AT Program News Blog

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?

Christmas Comes Early Through ReMEDy

By Jim Branum

ReMEDy has many success stories. After all, the goal of the program is to loan used durable medical equipment to people who are unable to otherwise purchase what they need. So you can understand that we feel like it is Christmas every day we go to work and get to see the faces of the people we are able to serve.

The story of C.M. is one such success story. It begins with Carolyn, a member of one of our Birmingham Baptist Association Churches (BBA), who worked at a metal manufacturing company in the western area of the city. She would see C.M. every day that it was not raining. He would pass by her place of business pulling a rolling, plastic trash can tied by ropes to the back of his wheelchair. C.M. made his living by making a daily trip picking up aluminum cans and taking them--using his wheelchair--to a local recycling center. His daily journey started from where he lived, which was a 10-by-20 storage building he rented located in the back yard of his landlord's house, and continued out through the streets of Birmingham, passing businesses that would save cans for him. He would then return home going down different streets collecting cans beside the road.

C.M. had lost both legs some 50 years earlier in an accident, but he seemed to me to be one of the happiest people I have known. In the yard outside his storage building home were old wheelchair parts that C.M. would use to repair his manual chair when it broke down from everyday use. He also had an old, worn-out, power chair that no longer worked.

One day, while stopping at Carolyn's business, C.M. asked her if the men at her company would try and fix the power chair for him. They agreed to try. For the next 6 months they had it at the business, working on it.  But they never could get the old power chair to work.

So eventually Carolyn called her church. She was referred to the BBA to ask if there was any help for C.M. through the different BBA ministries. That is when she called and spoke with me at ReMEDy.

I called C.M. and asked if he would agree to replace his old power chair for a loaner--a beautiful working power chair through the ReMEDy program. He agreed. And so I used my truck and trailer, got the old chair out of the way, and delivered C.M. his new chair (after providing him with safety and operational training).

I wish I could share the look on his face! It was as if Christmas had arrived as C.M. transferred over from his old, worn-out, pieced-together manual wheelchair into the working power chair loaned to him for as long as he'd need it. 

Jim Branum is the director of ReMEDy, a durable medical equipment reuse program operated by the Birmingham Baptist Association in partnership with STAR, Alabama's Assistive Technology Act Program.

Vermont AT Reuse Project Receives Governor's Award

Project Coordinator Sharon Alderman attributes recognition, in part, to the growth of Vermont's AT School Exchange

Congratulations are in order to the Vermont Assistive Technology (VT AT) Reuse Project. In June the project received the 2011 Governor's Award for Environmental Conservation Excellence in Justice and Sustainability. VT AT Reuse initiatives include the Medicaid Equipment Reuse Project (recapturing publically-funded durable medical equipment for those who need it), the Assistive Technology Exchange in New England (a Craig's list style device "swap and shop"), and the Assistive Technology Exchange for Vermont Schools (helping share equipment among schools). "We received the award because our programs effectively  and uniquely achieve the award's ideals," notes VT AT Reuse Coordinator Sharon Alderman.  "We're lucky to operate in a state that values both environmental conservation and economic justice." Indeed, in federal fiscal year 2010, VT AT Reuse helped find a second life for over 285 Adapted Vehicles, DME and AT items, keeping many devices out of landfills and closets and in the hands of Vermonters with disabilities.

AT School Swap Now Includes 57% of Vermont's Supervisory Unions/Districts

Alderman is particularly encouraged by the growth of the AT Exchange for Vermont Schools (AT School Swap). The initiative helps Vermont schools share AT for the benefit of students with special needs. In June of 2009, nine months after launch, the AT School Swap had 16 VT Supervisory Unions signed on to share unused AT. As of October 2011, the program has grown to include 34 participating Supervisory Unions, 57% of the state's total. "It's steady growth. It doesn't yet reflect big savings to schools--just $19,000 in FY2010--but we're getting there."

The AT School Swap concept began as a way to keep devices out of school closets and with students who need them. As student needs change or they graduate or move out of district, many items go unused. By learning about and agreeing to exchange unutilized equipment, schools would have affordable fast access to AT. The first task, however, was getting schools on board.

