Video Blog #1 – What is Mindfulness?

In our first video blog we’re going to be looking into Mindfulness.  The video is a brief summary of our full “What is Mindfulness” article (posted below).  We suggest watching the video and then if you want to learn more, continue reading on.

Full article…

What is Mindfulness?

Have you ever been glued to the TV and failed to notice when someone steps into the living room? Or when driving, arrived at your destination only to not really remember the last 5-10 minutes of your journey? Well, in such cases, you were lacking in mindfulness and were simply not aware of the present. Your mind was occupied and you failed to comprehend or notice what was going on around you.

With this being said, you can define mindfulness as being able to maintain constant awareness of your surroundings, feelings, thoughts and what is taking place in the present moment. Simply put, it can be defined as paying attention to the present and controlling your mind to stay focused. As a child, this is quite easily done but as we get older, it’s hampered by our many thoughts of the past and future expectations.

How mindfulness helps with mental health.

Mindfulness has been shown to help reduce stress. It is completely normal to suffer from stressful situations.  Such instances certainly take a toll on most people if not everyone. By engaging in mindfulness meditation, it has been shown that there is a notable reduction in stress and anxiety.

Another important benefit of this is boosting one’s focus. Loss of focus is a major issue for most people. This makes it difficult to undertake tasks faster and comprehensively. In order to enable one’s mind to focus and avoid distractions, mindfulness meditation has been one reliable remedy. It enables your mind to develop the ability to maintain focus, which resultantly increases performance and productivity.

How does one start becoming more mindful?

If you want to become more mindful, there are certain things you can try out;

One of the ideal ways is by training your mind. It may sound somewhat difficult and complicated but it’s actually easy and straightforward. This entails beginning to take note of your daily routine, for instance, brushing your teeth. Have you ever taken time to have a look at the toothpaste you use, how the name is written, the type or whether you press it from the bottom or the middle? Such simple things enable your mind to develop a habit of taking note of details and also getting engaged.

Another ideal way is by being brief with your activities. It is always easy for the mind to wander, especially if you are undertaking lengthy activities. Try breaking down the activities you undertake. Doing the activities in small bits ensures that focus is not diverted due to things such as boredom.

Different Mindfulness practices

When it comes to these practices, there are many ways through which you can practice mindfulness and the best thing is that they involve your daily life.There is one which is very basic but amazingly effective and this is taking deep breathes. It may sound all too common but when you breathe in and out, you settle your mind and body thereby being able to control your train of thought.  The phrase “take a deep breath” is often used, however the latest science shows that it is actually 5 deep breaths you should be taking if you actually want to alter your physiology.

Another practice can be taking time to make certain actions. It is our human nature to respond abruptly without taking time to think through our actions. To counter this, try taking time to respond to the phone when it rings. This does not mean ignoring the phone call but taking time to think of the caller; what might be the problem, how does the person currently look like among other things will help in composing your mind.

You can also try reading a book while understanding the context and not just rushing it. Get immersed in the book and let go of any distractions. Such reading develops the mind and enables you to control your mind and thought.

Still, how about writing your to-do list by hand? We are used to making notes on the phone while getting distracted by the incoming texts and calls or alternatively having the list in mind. However, by writing it down, you actually think through each activity and your mind works in the moment.

In conclusion, as much as mindfulness may seem ambiguous in its application to the daily life, it’s actually very important and transformative to many of the people who practice it. Give it a try it might work for you.

All the best,

The A2B Team

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DSA Application Guide

Our DSA Application Guide

Welcome to another value filled post from the A2B Blog. Today we are going to be giving away our DSA Application Guide. This is an informative PDF document which will guide you through the DSA process.

 

This guide will only be useful for students who haven’t yet applied for their Disabled Student Allowance.

 

Now is the perfect time to apply for the 18/19 academic year and this guide will help you do that.

 

It also answers plenty of common questions students have about the disabled student allowance.

 

To open the PDF click the link below or click on the screenshot. If you wish to save/download the file then click ‘File’ on the top toolbar and “Save Page As”.

 

Open DSA Application Guide

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Free Software Showcase – BeeLine Reader

Welcome to another instalment of the A2B Software Showcase.

The Free Software Showcase is one of our regular features in which we take a look at some of the best free accessibility software available.

TODAY WE WILL BE LOOKING AT THE FREE GOOGLE CHROME PLUGIN BEELINE READER

 

 

As well as the traditional installable computer software there is now the incorporation of plugins to web browsers. Plugins are small additions to web browsers that allow additional functions when browsing the web . One of the most popular web browsers, Google Chrome, has a huge array of plugins which cover a wide range of needs. Today we are going to look at the plugin BeeLine Reader (also available on the Firefox web browser).

The plugin’s main function is to assist in the easy reading of content. Reading a lengthy post can be a difficult task and it is easy to get lost if your concentration slips or you get distracted. This often leads to people starting over on the paragraph, which wastes time.  BeeLine Reader helps to solve this issue by giving you the text in different colour gradients throughout. It is argued that these different colours make it easy to track your lines while reading as opposed the one colour text, where your only option would be to follow through with your finger if you were experiencing difficulty with line by line reading.

