AT Program News Blog

Science Museums for Assistive Technology Outreach?

Here's an interesting idea for marketing your assistive technology program. Partner with your local science museum! I just learned that one Massachusetts AT Regional Center was recently contacted by their local science museum. The museum is offering an after school program and is considering a unit on assistive technology.

Hmmm... our local science museum brings in traveling exhibits. I wonder how these are developed/curated? Wouldn't it be wonderful to see a hands-on AT exhibit traveling to museums around the country, partnering with local AT programs as it goes with outreach materials? Has it ever been done? I'd love to know...

Are Your State Assistive Technology Regional Centers Listed at Proloquo2Go.com?

I just got off the phone with a new coordinator of an AT Regional Center in Boston. She told me this inspiring story that I thought I'd share. The Proloquo2Go Web site has a state-by-state resources page to identify places to go see this communication app on an iPad. A colleague at the Center noticed the local children's hospital was listed and thought they should be listed too. They submitted their information and since doing so, a short time ago, they've had close to a dozen calls from people who need AAC (augmentative and alternative communication).

Many of the people calling the ATRC have heard about the iPad and Proloquo2Go, but not about AAC in general. Some have seen the 60 Mins report (that failed to mention the long history of dedicated AAC devices that lay the groundwork for Proloquo2Go). One man's family went to the Proloquo2Go site because his doctor told him he needed an iPad. He has a fast moving progressive disease and his family knew nothing about assistive technology in general. Thanks to the listing on the Proloquo2Go Web site resources page, this family is now connected with an AT Regional Center operated by Easter Seals in Boston, and will learn about a full range of solutions, including the AAC solutions that can work for him as his needs change.

Are your state AT Regional Centers listed at Proloquo2Go?

Iowa's IPAT Helps Fund UNI Wheelchair Sports Camp

Staffed by experienced athletes who use wheelchairs and coaches from across Iowa and Illinois, UNI Wheelchair Sports Camp allows Iowans in 3rd through 12th grade to learn and play wheelchair basketball, tennis, and track and field games. It is open to young Iowans with disabilities, whether or not they happen to use a wheelchair.

Iowa's AT program (IPAT) has been providing the camp with financial and staff support for several years, and starting last year it acquired adapted sports wheelchairs for the demo/loan center so they could be used by campers.

Camp is held each summer  at the University of Northern Iowa. In addition to wheelchair sports, the program offers activities like rock climbing, movies, a dance, and talent show.

Learn more at this Uni Wheelchair Sports Camp Web page.

The Average Cost of a Reasonable Accommodation for a Massachusetts State Employee is...

Massachusetts now has data. Beginning in late FY2010, the state's HR Division has been tracking the cost of accommodating requests for reasonable accommodations under the ADA.

Massachusetts has been tracking the information as part of its State as a Model Employer of people with disabilities initiative. To help state agencies succeed with improving the retaining and hiring of employees with disabilities, a Reasonable Accommodation Capital Reserve Account (RACRA) was created to pay for expenses costing above $2500 (or less in cases where accommodations have already exceeded .5% of an agency's annual budget in a given year). The stats, however, go beyond tracking just RACRA expenditures.

Here's what was learned:

• During 3 quarters of tracking, a total of 1319 reasonable accommodations were made (with and without RACRA funds), ranging from duty and schedule modifications to furniture and equipment acquisition. 
• The most common type of accommodation made was in the category of furniture and equipment (from specialized seating to computers), at an average cost of $262.00.
• The most expensive category tracked was telecommunications, with an average cost of $530.00.
• The average cost of all reasonable accommodations made during these quarters was $170.00. 

"This data is consistent with the Job Accommodation Network's findings regarding the low cost of accommodations provided by employers around the country," notes an article in the Februrary 2011 edition of Dialogue newsletter (published by the state's Human Resources Division). "It demonstrates that providing accommodations is a practical and sustainable strategy for hiring and retaining employees with disabilities."
 
Download the full report at this Mass.gov Web link.

Study Shows Growing Number of Seniors Relying on Assistive Technology

According to the AARP public policy brief: Trends in Disability, Community Living, and Caregiving:
Analysis of Data from the National Long-Term Care Survey:

"The number of older people managing disabilities exclusively with assistive devices has increased dramatically. The number of community residents age 65+ with disabilities who relied on assistive equipment instead of human help with personal care or independent living activities increased by 155
percent, and now exceeds the number of older people living in institutional settings. Persons with lower levels of disability are far more likely to rely on assistive equipment."

Read the full report at this AARP Web page.

North Dakota's IPAT Distributes Age-In-Place Assistive Technology (AT)

In North Dakota, IPAT partners with Aging Services (Older American Act $$) to provide up to $300 worth of AT per person to applicants 60+ years and living at home.

