Nearly 100 years ago, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) designated May as Better Speech and Hearing Month, which is fortunate because awareness of speech and hearing impairment didn’t always include the most sophisticated approaches to assistance. From gargling with a mouthful of pebbles and employing electroshock therapy to olive oil injections in the ears and […]
Author: ColesStaff
The Roadmap to Accessible Workstations
Like so many other cities in America and across the globe, the COVID-19 pandemic left Indianapolis facing an unclear future. During the peak of this crisis, technology was our key to an increasingly closed-off world. To carve out a smooth path forward for Hoosiers of various backgrounds, The Indianapolis Public Library and Easterseals Crossroads are […]
From Blocks of Wood to Big Tech: Assistive Technology Awareness
The start of this month marked National Assistive Technology Awareness Day, and as Easterseals Crossroads’ Director of Assistive Technology Brian Norton suggested in a recent WISH-TV segment, it only grows worthier of celebration each year. As Life.Style.Live! host George Mallet said during the segment, “These technologies are getting better, and for people with disabilities, […]
Relaying the Opportunity for Deaf Independence
From the telegraph to rotary phones to landlines, email and texting, our methods of communication have evolved a great deal over the decades. These changes have been vital for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Just ask Greg Gantt, who has experienced the impact of these technological advancements firsthand not only as a […]
CoughDrop App Frees Voices
CoughDrop founder Brian Whitmer found inspiration for the augmentative and alternative communication app (AAC) from his daughter. Due to Rett Syndrome, she is nonverbal, but as she grew older, Whitmer noticed she seemed “locked in” and eager to let her voice out. CoughDrop gives her and so many others the freedom to express themselves. CoughDrop […]
Accessibility Consultant Bianca Mills Brings Unique Background
Upon hiring Bianca Mills for a new position as Easterseals Crossroads’ accessibility consultant, Director of Assistive Technology Brian Norton said, “We are thrilled to have someone with her background and expertise bring her skills to Easterseals Crossroads.” Mills certainly has a unique background. She grew up traveling the globe as a “military brat” and went […]