The BeeLine reader notably increases your productivity, especially for students who need to read a lot of information from different lengthy sources. With the BeeLine Reader, errors in reading and skipping lines by mistake are greatly reduced thereby making the research more efficient. Your reading speed is also greatly improved since you are able to easily follow through. Additionally, this plug-in is useful for the employed population or anyone who just wants to read content online more efficiently.

BeeLine Reader has also shown beneficial results for people with specific learning difficulties. People with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), which is characterised by difficulty in maintaining focus for prolonged periods of time, find it easier to concentrate on reading using BeeLine Reader. It is also helpful for people who have dyslexia among other reading issues. The plugin’s success led to its awarding of first place in an entrepreneurship competition at the University of Stanford.

You can install the BeeLine Reader easily by visiting their website (http://www.beelinereader.com/) or going to the chrome store (download from chrome store)

Plugin installation is however, different from the installation of normal software. The process is easier and shorter. If you opt to get it from the parent site, just click on the the links above and you will get an ‘install plugin’ button for BeeLine reader. Click on it and you will be taken to another window of where to install it, either in chrome or Firefox. Click on the chrome option and there will be a pop-up dialogue box. From that box just click add and the plugin will be added to your chrome browser. You can now access it from the top right of your browser. When it comes to the usage part,  just open whatever content you want to read online then click on the BeeLine Reader and it will provide the text in colour.

If you experience any difficulties with reading, then give BeeLine Reader a try.

 

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“Cerebral palsy won’t stop me becoming a lawyer”

Disabilities In The News is a regular feature in which we present important and exciting news stories covering disabilities in the UK.

 

 

We came across the brilliant story of Daniel, a student with Cerebral Palsy who is studying to become a Lawyer.

Video property of the BBC

Great Stuff!

Gepostet von A2B Assessments am Freitag, 30. März 2018

Thanks,

A2B DSA Assessment Centre

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Scientists Cure Most Common Cause Of Blindness

This is the first post in our new category – Disabilities In The News. In this regular feature we will present important and exciting news stories covering disabilities in the UK.

 

 

In the next five years, the most prevalent cause of blindness may have a common cure. Scientists believe this will be possible after performing a ground breaking medical procedure on two patients.

Doctors performed stem cell therapy on both patients and the procedure was a success. The patients suffered from a condition known as AMD which had advanced (due to macular degeneration which is age-related.) This condition tends to destroy the central vision. The surgeon that operated on them said that the two patients were on the verge of losing their sight and that they could neither see a book nor any printed letters. Thanks to a stem cell “patch” that has been implanted behind their eyes, their central vision is now restored. Both patients currently have a clear vision, they can read and see faces clearly.

The scientist behind this marvellous achievement foresees this procedure becoming quite common in the near future. It will almost be like cataract surgery. Nearly 600,000-700,000 people in the United Kingdom lose their sight courtesy of AMD. These people now have hope thanks to this procedure.

This achievement was accomplished thanks to the tireless efforts of Pete Coffey, a university college London professor and Da Cruz, a Moorfields Eye Hospital retinal surgeon. Their aim was to treat at least ten people who suffered from the AMD condition that is in “wet” form. The cause of this condition is attributed to the eye’s blood vessels leaking which destroys the macula which is the retina’s integral part. Crucial macula cells known as retinal pigment epithelial are essential in the functioning of photoreceptor cells which are light sensitive. Without the RPE (retinal pigment epithelial) cells support, the photoreceptor cells die.

The two patients that underwent the treatment were the first from the United Kingdom. They were chosen due to the advancement of their AMD condition. The patients were male and female and are in their 60’s and 80’s. Had they not undergone the procedure in due time, they would have lost their sight within a month and a half of their blood vessels leaking.

Going Forward

According to Coffey, an off-the-shelf treatment will be available for use by NHS surgeons within five years. Currently, it can only be used on around 10% of the patients that suffer from AMD’s wet form. Currently dry AMD, which develops slowly cannot be treated. Coffey, however, does not see a reason as to why the patch wouldn’t work for them. The team anticipates that eventually, the treatment will become as cheap and common as cataract surgery.

 

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A Tribute To Stephen Hawking

You can never talk about the world of science without recognising the great minds that shaped this field and brought about the advancements we have today. Some of the scientists who pioneered ground shaking discoveries and theories include the likes of Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton, whose legacies still live on. One modern scientist who has gained similar standing in the world of science is none other than the late Stephen Hawking.

Stephen was born on Jan. 8 1942 to Isobel and Frank Hawking. Notably, both parents were also intellectuals, having attended the University of Oxford. Stephen found his studies rather easy, including university education and this can be attributed to his impeccable intellectual capacity. However, in his early 20s, he was diagnosed with motor neuron disease which would see him confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. This diagnosis gave him a few years to live, at least according to his doctors, but he defied the odds and lived to the age of 76. This physical incapacitation did not slow his mental strength and from that chair, he made many astonishing contributions to the world. He was ranked as one of the smartest people to ever live and among the most influential when it comes to the world of modern science.