The Assistive Safety Device Distribution Service (ASDDS) provided 2,838 pieces of equipment to 1,735 North Dakotans between July, 2008 through June, 2009.

IPAT Executive Director Judie Lee says the ASDDS goes a long way toward marketing IPAT services in general thanks to its word-of-mouth popularity. Devices provided include grab bars, magnifiers, reachers, medication dispensers, and seat-lifts. Items are drop-shipped to homes and equipment installation is also provided.

IPAT uses an initial consultation and questionnaire to screen for needs. It requires a licensed contractor or an immediate family member to install grab bars. And it receives a continuous stream of thank you notes from happy seniors and families.

Learn more at the North Dakota IPAT website.

Contact: Judie Lee, IPAT executive director

Suddenly Silent with AAC--One AT Professional's Personal Experience

Jeannette Van Houten has posted a very powerful consciousness-raising piece at the Advancing Opportunities (part of the NJ AT Act program) blog site: Tools of the Trade. "My Personal Experience Living Life Silently" describes her experience moving through the world deploying a communication device (thanks to a bout of laryngitis) and learning what it is like to walk in the shoes of someone with a speech disorder. Check it out and pass it around.

She begins:

"For the past four days, I have been completely silent - not even a peep. Trust me it is not by choice. I have laryngitis. By the order of the doctor, I am not allowed to talk or strain my voice. This is funny because even if I wanted to, nothing comes out! I am very lucky because unlike the thousands of individuals that end up with laryngitis, I have the tools to help me still communicate with others. With that, you would think that I could carry on with life with little interruption." Read the rest at Tools of the Trade.

QIAT's 7 Common Transition Planning Errors

1. Lack of self-determination, self-awareness and self-advocacy on part of the individual with a disability (and/or advocate).
2. Lack of adequate long range planning on part of sending and receiving agencies (timelines).
3. Inadequate communication and coordination.
4. Failure to address funding responsibility.
5. Inadequate evaluation (documentation, data, communication, valued across settings) process.
6. Philosophical differences between sending and receiving agencies.
7. Lack of understanding of the law and their own responsibilities.

(Thanks to Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology [QIAT] for these reminders.)

Tips for Your Online Device Loan Listings from Colorado's AT Partners

1. Spotlight devices that have no waiting list. The SWAAAC Loan Bank website includes a "Spotlight Items" page to help build awareness of devices that are effective, but not well known. The program reports that once spotlighted, these devices tend to move quickly and even develop their own waiting lists. The spotlights are particularly successful when they provide classroom suggestions for how devices may be used. The "Spotlight Items" page is updated monthly.
2. Consider an "ask a question" link with each device listing. SWAAAC browsers use these to reach the SWAAAC help desk to learn more.
3. Consider a "tell a friend" link with each device listing. SWAAAC browsers can easily share device ideas with colleagues and others thanks to this feature.

See the related article: Colorado's Device Loan Bank for Schools

Vermont’s Assistive Technology School Swap Gains Traction

Vermont is taking a reuse approach to helping improve access to assistive technology (AT) in schools. Sharon Alderman, the VT AT Reuse Project Coordinator, now has 23 Vermont Supervisory Unions signed up to begin swapping, lending, and donating equipment to one another through the Vermont AT School Swap. The program began, Alderman reports, in response to a need articulated by school personnel: as a way to share equipment among schools and keep assistive technology in the hands of students who benefit from using it.

Vermont is one of several states working on the AT School Swap concept. A consortium of six New England states worked together to first create GetATStuff.com, the Assistive Technology Exchange of New England. That Craig's List-styled reuse website spurred the idea for a reuse site that might serve schools and districts, a web-based tool to help organize AT inventories (uploaded by schools), and advertise equipment needs as well as equipment available for loan, donation, or trade. "What we heard from educators and administrators," Alderman emphasizes, "is the need to keep devices in circulation once students graduate or move out of district, provide professional support--a way to learn from each other about how the equipment worked in a real classroom--and also a way to better afford expensive equipment to enhance the learning experience."

The states are sharing resources and ideas. Arlene Lugo, director of the Connecticut Tech Act project, took the lead with developing the concept and with creating an ATSS website prototype based on the GetATStuff platform. Now the Massachusetts AT Act program has received a Shapiro Foundation grant that will help fund improvements to this prototype for the Massachusetts context, improvements that will be made available to the other states.

"This kind of systems change takes time, but in Vermont ATSS is beginning to gain traction," Alderman says. She also likes to quote Liz Persaud, training and development coordinator at the Pass It On Center: "'Begin with the end in mind,' is what she always says. The reports that many students and professionals are getting devices they need is inspiring."

While the website is not yet fully functional, Alderman is signing up schools, registering users, and distributing a monthly email digest to school-based participants. The email includes a spread sheet of AT needs and AT that is currently available. It also motivates readers with a success vignette about a completed school exchange and the impact it is having for a student with a disability.

