Access Angle Segment

Gabriel Ryan, School Health Blog Writer and Contributor

The holiday season is here! It’s a busy time for everyone with various gatherings of family and friends. This is a friendly reminder to stay hydrated throughout the year, but especially during the holidays.

Staying Hydrated Is Crucial!

Staying on top of your water intake throughout the holiday season can help maintain routine and keep your body healthy. Some key signs your body needs more water are thirst, decreased urination, fatigue, dry mouth, lips and eyes, headache, dizziness, lightheadedness, muscle cramps/spasms and more.

To help keep your body hydrated, here are some helpful tips:

• Set alarms on your watch, phone, smart speakers with a water reminder.
• Download a water-tracking app on your mobile device.
• Carry a water bottle with you wherever you go.
• Add a little flavor to your water to have some variety
• If you are having a meal or a snack, make sure you also have some water.

A product that I use every day for hydration is called the Giraffe Bottle Hands-Free Drinking System. This is a great adaptive water bottle for people with disabilities that have physical limitation in their arms or hands or just want an easy way to have a water bottle nearby. It has an extended straw for easy hydration and independence, depending on the individual’s situation. I’ve been using this type of water bottle for several years now and still love it! I’ve written a couple of different articles about my experiences with it. You can find those articles here Bottles and Accessories for Giraffe Bottle Hands-Free Drinking System.

From all of us at School Health, we hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season…and remember to stay hydrated!

If you enjoyed this topic or if you’d like to see a different topic highlighted in future Access Angle articles, please feel free to reach out to me through my email. My email is gryan@schoolhealth.com.

Did you know that this November marks the 50th anniversary of a significant piece of legislation that has had a profound impact on individuals with disabilities in the education system? This legislation, commonly known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), has opened the doors for individuals like me to be fully integrated into classrooms, access general education curriculum, and receive diplomas alongside peers, provided they have the necessary supports.

“Congress enacted the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142), also known as the EHA, in 1975 to support states and localities in protecting the rights of, meeting the individual needs of, and improving the results for infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and their families. This landmark law’s name changed to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, in a 1990 reauthorization. The law was last reauthorized in 2004, and the department has periodically issued new or revised regulations to address the implementation and interpretation of the IDEA.” US Department of Education- History of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

I am deeply grateful for this legislation, as it enabled me to actively participate in classroom discussions, learn alongside my classmates, and contribute to the overall learning environment, in the community and beyond. This has been instrumental in my growth and development from preschool through high school I was fully included in general education classrooms, in my neighborhood school, with support and assistance of teachers and specialists. Notably, I earned my high school diploma and proudly crossed the stage with my fellow graduates in 2013. This was a momentous occasion for me and my family.

Inclusion in my neighborhood school and access to general curriculum was not always the smoothest path. There were teachers who thought I didn’t belong, staff lacking the skill set to provide the best outcomes, it wasn’t always clear how to create access to materials and learning concepts, homework and assignments were exhausting at times, and there were some things just not able to be coordinated for someone using a wheelchair and with a visual impairment. That said, I had access to assistive technology including audio and visual supports, trained staff specializing in varied disciplines, instructional assistants, and educators who accepted the challenge and adventure of trying their very best to create access to learning. I also have a mother who learned everything she could about educational rights, inclusion, and how to partner with those in the school system and community to actualize services and support to meet my individual needs. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my family and the superhero administrators, teachers and specialists who were right there paving the pathway to inclusive opportunities with us, for their unwavering support, guidance and work to carry out the intent of IDEA legislation for me and other students with educational support needs. I also want to acknowledge those disability advocates like Judy Heumann, Ed Roberts, and countless other individuals and their families who showed up and shared out the importance of speaking up for human rights. Lives have been positively impacted by their contributions to this legislation and other related efforts.

If you are a family member or an individual with disabilities who is new to receiving special education services and support, partner with your school and school district to continue learning more about educational supports, also access the parent/family related supports in your state to ask questions, and learn about opportunities and possibilities in your region.

Let’s keep up the efforts and awareness! Additional funding for IDEA is needed to ensure ongoing and expanded access to our citizens. To learn more access this YouTube video from the U.S. Department of Education – The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)- History & Evolution.

Have any comments on Access Angle articles or ideas for future topics? Feel free to reach out to me at gryan@schoolhealth.com.

Gabriel Ryan, School Health Blog Writer and Contributor 

October is AAC awareness month, do you know what AAC stands for? Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)! AAC includes all the ways people communicate when they can’t rely on speech alone, this can range from gestures and sign language to high-tech devices and communication apps. AAC awareness is an opportunity to promote learning and understanding of access for all. 