Alderman believes Vermont is succeeding because it's  flexible with how people use and access the School Swap. Participants do not have to share or sell anything they don't want to, and they learn about available and needed equipment in different ways. "We started with a web-based approach akin to the getATstuff platform [the Web site for the AT Exchange in New England]. But we realized that the School Swap site would have to be just one tool among many needed to establish a reuse network with schools." Alderman estimates that 40-50% of AT School Swap users do not make use of the Web site directly and prefer email and the toll free number. "Monthly email updates are a reminder that we're here, that equipment is available, and it puts school system needs under the noses of authorized swap-users around the state. Swap participants don't have to remember to periodically go to the site to search equipment. But we are encouraging them to post there, and slowly it is happening."

A web-based school swap system may be achievable, even inevitable, down the road. But in the meantime, Alderman's "coordinator" position is aptly titled. Alderman and her interns learn of available equipment, and devices sought, by phone and email (often in response to their monthly email), and frequently connect donors and sellers with recipients.

An AT Reuse Concierge?

Providing reuse "concierge" services is achievable in a state with a population that's not quite 626,000 (2010 Census), and builds program buy-in among participants--who in the case of the AT School Swap are school personnel in a position to network with one another. Alderman, however, has also become a point person for reused AT among state agencies, the medical community (including skilled nursing facilities and rehabilitation centers), private non profits, and most recently the Vermont FEMA disability coordinator (post Tropical Storm Irene). And she is able to directly assist individual consumers; the getATstuff site allows administrators to see visitors and what listings they view, which means she may contact them to offer help.

 
VT AT Program staff accept Governor's Award  

Indeed with the research assistance of Alderman and her interns, Vermont schools, individuals and families, nursing facilities, non profits and others have received devices through in-state as well as interstate initiatives. Reuse programs as far away as Kansas and Georgia have provided equipment to Vermonters with specific needs.

Congratulations Vermont!

VT AT Reuse Project Nuts and Bolts:

• 1 full-time project coordinator initially funded through a Medicaid infrastructure grant.
• 2 part-time skilled interns majoring in marketing and mechanical/bio medical engineering at area colleges. Alderman's interns have created marketing materials and press releases as well as data tracking systems.
• $1,447,707 have been saved by consumers (over the cost of new equipment) since the VT AT Reuse Project's inception in FY2008.

Project Partners: 

• VT AT Reuse Project is an initiative of the VT Assistive Technology Program which is part of the Dept. of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living and the VT Family Network (a private non profit).
• GetATStuff.com was developed and is maintained by a consortium of the six New England states.
• The AT School Swap platform is maintained by 3 states of this consortium: VT, CT, and MA (site improvements are ongoing),
• ReSTORE in Barre, a division of ReSource in VT, has initiated an AT-DME area with the support and technical assistance of the AT Reuse Project (and an initial donation of medical equipment from New England Medical to the VT AT Program).
• Yankee Medical and other DME vendors are providing additional supports to the project.

Learn more:

Download the Vermont AT School Swap Power Point. This is a very detailed overview of VT's AT School Swap which Alderman presented last January at ATIA 2011 Orlando.

Attend "Optimizing AT Resources in Schools: School Swap and More" on Saturday, Jan. 28th at ATIA 2012 Orlando presented by Sharon Alderman with Liz Persaud and Carolyn Phillips of the Pass It On Center.

Contact:

Sharon Alderman
project coordinator, VT AT Reuse Project
Nationwide Toll Free 1-888-827-2714

Pass It On Center Happenings

The Pass It On Center is the provider of technical assistance to AT reuse programs nationally. PIOC provides site visits to established and emerging programs, offers webinars, teleconferences, and workshops for training purposes, and organizes reuse summits to foster regional collaboration and planning. The PIOC Web site is a deep resource of toolkits, archived webinars, and a "knowledge base" that includes everything from how to sanitize equipment to advice with choosing board members. Below are some recent and upcoming PIOC happenings.

California site visit:

This past summer, PIOC Director Carolyn Phillips was invited to visit the Ed Roberts Center (for independent living) in Berkeley, CA. The new Center is a model of thoughtful accessible design.


Ed Roberts Center interior
 

Phillips was in Berkeley as part of a PIOC team to advise on the design of a new AT Reuse Center to be constructed on the site of the former CIL.

