WORCESTER, Mass. - After working with a young boy living with autism, Lisa Marie Clinton knew she wanted to do more for people in similar situations.
"He was motivated by his iPad, taking pictures, and really engaged," said Clinton. "I'm like hang on a minute, I need to explore technology."
What You Need To Know
- 'Avail by CentraReach' is a program designed to help people with disabilities become more independent
- The technology allows users to create a list of tasks to ensure they're doing work properly
- Nonprofit Easterseals Massachusetts is incorporating the technology into their programming this month
- There are roughly 75,000 people in Massachusetts living with autism, and roughlty 85% of young adults with autism are unemployed.
It's why she developed 'Avail by CentralReach,' a mobile app reinforcing personalized support, in hopes of helping individuals with cognitive disabilities achieve independence. It allows users to put specific tasks into the app, so they can make sure they're completing them in the proper order.
"So, through repetition, you're going to see mastery of skills at a much faster pace," said.
Clinton said a colleague encouraged her to touch base with Easterseals Massachusetts, a nonprofit providing services to help children and adults with special needs, as well as their families.
Louise Coulbourne, assistive technology professional for Easterseals, said what makes this program different is it's ability to be discreet for users.
"Everybody's got a device in their hands now," said Colbourne. "So, you know, I think our clients will be comfortable using this software in any space."
More than 75,000 people in Massachusetts are living with autism and 85% of young adults with autism are unemployed, according to Easterseals.
They're utilizing this technology to help kids and adults during school, the job interview process and during work. One example would be teaching someone how to properly send an email.
"So, I might use screenshots from their computer or my computer, mark up the screen to show them exactly what buttons they need to be using," said Colbourne.
'Avail' goes beyond people with autism. It's also geared towards people living with down syndrome, brain injuries and other cognitive related disabilities.
Clinton's goal is to get the technology into the hands of as many families as possible.
"They got this sense of control," said Clinton. "So, people with disabilities have control over their learning or ownership of their learning, which to me was the biggest outcome and the most motivating one that our team could hear."