Today we’d like to introduce you to Cristen Reat.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
BridgingApps is a program of Easter Seals Greater Houston that provides access to educational and therapeutic tools—anywhere, anytime, allowing parents, teachers, and therapists to effectively use mobile devices and apps to target and improve individual skill development to help children and adults with disabilities reach their highest levels of physical and cognitive development.
I am the co-founder of BridgingApps and I helped to create a program and website where people with disabilities and their families can learn how to leverage the power of mobile devices and apps to enhance their lives. We started as a support group of parents of children with disabilities and therapists exploring and discussing how apps could help improve our children’s skills and enhance their development. We discovered the power of mobile device technology as an engaging tool to help our children achieve success.
We joined Easter Seals Greater Houston in 2011 and began expanding on what we had built by developing a unique app review system, hosting local meetings and trainings, building community assistive technolgy labs, working with schools, hospitals, app developers and parent support groups. In 2014 we were named a Verizon Powerful Answers Award winner for Education and we continue to partner with institutions, companies and other non-profits to develop our online and in-person training tools.
We hope to be the premier website for people who are searching for a trusted source for information on the best apps available for people with disabilities and those who support them. Users have described our website as the “Yelp” for special needs apps!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of our main struggles is marketing and trying to get the word out about our free resources that are available online. Because we started out producing content for young children, it has been a challenge to get the message across that anyone of any age with any disability can find apps and resources on our website and our custom built app search tool. Early on in the website’s development, parents of adult children with disabilities found the information relevant, so we knew that even apps designed for young users can be appropriate for adults and older adults.
Funding is a challenge, as we are a non-profit and struggle to provide high quality content that remains free. There are few app review sites in existence that do not take money from advertisers to produce their content. BridgingApps does not take money from app developers, as we prefer to remain neutral and offer our unbiased opinion on apps. This position has led us to become a highly trusted source of information but funding the maintenance of the website and additional enhancements and training has been and will continue to be a challenge.
Please tell us about BridgingApps, a Program of Easter Seals Greater Houston.
The available research and the success stories we have captured, reflect the potential power of using touch-based technology and proper training to significantly impact the lives of people with disabilities. These devices can also provide accessibility for people who may have been previously disengaged from the world as a result of challenging language, motor or other developmental delays. BridgingApps is a community of parents, teachers, therapists, and doctors who share information on how they are using touch-based, mobile devices such as the iPad®, iPhone®, iPod Touch® and Android® devices and apps with people who have special needs. One of our biggest achievements is that we have created this community to discuss technology in respectful, creative ways focusing on people who have disabilities.
Given the rising number of apps on the market and the diverse skills of children and adults with special needs, our goal is to provide caregivers and professionals with the best resources for choosing apps to enhance everyday life for people with disabilities and sharing their successes with others. In collaboration with speech language pathologists and occupational therapists, we have created an app review system that focuses on skills—rather than age, diagnosis or developmental level to help improve outcomes for a person with a disability.
We believe that our strength lies in the professional app reviewers across the country who contribute their knowledge in their respective professions to provide high quality information on mobile device and app use. Speech language pathologists, special education teachers, physical therapists, psychologists and other professionals who were early adopters of the technology contribute to our success.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
One of my favorite memories from childhood is attending summer camps with my best friend. I have always been quite independent– even from a young age and the opportunity to attend summer camp to experience new and exciting adventures made a huge impact on my life.
Pricing:
- We provide in person customized training at $150 per hour.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4888 Loop Central Drive
Suite 200
Houston, TX 77081 - Website: bridgingapps.org
- Phone: 713-838-9050 ext. 383
- Email: bridgingapps@eastersealshouston.org
mage Credit:
Easter Seals Greater Houston
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