Carolyn Phillips with Yomi on the site of the former CIL

Upcoming Webinars:

Five years ago, the Department of Education funded 12 projects that showed promise as models of how to expand AT Reuse. In November and December, PIOC's Joy Kniskern and Trish Redmon will review what the grantees proposed, what they have accomplished, and some lessons learned with regards to sustainability and outcomes during the following webinars:

November 29, 2011   
Sustainability: Lessons Learned from the 12 Demonstration Projects 
2:00pm to 3:30pm EST

December 13, 2011   
Outcomes: Lessons Learned from the 12 Demonstration Projects   
2:00pm to 3:30pm EST

Access them at the PIOC Webinars page

Reuse Workshops at ATIA Orlando:

The Assistive Technology Industry Association is holding its annual ATIA Orlando conference from January 25-28th, 2012. The PIOC is teaming with reuse programs from around the country to provide a reuse strand of workshops including:

Thursday, Jan 26th
8 a.m. to 9 a.m.
The Trend of Reused AT for Sensory Disabilities.
Martha E. Rust, Sara Sack, Liz Persaud

1:15 pm to 2:15 pm
Meeting Community Needs Through AT Reuse Programs
Joy Kniskern, Barclay Shepard, Sonja Schaible, Liz Persaud

2:35 pm to 3:35 pm
"i" Am Ready: "Apps" for Emergency Preparedness
Liz Persaud, Amy Goldman

4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Filling the Gap! AT Reuse Helps School and Community Transition
Liz Persaud, Carolyn Phillips, Joy Kniskern, Lindsey Bean-Kampwerth

Friday, Jan. 27th
8 a.m. to 9 a.m.
AT Reuse is Making Environmental and Community Access Possible
Carolyn Phillips, Liz Persaud, Lindsey Bean-Kampwerth

4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Including AT, AT Reuse, and Emergency Preparedness in Pre-service Training
Amy Goldman, Sara Sack, Liz Persaud

Saturday, Jan. 28th
8 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Optimizing AT Resources in Schools: School Swap and More
Liz Persaud, Carolyn Phillips, Sharon Alderman

Learn more at this ATIA Orlando Web page

Nebraska's AT4ALL (Does It All)

An overview of Nebraska's popular equipment reutilization platform from Program Coordinator Barbara Schultz

Our Web site address evokes our mission statement--assistive technology 4 all ages, disabilities, and locations in Nebraska--but our impact has gone beyond state lines. AT4ALL.com was developed in 2005 to help Nebraska achieve its statewide mission by providing an easy online tool for individuals with disabilities and others to learn about and locate assistive technology. Today 12 additional states have adopted the platform, customized for their own use.

AT4ALL's structure is popular because its database is integrated. The site allows users to search for equipment available for demonstration, short-term loan, or reuse (sale or donation) in just one step, utilizing one search box. Users may also list equipment to sell or give away, or they may post "want ads" for items they cannot find. Visitors exploring the site to learn about AT by category are also directed to find what is available to try from those pages. In short, the site quickly takes visitors from learning and exploration to the opportunity "try before they buy."

Benefits for consumers and professionals

• Visitors to the site can browse recent listings and search for equipment by name, category, zip code, price or whether an item is free, for sale, loan or demonstration. Photos and links to the manufacturers are included and items can be bookmarked for future reference. 
• Persons who do not have access to the internet can call for assistance to access the equipment available on the website. 
• In Nebraska, in-state partners utilize the site to share their equipment, including the Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Centers for Independent Living, schools, and non-profit organizations.

Benefits for administrators

• Streamlines federal reporting. The site tracks inventory and activity (equipment loaned, reused, exchanged, as well as demonstrations), generates a variety of reports, and uses a federal auditing tool developed by Nebraska (to flag issues that need addressing). 
• Provides tools for managing site activity. This includes automatic email reminders/overdue equipment notices and a Loan Agreement Form. The form printed for transactions includes the device's Web site ID number, its value, and the borrower's information. Terms, a liability statement, and the user's signature are also included, along with the required federal satisfaction survey. 
• Includes a Quick Start Guide for users and a resource manual for managers.

Lessons learned

✓The database template is adaptable and expandable as states' needs change or federal reporting requirements shift.  

✓ Expanded usage across states assures usability with emerging technologies and 508 compliance.

