Cynthia is looking for work, in particular, a customer service or teaching role, or something else she can do from home. However, she faces many barriers that make finding employment more difficult.

“I was diagnosed with a severely enlarged heart which leaves me very weak and arthritis in my low back, hips and legs. I have poor circulation and swelling in my lower legs and am in pain all the time. Since my mobility has been severely compromised, I use a cane around my home for support and a walker when I am out. I am only able to walk for about five minutes until I need to sit and rest,” she shares.

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With funds raised by our sixth annual Princess Ball, our Prairie Regional Office has donated four Assistive Technology Resource Kits — each containing upwards of $1,800 worth of specialized assistive technology — to support students with disabilities at Regina General Hospital and Ronald McDonald House Saskatchewan through our Solutions for Schools initiative.

Over the past several weeks, our Prairie Region Solutions team, Amanda LaRose and Chelsea Osiowy, have been hard at work. From researching and planning to carefully selecting tools, building kits, and delivering them into the community, their focus has been on one goal: creating meaningful, accessible learning opportunities for students who need them most.

These Assistive Technology Resource Kits are now supporting hospital classrooms and community programs across Saskatchewan. These kits represent access, inclusion, and the ability for students to participate more fully in their education.

This year, these kits were delivered to three classrooms at Regina General Hospital, as well as to families and youth supported through Ronald McDonald House Saskatchewan. These environments play a vital role in supporting students during complex and often challenging times, and we are honoured to contribute to making learning more accessible within them.

“We are absolutely blown away at your generosity and donations to the unit,” shares hospital school teacher Kasiani Parisone (pictured in the photo above, second from the right). “Each item donated is truly something that will be very purposeful in our classrooms. There were things I was already able to put to good use.

“Thank you will never be enough. You have made a great impact on our hospital school classrooms with your presence and donations. We will definitely be sharing info with many of our patients and families going forward. What an amazing resource and place,” she continues. “Forever grateful and in awe of the work you are doing at the Neil Squire Society.”

This work was made possible through the generosity of everyone who supported this year’s Princess Ball. Funds raised were directly invested into creating these kits, helping bring practical, impactful resources into learning environments that support youth with disabilities.

Each kit is a thoughtfully curated collection of both high-tech and low-tech tools designed to support accessibility, participation, and student success. They are flexible, adaptable, and designed to be used across classrooms, grade levels, and diverse learning environments.

Schools and community programs can use these kits to:

• Support students with individualized and adaptable assistive solutions
• Equip teachers and staff with tools to better meet diverse learning needs
• Increase participation, independence, and engagement
• Trial different supports to determine what works best before making longer term decisions

To ensure the kits meet a wide range of needs, they were developed around key areas of support:

• Mobility, Fine Motor and Dexterity
• Sensory and Self Regulation
• Reading and Writing
• Math
• Vision
• Hearing
• Speech and Phonics

Many of the tools span multiple categories, making them highly versatile and effective for a variety of students and settings. These kits are designed to be shared resources, encouraging collaboration between educators, therapists, and support staff to find the best possible supports for each learner.

In addition to building and distributing the kits, Amanda and Chelsea provide in depth, hands-on training to the teachers and resource staff who will be using them every day. They walk teams through each item, demonstrate how tools can be used in real classroom scenarios, and answer questions to ensure staff feel confident and supported.

This training is a critical part of the program. We are committed to making sure these tools are used effectively and meaningfully, not left sitting on a shelf. By empowering educators with the knowledge and confidence to use assistive technology, we are also helping them guide and support their students in learning how to use these tools independently. The result is not just access to equipment, but increased confidence, skill development, and long-term impact for both staff and students.

Through our Solutions for Schools initiative, we are working to strengthen inclusive education in a practical and lasting way. This means providing tools, building capacity within school communities, and helping ensure that every student has the opportunity to fully participate in their learning.

“You made our day! I want to thank you again for your time and effort in making today happen. We are so grateful for the amazing tangible support you have given us and our community of learners. Your classroom kits exceeded our expectations,” shares hospital school teacher Heather Lewis (pictured in the photo above, second from the left).

“We have already put some of the equipment to good use and look forward to enhancing our time with the students we are privileged to serve. The technology will be most helpful time and time again.”

“Thank you again for the generous donation of assistive technology resources for our hospital school program,” shares hospital school teacher Leslie Chapman (pictured on the right). “I really appreciated receiving the resource list and seeing the range of supports you’ve provided. These tools will make a meaningful difference for our students by helping them stay connected to learning, build independence, and access school in ways that better meet their individual needs during a difficult time.”

To everyone who attended and supported the Princess Ball, thank you! You are helping remove barriers and build more equitable access to education for youth with disabilities across Saskatchewan.

 

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In this article, we’re doing something a bit different. Rather than our typical content that is normally written by a sole author (Seaver), we’ve invited our colleagues Rebekah and Louise to help us test out and give their thoughts on a variety of notetaking apps across a variety of devices.

Each of us will review three apps, and then we will give our opinions on what works, what doesn’t, where each app shines, and where each app struggles. We will be reviewing OneNote, Granola, Notability, Goodnotes, CollaNote, Mindgrasp, Genio (formerly Glean), Otter.ai, and Coconote. To test these apps, we will be using a wide variety of devices and tools, including laptops, iPads, iPhones, Microsoft Edge, and the Logitech pencil.

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Theresa works as a caregiver for a young adult with a disability, helping with personal care and daily tasks. She has hearing loss, which can make her job difficult.

She learned about WorkBC Assistive Technology Services from a friend and decided to apply for funding for the hearing aids she needs for work. “I received hearing aids that I never would have been able to afford,” she says.

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Jane works as a customer service associate for a home improvement retail store, assisting customers in-person, online, and over the phone. She has mild to moderate hearing loss, with lower hearing in higher tones, and with specific letter sounds.

“My work environment has a great deal of noise — machinery operating, multiple conversations in a close proximity to me, speaking on the phone, noisy product carts moving through and around my workstation,” she shares. “My hearing loss often required me to ask people to repeat what they said for clarity, or to speak louder or come closer to me.”

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The inq smartpen is designed to bring note taking, audio recording, and analysis into a single workflow. From my experience, it handled most of those core tasks well. However, I experienced enough hiccups along the way to say that my experience with this pen was not exactly perfect.

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Donovon works as a Web Services Manager, which involves managing web services, extensive typing while communicating with clients, and precise mouse work for digital updates. He describes the role as “technically demanding and sedentary,” working up to nine hours a day at a workstation. However, arthritis in his shoulders, as well as ADD, anxiety, and depression, were making it difficult for him to work full-time.

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Today, we are talking about accessible tools and services available to New Brunswick voters for the upcoming municipal elections! Joining us today is Karine Pitre from Elections NB. This discussion is being released in both French and English. To listen to the English version of the podcast, go to Amazon Music or Spotify.

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Mahmoud works as a logistics coordinator for a distribution company, and his duties include organizing orders, coordinating shipments, and ensuring deliveries are accurate and on time.

“I have plantar fasciitis, which sometimes causes significant foot pain and may occasionally affect my performance,” he shares.

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Clever: Homework Helper AI is an AI-powered study app designed to support students with homework completion, revision, and content creation. Available on iOS, it brings together a range of tools that aim to simplify how learners interact with course material, particularly when working independently.

The core of the app is its ability to scan or upload homework questions or notes using your device’s camera or photo library. Once captured, the app analyzes the content and generates responses along with explanations. This can be especially helpful for students who need quick clarification or support outside of the classroom.

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