Yes, he was bound to a chair but his mind was as free as the wind. He made his most notable contributions in the field of cosmology in which he held a Ph.D. from Cambridge University. This led to him writing one of the bestselling books, ‘A Brief History of time’. In the book, he sought to explain space and time to the masses.

Another fascinating aspect of Hawking’s life was his use of assistive technology, most notably his wheelchair. His fading abilities due to ALS had led to the continuous upgrading of his wheelchair. This was enabled by Intel’s communication system installed on the chair’s computer. The computer was powered by the batteries stored in the wheelchair and the computer cursor was moved by his cheek. This was made possible by the use of an infrared camera set up in his glasses which detected cheek movement.

The life of Hawking was further showcased through a film produced in his honour. The Theory of Everything is the very film produced as an accolade to Stephen Hawking (portrayed by Eddie Redmayne). It looks at the life and relationship of the physicist and his wife Jane, as well as the events in his life culminating to his later contributions in the world of science. It premiered at the end of 2014 in the US and beginning of the succeeding year in the UK. The movie was extremely well received and it won many awards, including an Academy Award for the best actor.  Hawking was also a big fan of the Simpsons and he featured in 4 different episodes where he actually voiced himself, using his assistive technology. In a Tribute to Stephen Hawking they also honoured his memory in their most recent episode.

Some of his memorable quotes include:

‘Science is not only a discipline of reason but, also, one of romance and passion’,

‘Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it’

‘People won’t have time for you if you are always angry and complaining’

‘We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special.’

Conclusively, Stephen Hawking has been a major source of inspiration for us all. Sadly, the world has lost a selfless genius but his works and legacy will echo through the halls of time for years to come.

 

Image owned by Fox

 

Sincerely,  A2B Assessments

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Free Software Showcase – Zotero

Welcome to another instalment of the A2B Software Showcase.

The Free Software Showcase is one of our regular features in which we take a look at some of the best free accessibility software available.

TODAY WE WILL BE LOOKING AT THE FREE SOFTWARE ZOTERO

 

 

In today’s world, content writing and research have gained center stage as people work hard to produce, distribute and acquire information for different reasons, be it personal, educational or commercial. In light of this, dozens of software to assist in keeping track of research and referencing has been created. The small issue, however, is that most of them are provided for a fee.

One game-changing software that has been introduced is the Zotero referencing software which is completely FREE. Due to the fact that its free software, the lingering question has been, is it equally reliable, what does it do, where do I get it and how do I make use of it?

All these burning questions are covered in this blog post.

 

1. How Zotero works

Zotero has a myriad of useful features when it comes to your content;

(i) You can organise your research in any way you feel like. You can sort research into collections and tag with keywords.

Alternatively, you can also create saved searches which will fill relevant information as you work.

(ii) Citation – If you are in education you will find this very useful as it automatically creates bibliographies and references for the different text editors and handles over 8,000 citation styles.

(iii) Data synchronisation- Zotero lets you synchronise your information across devices thus ensuring your information is up to date.

(iv) If you need to share information with your colleagues or peers (e.g if you are working in a group) , Zotero will enable it without any restrictions.

 

2. Where to download Zotero

With the many sources on the internet, knowing of the right place to get the software is of paramount importance. It’s always a relief if you are able to download something direct from the source without having endless redirections to other foreign sites. With this Free Software, the number one place should undoubtedly be the parent site which is www.zotero.org

 

3. Installation process

(i) On a Mac- Open the downloaded .dmg file and drag Zotero to the application folder. From here, you can choose to run it from launchpad, spotlight or app folder and later add it your Dock.

(ii) With Windows, it’s pretty straightforward. Open the download folder and simply run the program.

(iii) With Linux- if you downloaded the tarball, you will need to unzip and then run Zotero on that same directory.

Updating the software is necessary to ensure that any new features are available for you. Updating is automatic by default, if for some reason your version doesn’t automatically update; you can go to the help menu on the software and click ‘check for updates’.

 

4. Some tips on getting started with Zotero

After you have downloaded and installed the software, you now need to know how to use it. Due to the many functions included in Zotero, we are unable to cover everything in this blog post, but here are some tips to get you started;

(i) Archiving a page- Click on the ‘create a new item from current page’ and your page will be archived.

(ii) Capturing bibliographic information- If you looking on the online library record for a book, Zotero book icon will appear on the Firefox browser and you only need to click it and it will save all citation info about the book.

(iii) Easy and precise searching- With searching, click and type in the search bar at the top of the middle column. As you type, the software narrows down to items like books and articles that only contain your search term.

(iv) Bibliographies- To create your required bibliography, highlight your references and right click (on
Windows) or control-click (on Mac) to choose ‘create bibliography’ and then select your preferred citation style.

By following these steps from downloading to usage, working your way around Zotero for the first time will be much easier.

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