Home Office Ergonomics Part 1
During the Covid-19 pandemic a lot of people will be working from home due to the mandated quarantine measures. Most home teleworkers will have to spend hours a day working on their computers and telephone, but they will not have the proper furniture and equipment to reduce the risks of developing muscular skeletal injuries due to improper body positioning and biomechanics.
At-Home Learning Resources for Adults
Since the recent COVID-19 quarantine, many of us have been forced to re-think the way that we approach traditional, classroom-based learning and education. Last week, we explored at-home learning resources for students from kindergarten to grade 12. This week, we’re going to continue along with that theme and explore at-home resources for adults who are just about to graduate and beyond. All of the resources listed here are either free or offer some free content.
At-Home Learning Resources for Students
Up until recently, most of us haven’t had to stay at home with our school-aged children for extended (and unexpected) periods of time. In these situations, it’s essential that parents provide their children with stimulating learning resources. Doing this not only keeps the kids learning and focused on positive, educational ideas, but it also gives parents time to work, clean, prepare food, or to simply take a moment for themselves.
With that in mind, we’ve assembled a list of educational resources designed for at-home learning. These resources are mostly aimed at school-aged children, and all the content listed below is free.
Neil Squire’s Katrina Tilley Named CAOT-BC’s Outstanding Occupational Therapist of the Year
Neil Squire is thrilled to share the news that Occupational Therapist, Katrina Tilley, has been named the CAOT-BC’s Outstanding Occupational Therapist of the Year.
Bridge Communication App
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technology is designed to provide vocal output for those who cannot (or struggle to) express themselves verbally. This technology could be useful for a wide variety of communication challenges, including autism spectrum disorders, neurological disorders, brain injury, developmental delays, dyspraxia, and any other type of challenge or injury that might affect speech.
Nine Ways to More Effectively Work From Home
With many of us working from home this week, we thought it would be a good opportunity to look at some tips and best practices for telecommuting that will help you make the most of your at-home office. These tips are applicable to anyone working from home; whether you’re telecommuting due to sickness, for convenience, or you’re someone whose physical circumstances make it difficult to access a typical office environment, there’s something here for you.
COVID-19 Update
A message from Gary Birch, Executive Director, Neil Squire
March 13, 2020
We want to reassure you that we are closely following the latest developments of COVID-19. Our priority is ensuring the health and safety of our participants, clients, staff, their families, and the greater community.
At this time, our programs and services remain open for business.
We continue to follow the latest guidance from the BC Ministry of Health, the BC Centre for Disease Control, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the World Health Organization.
Choiceworks Calendar
Calendars have been used as our primary means of organizing and scheduling for thousands of years, so it perhaps shouldn’t be much of a surprise that even in the digital era that we live in today, the basic structure and utility of the calendar hasn’t really changed, although it certainly has become digitized. This is great news for individuals who struggle with reading, writing, and executive functioning, or for anyone who simply forgets to, or chooses not to use paper calendars, because with this digitization comes convenience, and most importantly, an increase in accessibility.
Office Mobile by Microsoft
When it comes to office-based productivity, the Microsoft Office suite is by far the most popular, with a current run of over 1 billion devices worldwide. And while much of that popularity is based around PCs in the workplace, Microsoft has been delving ever deeper into the mobile space, with a variety of mobile friendly apps and platforms being launched in recent years, including OneNote, Office Lens, Office 365 mobile, and more.
The Ghotit Dyslexia Keyboard
In previous posts, we’ve discussed a variety of solutions for challenges related to writing. In the classroom, writing and reading challenges tend to be the most common, and about 80% of individuals with learning disabilities struggle with dyslexia, hence why this subject is so often explored here. Today, we’re going to look at an option that seeks to uniquely alleviate some of those challenges.