Attendees of ATIA Chicago 2010 can learn more about Vermont's ATSS and talk with Sharon Alderman. She will be part of a presentation with the Pass It On Center entitled, "Effective AT Reuse in School Systems" on October 29th. Her talk will focus on the pros and cons of beginning an exchange system for schools with a website component. 

Assistive Technology Programs are Building Capacity with AmeriCorps

Both the Tennessee and Texas Assistive Technology (AT) Act programs have partnered with AmeriCorps to help staff AT demonstration/loan centers. Alternative Financing Programs (AFPs) in Georgia, Wyoming, and Iowa have used AmeriCorps to set up financial literacy courses and programs. In Maryland an AmeriCorps volunteer is running an AT reuse program. Know of others? Tell us about your AmeriCorps partnership below.

Georgia’s AFP Helps Ensure People with Disabilities File for their Earned Income Tax Credit

Each year many people with disabilities miss the opportunity to collect their Earned Income Tax Credit because they don’t file a federal income tax return or they fail to apply for appropriate tax credits. Credit-Able, the Georgia alternative financing program (AFP), is administered by the Center for Financial Independence & Innovation, Inc. (CFII) which also runs an IRS sponsored Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program. Together these programs are helping eligible Georgians with disabilities file their tax returns and better afford assistive technology.

AFP’s provide affordable loans for people with disabilities to purchase assistive technology. Credit-Able helps ensure credit applicants who need income tax filing assistance are receiving that assistance through VITA and maximizing the tax credits available to them. Nationwide, VITA Program sites offer this assistance, often with electronic filing (which means fast refunds if direct deposit is an option). For the AFP, this is a win-win partnership. Loan applicants who access tax credits may come away with smaller, more affordable loans for their AT needs, or pay down debt to qualify for a loan, or even forgo the need for a loan altogether. In turn, the AFP can maximize its own program resources to help more applicants.

VITA program services are provided during tax season by certified volunteers. The Center for Financial Independence & Innovation, Inc. administers its own VITA Program, providing its volunteers with disability sensitivity information as well as the tax preparation training provided by the IRS.

To find your local existing VITA Program call: 1-800-829-1040

To learn more about starting your own VITA Program for people with disabilities in your state contact:

Richard Keeling
Senior Tax Analyst-National Partnerships
SPEC Headquarters, IRS
(404) 338-8814
richard.keeling@irs.gov

Learn more about VITA programs at this IRS.gov web page.
Learn more about Georgia’s Center for Financial Independence & Innovation.

Partnership for Video Clips: how Peter G. is teaming up with MassMATCH

Peter G. joined the MassMATCH AT Advisory Council in January, 2009 to help raise awareness of the power of AT for people with disabilities. He is now active with a council subcommittee interested in embedding, and in some cases developing, fully accessible video clips to and for the MassMATCH website.

The subcommittee is partnering with professors and student interns of the Northeastern University Physical Therapy Department to produce accessible clips. Their ultimate goal is to provide YouTube videos of AT in action, clips that will help people browse the devices available to borrow, free of charge, from the MassMATCH short-term device loan library. "Seven years ago I acquired my Quartet Technology Environmental Control Unit sight unseen," Pete explains. "People with disabilities need a way to browse AT and help them determine which products to try out. Not everyone can make it to an AT demonstration center."

This post is a companion article to Success! The incredible true life adventure of one state AT Advisory Council member and his ATIA video contest victory

IPAT Shipping Partnership Helps Rural Residents

North Dakota IPAT highlights a unique public/private partnership for rural outreach in their December 2009 AT Key. The partnership is providing low cost transportation of used AT and durable medical equipment (DME) to residents of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota.

The partnership is with CrossCountry Courier, a freight carrier based in Bismarck ND. CrossCountry Courier has generously volunteered to transport equipment exchanged through the IPAT Swap and Shop (reuse program) and now the Moorhead based Healthcare Equipment Recycling Organization (HERO) for a nominal charge. This past fall, HERO honored IPAT with their Agency Service Award for working out a process so that people using HERO and/or IPAT's Swap and Shop can benefit from CrossCountry Courier's generosity.

Read more in IPAT's December 2009 newsletter ("IPAT Receives 'HERO' Award").

Santa Finds Donations for Mississippi Project Start

Christmas is a good time for the Mississippi Project Start reuse program. The program pushes the spirit of giving... in the form of those unused walkers, commodes and other durable medical equipment and AT devices! According to Project Director Dorothy Young, the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services [MDRS] is successful because of an unusual role donned by MDRS Executive Director H.S. "Butch" McMillan. "[He] pretends like he's Santa Claus on the radio and asks for donations and they pour in!"
(Mississippi Project Start is administered by the MDRS)

Have a marketing or program outreach idea to share? Post a comment below!