, location, food, drinks, etc)
Volunteers (who, when, how)
Video and photo release
Parent Surveys – turn in if you haven’t. I haven’t reviewed all of them yet but I will soon!
AAC/communication apps  (rehab institute vs SLP consultant, cost of apps, programming, etc)
Responsibility/ethics contract
Progress monitoring
Distribution of colored cases
Cleaning (baggies of wipes)
Ipad practice in June – all supervised and in group format… when??
Ipads go home in July
Integration of Kansas focus support staff in project
Discussion of wifi/internet access
Optional accessories (keyboard, different case, earbuds)
Built in features: notes, calendar, camera, camera roll, videos, calculator, notes
Free starter apps
Questions about Apple IDs?
Restrictions: defaulted,configured settings + individualized restrictions
App store- Creating Itunes account with or without a credit card (receipts of purchased/free apps will go to email addresses associated with Apple account)
Backing up to iCloud with Apple ID
Troubleshooting – who’s the “go-to” (this isn’t figured out yet)
Updates and back-ups
I will do software updates and ipad checks quarterly
Individuals can do app updates (or facilitated during a group)
When to meet again as large group of parents/guardians??
Remaining questions??
Remaining concerns??

Monday, June 10, 2013

Training session ONE - Mission Accomplished!

In this post, I want to share what I have learned already about designing and facilitating iPad trainings for adults with developmental disabilities. All of these lessons below I have learned just from preparing and executing the first training.

  • BE VERY PREPARED - OVERPREPARED - So that you are fully competent in what you are teaching and you are able to relaxed and be very aware of how the individuals are receiving your instruction.
  • Rehearse your use of the technology and know ahead of time what your back up will be if your technology fails you (i.e. the projector goes out because it's overheating, the wifi is overwhelmed and you keep losing connection, etc.)
  • In our situation, I am preferring to connect to a mobile wifi unit that only I am connected to, while the others are connected to the wifi available in our building. That way, as an instructor, I have the strongest connection because I'm not sharing with 15+ others.
  • Break down the introductory skills into components with one-step directions allowing for observation of modeling and immediate opportunity to practice (Ex. This is how you connect the cord to the iPad... now you try it.)
  • If using video demosntration, from Youtube for example, use brief clips (less than one minute) because more than that is too much information to take in and try to apply. Alway follow the video with a live demonstration narrating the steps you are taking to accomplish that skill. (There are wonderful resources on the internet, such as videos on YouTube that walk users through iPad basics. However, these videos cover information way too fast for this population. For example, most iPad basics videos cover in 5 minutes what I covered in an hour of training.) 
  • Have volunteers available to provide one-on-one modeling and assistance with those who need it in close proximity with modified instruction.
  • Be interesting and animated with your verbal instructions.  Auditory learning is difficult for many and your voice can get boring really fast so gain attention by varying your voice.
  • Be purposeful in controlling the amount of stimuli in the environment, as the louder it gets, the more difficult it is for individuals to focus, filter, and cope. Be aware when the room is getting overstimulating, gain everyone's attention to quiet it down once again, and even model taking 5 deep breaths at breaks if needed.
  • Recognize and state that learning a new skill, especially technology, is challenging and that it's okay to feel a little anxious.  Provide A LOT of encouragement and reassurance.
  • Break up the learning times with movement breaks, or interesting videos or demonstrations.
  • Have "learning reviews and checks" (i.e. "Okay, so we just covered how to use the home button.  Who can tell me what the home button does?"
  • Be purposeful in using the individuals who already have the skill to provide assistance and mentoring to those friends who need the help. This is an important social skill, to help, and it is empowering for these individuals to feel like leaders.
  • Break up whole group instruction and utilize small groups or stations as ways to provide more individualized attention.
  • Introduce the camera app early on in the trainings. This is VERY FUN and it gives them an opportunity to get up, walk around, socially interact, and feel a sense of accomplishment.
  • If using powerpoint/prezi presentation slides, make them MOSTLY VISUAL with minimal text. (see examples in picture)  Many of these photos I got from doing an image search on Google.
  • Use airplay mirroring when modeling on your iPad so everyone can seeyou navigate your iPad on a large screen. I also have found it critical to have a laser pointer so I can bring attention to the features that I am talking about. (Otherwise, they have no way of seeing what icon you are touching.) 
  • Hold onto your original vision that the iPads will be life-changing for these guys, even in moments of slow learning or frustration.  It will take time but it's all worth it, and it will become more intuitive as skills are applied to apps that the individuals find meaningful and exciting.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Read it Online for Free - iPads for Special Needs

