“It opened up a new world of communication for my students.”

The BRIDGE app is easy to navigate—even my students with intellectual disabilities are able to be easily taught to identify and recognize the symbols. They are now able to make themselves understood in conversations with non-familiar listeners.

Prior to using the app, my students experienced a great deal of frustration when they were unable to speak and be understood. This frustration would often lead to acting out episodes. The frequency of acting out episodes in the classroom has decreased significantly since the students have been using the BRIDGE app, which has led to more effective classroom management and more efficient use of instructional time.

– Wendy Armstrong, Exceptional Children’s Teacher – High School

“We are so grateful to have this communication app available to our students!”

As a speech therapist and assistive technology specialist in our county schools, I have found it to be an easy communication app to educate others about and teach them to customize it for their students.

It is both adult and child-friendly with recognizable pictures, color displays, categories, core words, and meaningful words. Our county has 1-to -1 devices for our students countywide and the BRIDGE app is affordable (and even more so with the volume discount), so we can outfit all of our students will special needs that need access to alternative communication.

In addition, it is also affordable for us to recommend to our students’ families. It is a starting app for some, and a more permanent solution for other students. The developer is easy to work with, reach, and available to educate our staff about the app. We love the BRIDGE app!

– Beth E., NC school speech therapist & assistive technology specialist

“Thank you for giving him his second voice.”

Since our son has been using your app on his iPad, his communication ability has shocked us all. We always knew he was smart, but your BRIDGE app has enabled him to share his thoughts with the world. Thank you for sharing such an awesome app with us.

– Jennifer H., parent

“It is a life-changer for my students and their families.”

I have seen the BRIDGE app help students labeled as verbal, nonverbal, severe to mild intellectual difficulties, autism, and many others, surpass all communication expectations.

The app facilitates student progress, allowing them to become more confident, capable, and social members of our society. I am thankful for the hard work and support of those who work to give my students “THE BRIDGE” to endless journeys.

– Christine Cobb, Special Education Teacher

“The Bridge Communication App is an amazing digital tool that can be utilized across our speech-language caseloads. The icons are very user friendly and practical for day-to-day needs across school, home and community settings. The option to add lessons provides our clients with an individualized system and are very accessible for both clients and teachers. Danielle has created a fabulous and practical communication resource. She spent additional time with me on a Zoom and provided instruction of the app and a plan for troubleshooting if needed. I plan to use the Bridge Communication App for students placed in an intensive intervention setting as well as children in the regular education classroom with significant phonological processing delays that impact overall speech intelligibility and expressive language skills.”

–Kelly Grover, M.S., CCC-SLP Buncombe County Schools

When I became the director of exceptional children in Edgecombe County Public Schools three years ago the district had secured a contract with Danielle Gantt to provide augmentative communication services to our mostly severely impaired students. Throughout the district students had multiple devices that were not understood by the students or the teachers and most were not utilized on a consistent basis. Danielle came in with a focus on ensuring all students had access to communication through use of pictures and devices in a form that was easy for the students and the teachers to implement. During this year she began to plan with our teachers, parents, and students to find a system that was not only easy to access but that could expand to increase communication as students were ready to expand their communication. Initially teachers were resistant to utilizing the tools and tended to rely on the nonverbal signals, gestures, and students limited speech to communicate and didn’t have a desire to use a more effective system. Danielle was persistent and worked diligently to adapt expectations and change the systems to be more efficient for the teachers and students. Out of her passion and commitment to ensure the students had access to communication the Bridge Communication App was born. As Danielle developed the app she utilized feedback from the teachers to constantly adapt the app to include more features. The app now can incorporate vocabulary from current lessons and units being presented. A major focus is to move communication from a request based system to using communication to share information and emotions (beyond happy/sad). The best thing about the experience is seeing our students be able to communicate! Parents have been so ecstatic to finally have their students access “their voice”. In addition to the development of the app Danielle has been instrumental in helping families access resources to purchase iPads to ensure students had access to this technology at home as well. For me, as the director, it is so heartwarming to see the student’s smiles as they engage in conversation beyond the “yes/no” or very limited options they previously had to communicate. Although the app is undoubtedly a business venture for Danielle it is much more than that. She is committed to improving the lives of her clients and providing access to those who previously did not have a voice. This is evidenced by her frequent offers to trial the app, purchase at a reduced cost, etc. Please don’t let this opportunity pass by for your students and families.

Sincerely,

Karen Harrington, Director of Exceptional Children 

Edgecombe County Public Schools

I began using the Bridge Communication Application a little over a year ago. I received the app for free, but I am not receiving anything in exchange for my comments. These are just my thoughts and experiences from using the app.

Several of my students have severe communication impairments. They primarily communicate nonverbally. While they can say a handful of words, their speech is often unintelligible to anyone who isn’t a trained listener. I was looking for an alternative way for these students to communicate. I wanted other adults and children to be able to understand what my students were thinking and feeling. 

When I first got the Bridge app, I printed the Communication Goal form and took a baseline on how my students were performing in the areas of engagement, compliance, and interaction. I found this form to be incredibly useful for understanding the student’s present level of achievement. All of the data I needed was right there. We were able to pinpoint areas of emerging skills and create goals in those areas. 

When I first began working with the Bridge app, there was an adjustment period. The students were beginning communicators at the time, and they weren’t used to using AAC. They pushed the iPad away more often than not. 

