We are very excited to announce that we have launched a new podcast. Assistive Technology Frequently-Asked Questions (ATFAQ) aired it’s very first episode on March 9, 2015. This podcast is hosted by, Brian Norton, Manager of Clinical Assistive Technology at Easter Seals Crossroads. Brian has worked with Easter Seals Crossroads since 1997. He began working in employment
services and then moved to the assistive technology department. Brian manages a team of assistive technology professionals. As the manager, he provides direction, leadership and training to a diverse team of assistive technology specialists. Brian also continues to provide hands on evaluations and training to consumers. He is great at finding the right assistive technology tools to solve problems and increase independence for folks in their home, work, or community.
Over the years, the way help and information is received has taken a major turn towards the Internet. People get online to find resources and answers to their problems and after years of working to solve problems and finding the assistive technology solutions for folks in need, Brian will now bring all his expertise to a podcast that will air twice a month.
This podcast will join an already progressive social media outreach program we have in place, which includes weekly tech tip videos that are 3-5 minute YouTube.com videos, which highlight the basics of assistive technology equipment or services, weekly assistive technology blog posts Tuesday through Thursday and our nationally recognized podcast Assistive Technology Update. Assistive Technology Update is a weekly news and interview show focused on the field of assistive technology. This podcast is rated #1 in it’s class by About.com.We have another podcast called Accessibility Minute, which is a short informational program discussing all types of accessibility topics.We also have the world’s only 24-hour radio program dedicated to the topic of assistive technology called Assistive Technology radio. The radio streams content from full day trainings, interviews, podcasts, and more to provide folks with information on assistive technology 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All of these outreach media fall under our Accessibility Channel umbrella, where the goal is to provide readers and listeners a one-stop place to learn everything about assistive technology.
So many people have questions about assistive technology and are seeking answers and the assistive technology team is always talking about these questions, finding answers and creating solutions to people’s technology needs. Based on this need, it was decided to share those answers in a podcast with the goal of reaching more people and helping people find the resources they need.
This show is for users of AT, professionals in the business, and people who could benefit from assistive technology but have no idea where to begin. Brian indicates that the premise of the show is, “a question and answer format with a panel of experts that will answer real questions from real people”.
This podcast will run on the 2nd and 4th Monday’s of each month. The program will be a question and answer show about anything relating to assistive technology and disabilities. Listeners of the show can send in their questions and they will be answered on the show once they are received. Anyone interested in submitting questions can submit them by one of the 3 ways to submit.
3 ways to submit questions
1. Tweet any question using the hashtag #atfaq
2. Call the listener line at 317-721-7124
3. E-mail questions to questions@atfaqshow.com
Brian is known for being approachable, helpful, and very knowledgeable in all areas of Assistive Technology. He has a knack for thinking outside of the box to create adaptive solutions. His passion for assistive technology shows through in everything he does. He is the perfect host for a show. We are truly excited for this one-of-a-kind show to give people a resource to directly ask professionals in the field of assistive technology specific questions that meet their specific needs.
Brian will have assistive technology experts in the studio to assist in answering questions and working together to come up with solutions and suggestions for listeners. Belva Smith and Mark Stewart will be regular panelists on the show.
Mark manages the Mobility & Cognition team here at Easter Seals Crossroads and Belva Smith is the team lead for the vision team. Mark has his Master’s in Kinesiology. He is a certified Assistive Technology Professional (ATP), a Certified Brain Injury Specialist (CBIS) and a Certified Ergonomic Specialist (CEAS) who has years of experience working with people who have cognitive and mobility challenges. Belva has 10+ years of expertise working in the field of assistive technology with a specific focus on Blind/Low Vision technologies. She has a wealth of knowledge related to specific hardware and software to assist persons with visual impairments in their everyday lives. She has many software certificates such as Office, JAWS, and WindowEyes.
The panel will have a 4th seat open to bring in guests, which will be experts in the field of technology. They can be brought in based on types of questions that the show receives to bring any additional expertise necessary to get questions answered.
Click here to watch Brian discuss the premise of the show, how to listen to the show and how to submit your questions.
Click here to listen to episode 1, where the team talks about why assistive technology is so expensive and how to know if you are buying quality assistive technology equipment. They also discuss a one-handed keyboard and discuss free screen reading software.
I visited with the team on the first day of recording last week and they were all smiles. They truly all enjoy helping folks find solutions to increase their independence with the use of technology and are thrilled to have one more medium to bring their expertise to more folks who are looking for answers. If you have any questions you would like to submit to our show, please don’t hesitate, because as Brian says, “without your questions, we really don’t have a show”.