I am pulling from a variety of resources in my design of the Mission Project Ipad Initiative and I want to give credit where credit is due...

"Co-founder of bridgingapps.org (part of Easter Seals of Greater Houston) and parent Sami Rahman presents a clear roadmap for not only determining whether or not an iPad would be helpful, but which version to buy and how to set up and protect your iPad with the special needs user in mind. Advanced set-up options, using Apple’s built-in accessibility options, apps and accessories are all discussed, as well as Tips and Tricks for using the iPad with the special needs user."

You can read the book online for FREE:  http://ipads4specialneedsbook.com/

Bridging Apps - An Invaluable Resource

Click here: Bridging Apps - Bridging the gap between technology and people with disabilities

One of the biggest questions I get from families of children or adults with special needs in regards to using an iPad  is "How do I get started?" and that question is loaded because it means, "Where do I find apps?", "How do I set up the iPad?", "Where do I find funding?", "Where do I go to learn more?", etc. I can't say enough about Bridging Apps!  This is a WONDERFUL place to go to answer ALL of those questions. They have an app search tool, app reviews, video tutorials, AAC tutorials, and much, much more. I encourage anyone reading this to take some time to explore the Bridging Apps website and to tell others about it. I love their statement on the home page: "We believe that it is more important to focus on the person who will be using the technology, rather than the device itself. We assume that you are here because you want to improve a skill or creatively compensate for a deficit that may be preventing a person with a disability from maximizing their highest potential." Check it out!

Here are 2 videos from the website that we will be using for our families and participants:

Ipad Instruction
(I like this video but he is speaking to parents of children with special needs, not specifically the population I will be training, and he goes at a pace in his instruction that our participants likely will not be able to keep up with. I will show this as an introduction and then take our participants through the process with live demonstration.)

Setting up WiFi on the Ipad
(In our project, I am setting up the iPads using Apple Configurator profiles that contain wifi names and passwords from our individuals' apartments and our office so that our individuals do not have to set these up. However, there will be places they will go where they need wifi access that I have not previously set up. Familes and participants can follow these instructions.)

Monday, June 3, 2013

Selection of apps for the initial training sessions

In preparation for the trainings sessions for the Mission Project participants, I have identified 20 "starter apps" that we are going to learn and use this month.  They are all FREE.  There are specific reasons why I chose each one of these and the variety was purposeful as well. Some of the apps will help the participants learn the swipe motions (i.e. Magic Fingers Lite, Bowling), some will foster creativity (i.e. Pic Collage, Doodle Buddy), some are purely for entertainment (i.e. Songza, Smule), some will connect them to the world around them (i.e. Weather Channel, Google Earth), some are references for local information (i.e. KC Star, Cinemark, HyVee), some are designed to increase independence in daily routines (i.e. visual grocery shopping list), and some are useful apps that will take some time to learn but I want to get the participants started on them (i.e. Dragon dictation, YouTube, Edmodo).  [Note: the pic that displays the app icons was created by saving images from a Google image search on the ipad and then importing them into Pic Collage]


Saturday, June 1, 2013

Ipad as a Game Changer

This is an inspiring video made by Apple that summarizes why I believe in this device as a tool for children and adults with Autism and other developmental disabilities.  It's a game changer, for sure.