Once other adults and I began using the Bridge app throughout the day, progress became evident. One of my students, who had a habit of spending time everywhere except at his workspace, learned to sit down and use the Bridge app to tell us when he had completed his current task or needed help. We discovered that his roaming behaviors had been largely due to his need to stay busy. 

Another student, the one who pushed away the iPad at first, learned how to turn on the iPad, open the app, and independently converse with us. This particular student has a severe intellectual disability and in the past used aggressive and inappropriate behaviors in an attempt to assert his independence. He now uses the Bridge app to greet, ask for permission to go places, and tell us how he feels.

Overall, I would definitely say that the Bridge app has made a tremendous difference in my students’ lives. They interact more during lessons, initiate communication with others more often, have decreased their inappropriate behaviors. I couldn’t be more thankful for this product!

– Amanda Dugan, MS, CCC-SLP

I cannot say enough about the BRIDGE Communication app and how I have witnessed lives being changed because of it.  This app gives those who are nonverbal not only “a voice” but “their voice.”  It allows them to not only voice their needs and wants, but also reciprocate and build friendships with the world.

– Kathy Best, Habilitation Specialist

As the parent of a child with very limited verbal communication, this dynamic app is enabling my daughter, for the first time, to engage in conversation at a level we didn’t think possible.  It’s given her a voice, and, it’s given our family and her school a communication tool to build on as it’s easy to personalize, and laid out in a practical, very functional design that is easy to learn!  No other augmentive communication app can compare!  BRIDGE Communication closes the gap.

– Caroline P.

My nonverbal son started with a pocket sized notebook hanging on a retractable keychain.  This progressed to a communication book with pictures, then words added followed this.  Wonderful hand-crafted books, works of art, from the designer of BRIDGE Communication before this app existed.  Then, my son moved to a speech output system from PRC which could speak for him, if needed.  He then became verbal, but still needed help organizing his thoughts and pairing this with language.  iPhone then iPad.  All this work culminated in the most amazing application, created with input from our special kids.  The effect it has visually and the ability to help my son communicate and self-regulate are unsurpassed.  We wouldn’t trade any of the work we have done, if it meant my son got to this point.  The fact that he can add his own photos and independently made it his own puts this app in a class by itself.

– Anita Marie D, son of Wm.TMD

I have been fortunate enough to be able to see first hand how the BRIDGE Communication app impacts those that are challenged with a speaking or communication impairment.  I have seen a child transform from being in a world where he felt as though he was the only one in it to a chld that completely blossomed and reached levels of development that weren’t thought possible before BRIDGE.  I highly recommend this app!

– Bryan Berry, Sponsor

Before using BRIDGE Communication, it was difficult for me to communicate with a student in my classroom who has limited verbal output.  I basically had to guess what she wanted to say based on nonverbal cues.  The app helped me reach out to her and I was able to actually communicate with her.  With the app, she has become more responsive towards her teachers and classmates.  With the app, she participates actively in lessons, she is learning her spelling words, and she can share what she did during the weekend.  Out of all the many great things this app has to offer, I believe that the best thing that has come out of using it is that this student has now become more enthusiastic towards learning, as she can actively participate with consistency and greater self-confidence in being able to connect with those around her.

– Theresa Navata, Exceptional Children’s Teacher – Elementary School

My son’s speech has gotten so much better with the help of the BRIDGE Communication app.  I strongly believe this is the best app my son could have ever used.  I am noticing a huge improvement in his speech, vocabulary, and the clarity of his words.  He enjoys communicating with me with the help of this app.  He loves to use it with his family members on a daily basis.  It helps me better understand what my child wants and it builds a longer conversation between the two of us.  It helped my child progress so much, and enjoy using it with him.

– Maria Hernandez

Our 10 year old daughter has Rett Syndrome, which renders her nonverbal and with little purposeful hand use.  We are desperate to communicate with her meaningfully and for her to be heard.  The BRIDGE Communication application has helped us do that!  We use it with a partner assisted approach that our daughter responds to well.  We can take it anywhere with us since it’s on her iPad!  So thankful to have this application available to us, and a caring speech therapist to help us maximize its use!  We feel blessed despite the struggles our daughter deals with daily!!  We highly recommend the BRIDGE Communication application to those needing augmentive communication!

Sincerely,

The Herndons

We have had a great time interacting with our students in the low incidence classroom utilizing the BRIDGE Communication application.  Our students are enchanted with the app, and eager to use it.  It has even helped with behavior.  I incorporate it with our adapted curriculum.  Some of our withdrawn students have come out of their shell!  It is user friendly and helps us to finally understand what some of our nonverbal students are trying to say.  This app has closed the gap of communication confusion.  I’ve been in Special Education for 20 years, and this is by far the best tool that I have ever used for communication.  Very engaging format!

– Karen Vick, Exceptional Children’s Teacher – Middle School

The BRIDGE Communication app has been wonderful for my son!  It is very easy for him to maneuver around the different pages.  He always perks up when he sees it, and is always ready to tell you something!

– Rhonda G.

The BRIDGE Communication app has really helped me better communicate with my nephew.  It has opened so many doors that were once shut.  I have seen the immense progress my nephew has made since he started using it.  It’s really fun to use and so helpful in so many ways.  It really works! 

– Angelica Hernandez

I am using the app, in Spanish since we are in Guatemala right now, with my son who is autistic non-verbal.  It has been life changing for us!!! Both, his therapist and I, find it easily to customize for his individual needs and he can find his way easy to respond.  The icons are spot on.  A plus is the very affordable price. I totally recommend this app!!!! 

– Alejandra, mother of sweet boy with autism

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