AAC is used by individuals in various settings, such as classrooms, communities, homes, or even restaurants. Having access to a variety of ways to communicate is transformative for individuals who would otherwise not be able to express their needs and interests. When individuals have access to AAC, they can expand their independence in a variety of ways, such as sharing their preferences for daily activities like clothing choices or beverage preferences, participating in conversations, and experiences in the community like employment and group events.

Whether you're an educator, therapist, family member, or self-advocate, you can learn more about AAC systems and how they work, promote inclusive communication in your community, and support AAC users to be heard in all areas of life.

Did you know School Health offers a couple of different AAC products to consider? Our team would be happy to assist you! You can reach out to us here. Learn more about the products by visiting our AAC page.

Let us know: Did you find this article interesting? Would you like to read more of these types of articles? Do you have a topic you would like to see highlighted? Contact me through email Gabe Ryan gryan@scoolhealth.com. I’d love to know how you’ve used information from the School Health Access Angle segments.

Moving is important to do throughout the day. Studies have shown that even just a little movement can improve cardiovascular health, build stronger bones and muscles, increase circulation, and boost your mood. For some people, moving throughout the day is easier said than done. When individuals have limited ability to move their entire body on their own, it becomes even more important to find activities they can do on their own or with the help of another person. These small movements can help reduce muscle cramps, spasms, loss of feeling, and maintain range of motion, circulation, and help to increase ability to complete daily tasks independently or with less assistance over time.

Here are five helpful small movement ideas you can do today:

1. Commit to taking 1 minute every hour to stretch your arms/legs/ neck, stand up, change position in some way. Setting your watch or a timer can be helpful.
2. Place a resistance band within reach of your bed, side table, workstation etc. so you can incorporate this into stretching and movement. My favorite bands are the CanDo Multi-Grip Exerciser band as I’ve described in this related Access Angle article- but any band you are comfortable with will do.
3. A quick internet search for stretches that can easily be completed in a seated position can be beneficial to many parts of the body and often can be completed between meetings or when transitioning between tasks.
4. Change up locations during the day if possible. For example, a quick walk or roll outside with a little natural light can improve your mood and reset focus
5. Take 3 long deep breaths during the day, this can open up your airway, reduce feelings of stress, and loosen up areas of tension in your body

With any workout routine, staying hydrated is critical and will help increase the benefits of your movement efforts. Integrating small movements into your daily routine is an easy yet effective way to boost overall health and well-being. Whether it’s taking the stairs instead of the elevator if possible, stretching while watching TV, walking or using a resistance band during phone calls, these small actions accumulate over time, making a big difference in your energy levels, flexibility, and longevity. By prioritizing consistency of small movements over intensity, you can effortlessly incorporate movement into your day and set yourself up for a healthier lifestyle. Start small, stay consistent, and watch the positive impact unfold.

“Each step you take reveals a new horizon.

You have taken the first step today.

Now, I challenge you to take another.” ~ Dan Poynter

Which topics were your favorite? What other topics are of interest for consideration for Access Angle? Contact me through email at gryan@scoolhealth.com. I’d love to know how you’ve used information from the School Health Access Angle segments.

 Here are three reasons why the Cuddle Ball is a favorite:

1. This pillow is 10 inches in diameter, weighs 1.5 lbs., is extremely soft 100% plush tactile fabric, and has gaps to fit your hands inside for comfort and warmth.
2. Designed to support sensory regulation. Hugging a Cuddle Ball tightly brings deep pressure to the sensory system, reducing anxiety and increasing a feeling of calmness. Helpful for calming children and adults with anxiety, stress, hyperactivity, or other sensory needs.
3. It can be used at home, in classrooms, sensory spaces, and even while traveling. It’s a simple way to create a soothing and supportive environment for emotional and sensory well-being and doesn’t look like a medical or therapy item at all. It looks like a really neat pillow.

My colleague, Dr. Ray Heipp, shares examples of what this Cuddle Ball looks like and how it might be used in this School Health Presents Talkin’ Tech with Dr. Ray video.

Interested in learning more? You can find the Cuddle Ball on the School Health website at www.schoolhealth.com. Do you have any experiences to share using the Cuddle Ball with students, family, or for yourself? We would love to hear from you.

Enjoying reading Access Angle- share your feedback on this article. I’m always delighted to highlight and explore new products or topics. Don’t hesitate to reach out; let’s connect via email at gryan@schoolhealth.com.

