AT Help Desk celebrates 10 years of helping New Brunswickers with disabilities. Josée, who has learning disabilities, shares her story. With the support of AT Help Desk, she was able to successfully complete her studies.
*This video was originally produced in French, and has been dubbed into English.
This year, our AT Help Desk program celebrates 10 years of service in New Brunswick. Here’s a breakdown of the impact:
Imagine that you have a technical problem or a computer question at work, you might call your company’s IT help desk. But what if you have a disability and you have a question about assistive technology? Maybe you need to find a device that will help you with your needs, or maybe your assistive technology isn’t working right and you need help. That’s where Neil Squire’s AT Help Desk comes in.
In 2024, the AT Help Desk celebrates 10 years of serving New Brunswickers with disabilities. Whether you’re working, studying, simply need an assistive technology that makes your life a little easier, or are calling on behalf of a client, student, or family member, anyone can reach out. And all services are available in English and French.
What an honour!
We are humbled to be named the Burnaby Board of Trade‘s and City of Burnaby‘s Not-For-Profit Organization of the Year at the Burnaby Business Excellence Awards Gala on November 16th. We thank our participants, volunteers, staff, supporters, and of course, the community of Burnaby!
Neil Squire Regional Manager Charles Levasseur was honoured to receive the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists Citation Award.
Atlantic Region staff presented the award to Charles during a surprise team meeting on Tuesday.
The CAOT Citation Award acknowledges the contribution to the health and well-being of Canadians by an agency, program, or individual within each province/territory, who is not an occupational therapist. Charles was nominated by the New Brunswick Association of Occupational Therapists.
Charles has worked for Neil Squire for over 20 years, and since 2011, Charles has established several special assistive technology projects for the New Brunswick government. He also developed the AT Help Desk, an assistive technology help line for New Brunswickers with disabilities. He currently sits as chair for the avenueNB Cooperative, which brings more than 20 service providers across the province of New Brunswick together to provide more consistent and more accessible services and increased educational opportunities.
This November, we honour Indigenous Disability Awareness Month.
Indigenous peoples of Canada experience a disability rate significantly higher than that of the general population. Indigenous Disability Awareness Month (IDAM) brings awareness of these barriers and the issues that Indigenous peoples living with disabilities and their families face every day. More importantly though, in spite of these barriers, IDAM celebrates the achievements of Indigenous peoples living with disabilities and recognize the significant and valuable contributions they make to our communities socially, economically, and culturally every day.
Joined once again by Nakia Singh, we discuss Apple’s new accessibility features, using AI as AT, advances in wearable technology, and more.
September 30th is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Today we honour the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.
On Friday, our Makers Making Change team hosted our BC team for a build event, making switches and adapting toys. It was a great team building event, and best of all, the toys will go to local kids with disabilities as part of our #HackingForTheHolidays campaign.
Chelsea has been with the Neil Squire Society since 2018. After completing her Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from the University of Regina, she eagerly began working at the Neil Squire Society. She enjoys finding inventive solutions that span from optimizing Office and Industrial ergonomics to harnessing the potential of creative applications. She encourages a client-centered approach in her work, using accommodations and assistive supports to minimize discomfort, and maximize independence. Chelsea is an Assistive Technology Specialist (California State University, Northridge) and an Ergonomics Specialist (University of Fredericton) who provides assessments and training in these fields, as well as accessibility evaluations, disability awareness presentations, and support consultations. In a dynamic industry, she enjoys continuously staying updated with the latest technology trends and connecting with her clients to find solutions to any barrier, big or small.