The Ipad as a Game Changer for those with Autism

Ipad for Special Needs Video

Check out this video:
Ipad for Special Needs by Luis Perez

Luiz Perez is an inspiring speaker and a technology genius and I have had the honor of learning from him at assistive technology conferences. I wanted to share this commercial just to highlight some of the aspects of the ipad that will benefit our participants in Mission Project.

Accessing the Apple Support site

As we navigate this project, we will likely need this link to a very important website:
The Apple support page for the Ipad
http://www.apple.com/support/ipad/

This is a place that parents, tech mentors, and participants can go to seek answers to common questions regarding using the iPad.

Friday, May 31, 2013

The Leader of the Pack

I've been requested to speak more to who I am and what my role is in this project.  I have been an occupational therapist for 10 years serving both children and adults with developmental disabilities.  O.T. is always at the core of my work... thinking through how I can present that just-right challenge of intervention that facilitates outcomes that are functional and meaningful in an individual's daily life. My story runs deep as an O.T. from serving kids in Park Hill School District, to running social programs for the Mission Project, to working as a live-in independent living consultant, to training careproviders of kids with disabilities in orphanages in East Africa. At the heart of my work is always a desire to stay relevant, innovative, and to make an impact wherever I go.  In the last 5 years, one area I have chosen to specialize in is Assistive Technology. I helped start the assistive technology team in my school district and ever since then I have served as an assistive technology specialist, secondary to my primary role as an O.T.,  and I have sought out conferences and trainings in A.T.  I took an intensive professional development course on Occupational Therapy and Assistive Technology as well.  I have been especially engaged in the iPad revolution and I have seen firsthand the impact of this affordable, mobile touch screen device especially in regards to educational practices, functional communication, daily life routines, and writing adaptations.  I love The Mission Project, I am a technology geek, I want to make a difference, and I know what it takes to design and launch a program of this magnitude and significance... so that's why I'm dedicated to this project and especially committed to documenting it on this blog.  Thank you for following along. I hope you learn something from my posts and I really hope to receive feedback from you all.  - Sarah Mai

Thursday, May 30, 2013

It takes a village...

This iPad initiative, and specifically the four June trainings, would not be possible without our generous volunteers. We will have a dozen 'tech mentors' dedicating their time and energy to provide one-on-one assistance to help our participants learn their new devices.  It is the presence of these volunteers that makes it possible to differentiate the instruction, under my guidance,  across different levels of learning.  We have participants who are experienced with iPads while we also have those who have minimal experience with any form of technology.  We also have a broad spectrum of cognitive capabilities, which makes this differentiation critical in order to create a meaningful experience for everyone. A special thanks to my colleagues in the Park Hill School District who have supported my work with the Mission Project for years and who believe in this project enough to commute 30-40 minutes to volunteer for each training.  Thank you to ALL of our volunteers! (we'll hopefully post a picture of them soon with their permission)

Monday, May 27, 2013

Launching the Ipad Initiative June 8, 2013

I am excited to announce our Ipad Initiative for The Mission Project.  As a result of attaining two grants, one from the McGowan Fund Program and one from The Westerman Foundation, we are able to launch a program that allows all of our participants to utilize iPads to increase their independence in their daily lives. As an assistive technology specialist and an occupational therapist, it is a dream for me to design and manage this project because I know firsthand how technology can impact the daily functioning of adults and children with disabilities.  Through this project, our participants will not only gain technology skills by learning how to navigate an iPad, but they will learn how to use the iPads to increase their skills in communication, social interaction, community access, health management, organization and scheduling, and daily life skills such as meal planning and grocery shopping.  This project is also a powerful way for our participants to connect with the world around them through learning about people and places on the internet, connecting with others safely through social media, and learning and using communication tools such as email and Skype. Our project launches in June with four consecutive trainings on Saturdays.  Volunteers are being integrated in the project to serve as tech mentors to provide one-on-one support that allows each participant to have a training experience that is just-right for his or her level of learning.  Stay tuned for project details, photos, and  testimonials.