TextAid by ReadSpeaker: Product Spotlight 

By: Gabriel Ryan, School Health Blog Writer and Contributor

Having the ability to access content online can be difficult for many users if the material is too hard to see or the user is not able to read very well. Modern devices have better built-in text to speech features and technology, but these don’t always work across all material a user is trying to access online. I recently learned more about a product called TextAid by ReadSpeaker which was developed to address these challenges and help individuals increase access to text and documents online. I’d like to share a brief overview from ReadSpeaker and highlight some of this products helpful features.

TextAid is a web-based personal literacy support tool that makes it possible for the user to listen to texts and documents using text-to-speech technology in a standard web browser. This software is helpful for individuals with learning disabilities and particularly those with vision impairments or other visual challenges. TextAid works on just about any device, even an old  Mac/PC/Chromebook. The latest version of Google Chrome is recommended for best results. 

Here are 10 key features about the TextAid:

• Text to Speech – Read text out loud,  listen to the whole text or section of text, choose reading speed and add pause between words. Create a downloadable audio file.
• Personalized Text Appearance and Synchronized Highlighting Options – Choose from 5 colors for the text color, 5 background colors, 6 text sizes, 6 fonts, and three line spacing settings for page options. Words and sentences are highlighted as they are read. Seven background colors available for highlighting sentences and/or words.
• Text Editor – Author texts in the text editor which provides text formatting features from the toolbar such as heading levels, bold/italic/underline, text formatting, etc. includes writing assistance such as read back, spellcheck, and word prediction. A user can also use dictation to enter text.
• Save and Reload Texts – Text or HTML content in the text editor can be named, saved to the TextAid library and loaded again in the text editor at a later time. 
• Personal Library – Upload documents of various formats from the user’s device, Google Drive, or OneDrive, or from the user’s Book share account.
• Document Navigation and Annotations/Highlighter – User can choose a specific page or go to next or previous page, they can also make notes and add highlights in a document.
• Multiple Languages – User licenses available to support text to speech in over 20+ languages.  Content that has been typed or pasted can be translated in the text editor.
• Web Reading – Add a web reading tool to the browser’s bookmarks or favorites to listen to any page on the web. The text will be read out loud and highlighted in the same manner as in TextAid.
• Optical Character Recognition (OCR) – Using third party technology scanned images containing text can be converted to text, which can be read in the same way as other library documents in the text editor or the document viewer (PDF).
• Calculator – Embedded calculator for simple calculations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) the digits, symbols, and calculations are read out loud. 

There are also several administrator features such as assigning user roles, licenses to users, grouping users, sharing documents, creating exams, and more.

Tools like ReadSpeaker TextAid help students improve comprehension, increase self-confidence and motivate readers. I have a visual impairment and primarily use text to speech technology. I enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about and try TextAid. Getting started took some time for me to learn the features that would support my reading and writing style the best, but once I learned where to find those tools, the features became easier to navigate. I especially like autosave feature when writing and the ability to have the tool read content from a variety of webpages was impressive. I look forward to continuing to learn more ways I can effectively incorporate this tool as part of accessing content online.

Visit the schoolhealth.com website to learn more information about the ReadSpeaker TextAid.

What are your thoughts about this topic? Have you used this product? What other topics are of interest for consideration for Access Angle? Contact me through email at gryan@scoolhealth.com. I’d love to know how you’ve used information from the School Health Access Angle segments.

Just shining a spotlight to bring public awareness toward the new more rigorous standards for accommodating passengers with disabilities in commercial air travel, especially for passengers who use wheelchairs or who have medical equipment. 

Effective on January 16, 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued a final rule to strengthen its regulation implementing the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) and to address the serious problems that individuals with disabilities using wheelchairs and scooters face when traveling by air that impact their safety and dignity, including mishandled wheelchairs and scooters and improper transfers to and from aircraft seats, aisle chairs, and personal wheelchairs. Final Rule on Ensuring Safe Accommodations for Air Travelers with Disabilities Using Wheelchairs.

The purpose of this action is to increase access to safe and dignified air travel for individuals with disabilities. The aim is to address damaged and delayed personal wheelchairs and assistive devices and unsafe assistance provided by airlines staff that can lead to life disruptions such as loss of mobility independence, personal injury, lost opportunities and wages, and other significant harms. Some wheelchair users even avoid flying altogether because of these risks and their past negative experiences. The legislation focuses on enhancing the training of airline employees on handling equipment used by individuals with disabilities, ensuring that they receive the necessary knowledge and support to provide a more inclusive and accommodating travel experience. 

The passage of this legislation is particularly important for individuals like me who have personally experienced a mishandled wheelchair by an airline. Several years ago, I was traveling from California to Florida for my company’s annual national sales meeting. Unfortunately, my power wheelchair, which has custom positioning supports, sustained damage when we arrived in Florida. The airline left my wheelchair exposed to a downpour of rain after it was unloaded from the plane. It was brought to me at the gate with the seat cushions completely soaked and water dripping from the chair. I was offered a plastic garbage bag to put on my cushion, so I wasn’t directly sitting on a wet seat, and also offered information of where to go in the airport if I wanted to file a customer service concern. At the customer service office, I raised my chair into the elevated standing feature to discuss the matter with the agent on the other side of the counter. At that moment, the full impact of the water damage set into the electric components of my chair, and it completely stopped working. There I was stuck in the standing position in my broken soaking wet chair, in a customer service office at an airport across the country from my home and needing to develop an impromptu emergency plan. I was so excited to go on this work trip to meet with my colleagues, but at that moment I felt the enormity of the situation which was disappointing and upsetting both emotionally and physically. My family member was able to safely get me out of my chair. The airline had a basic metal wheelchair I could borrow while at the airport. The next several hours we searched online listings of wheelchair medical supply vendors to inquire about renting a loaner and if anyone could bring it to the airport on a rainy Sunday evening. Ultimately, no loaners were available that night. Since we had been at the airport for many hours with no other way to leave the airport, the airlines agreed to let me borrow their manual transport wheelchair after a stern conversation. I left my broken wheelchair at the airport which was later deemed totaled. The customer service staff was empathetic but not highly trained for this situation and not able to directly offer the support I needed. A big shout out to the airline insurance group though - they were very accommodating and instrumental supporting with a loaner power chair and arranging for a replacement covering the cost which was well over 100k to buy a new one. 

It takes a considerable amount of time to receive specialty wheelchairs. Using loaner chairs in the interim resulted in long term health implications for me. Not to mention, I am fearful to fly with my powerchair and have limited my air travel as a result. This story is by far the worst for me of mishandled equipment, and just one story of millions of travelers with disabilities who have faced similar or worse situations while traveling related to their equipment or personal dignity. This subject could be another blog entirely!

This new legislation brings hope for many people with disabilities traveling as it is designed to safeguard specialty medical equipment and its handling, reduce the concern of being injured during transfers, provide better assistance and prompt enplaning, deplaning and travelling to connecting terminals. 

“An estimated 5.5 million Americans use a wheelchair, and many encounter barriers when it comes to air travel. DOT data shows that for every 100 wheelchairs or scooters transported on domestic flights at least one is damaged, delayed, or lost.” – U.S. Department of Transportation

Which topics were your favorite? What other topics are of interest for consideration for Access Angle? Contact me through email at gryan@scoolhealth.com. I’d love to know how you’ve used information from the School Health Access Angle segments.

By: Gabriel Ryan, School Health Blog Writer and Contributor

Access Angle is intended to be of assistance to individuals with disabilities, their families, caregivers, and colleagues. Throughout the year we highlight a variety of topics from product reviews to bringing awareness. Resharing four highlights from 2024. Enjoy!

1. Let us begin with the first article, which delves into the historical evolution of audiobooks. Fun fact: Did you know some of the first recordings were intended to provide reading material for veterans injured during World War I and other visually impaired adults? Learn more about the history and use of audiobooks. Access Angle: The Importance of Audiobooks and Accessibility, May 2024.
2. Learning how to make presentations and materials accessible takes time and practice. When you take the extra step to incorporate these considerations, it expands access and increases the possibility for participants with a variety of learning needs to benefit from the content presented. Learn a few tips through the following article. Access Angle: Top 5 Strategies for Increasing Accessibility in Presentations, June 2024.
3. Dental hygiene is important for everyone, but individuals with disabilities often have challenges that can make maintaining good oral health more difficult. Explore a few ideas for making dental care easier. Access Angle: Dental Hygiene, December 2024.
4. Lastly, Access Angle: Disability Inclusion and Belonging– The Importance of Spreading Awareness, November 2024. Each of us committing to spread awareness can positively impact individuals, communities, workplaces, and society at large. This article touches on why this matters and a few ways to promote awareness.

Which topics were your favorite? What other topics are of interest for consideration for Access Angle in 2025? Contact me through email at gryan@scoolhealth.com. I’d love to know how you’ve used information from the School Health Access Angle segments.

Wishing you a productive and fulfilling new year, 2025!