For the states in this consortium, the relationship is "win-win." Each state program shares in the cost of hosting the Web site and votes on annual upgrades. Three additional states are considering the database to manage their program in 2012.

Interested? For more information contact me:
(402) 471-1301  barbara.schultz@nebraska.gov

The Reuse ReMEDy for Birmingham

Birmingham Baptist Association taps a deep need for durable medical equipment with the help of STAR, Alabama's Assistive Technology Resource

Over the last fifteen years, Alabama's STAR Program (through the Dept. of Rehabilitation Services) has used its limited federal AT Act dollars to develop a statewide network of equipment reuse programs through public-private partnerships. It's a model the Pass It On Center--the national provider of reuse program technical assistance--has been working to highlight. STAR's diverse partners range from disability services organizations, like Easter Seals and United Cerebral Palsy, to low-income and faith-based charities, like Goodwill and the Birmingham Baptist Association (BBA). STAR offers its modest grants to community-based organizations that already have the infrastructure, sense of purpose, and community roots to nurture and establish successful reuse initiatives within their communities. In return, equipment reuse programs are often effective outreach for their private partners, raising awareness of the full range of services their host agencies provide.

Reused Medical Equipment Donated by you (ReMEDy) is one such program. It started in 2009 when a long-established faith-based charity--the Birmingham Baptist Association (BBA)--applied for STAR support to begin a durable medical equipment (DME) reuse project in western Birmingham. Although Birmingham is Alabama's largest city (pop. 212,000), up until that time people seeking refurbished power chairs, gently used walkers, shower chairs, etc. had to drive the 60 miles to STAR's Reclaim/Refurbish/Reuse (3-R) Project in Anniston. This was true despite the logical need for DME reuse in a city where 27.8% of residents live at or below the poverty line and nearly a third of whom do so with some form of disability (2010 US Census data).

What helped successfully launch ReMEDy and what has the program learned along the way? AT Program News had the opportunity to speak with both Branum and Helen Baker, executive director of Alabama's STAR Program. Below is more of what they shared.

Origins

According to Branum, Debbie Duke, director of Congregational Nursing Program for Baptist Health System (BHS), "clocked a lot of time driving to Anniston for equipment until she asked why we didn't have a reuse program right here." BBA is the parent organization to BHS (which runs four hospitals). 3-R Project staff referred Duke to Helen Baker, executive director of Alabama's STAR Program to discuss the idea. "The answer, it turned out, was that no one had ever asked before."

In 2007, Duke brought the situation to the attention of Princeton Hospital's Director of Chaplains, Lynn Gavin who helped run with the idea. "He was frustrated advocating for seniors, learning that insurance providers wouldn't pay the $85 for a shower chair. He wanted other options." Gavin helped pulled together meetings with reps from BHS and BBA. Eventually BBA Director Mike McLemore, and others from BBA (including Branum) went to meet with Baker.

BBA's Community Assets

For BBA, identifying the need for a DME reuse project met with perfect timing. In 2009, BBA was in the process of creating initiatives for a new ministry center in western Birmingham--the Center at Central Park. The Center would re-purpose a large BBA church facility that had once housed a congregation of close to 3,000 people and was now down to fewer than 100. There was space to adopt. Also helpful was the Center's location; western Birmingham is a distressed community in need of revitalization, and an ideal location for a program offering free durable medical equipment. Of course it helped, too, that BBA has an over 100 year history of operation within the community including the provision of health care. Today ReMEDy is the Center's cornerstone initiative, anchoring and raising awareness of other Center offerings.

Program Nuts and Bolts:

• Two half-time staff members operate the program. Branum and an administrative assistant, Myra Patterson, are tracking data, writing grants, training and coordinating volunteers, sanitizing and finding storage for equipment, and responding to community requests and donations.
• Marketing has been largely word-of-mouth, both through established healthcare networks and among community members served.
• Equipment transport is provided by equipment donors and recipients whenever possible, and by program staff when not.
• ReMEDy provides a monthly inventory to STAR that is incorporated with other reuse centers' inventories and posted on the STAR Program Web page. (STAR is looking at converting to the AT4ALL data system--see the AT4ALL article this edition).

Additional Program Partners:

• The Community Foundation of Birmingham provides a $15,000 grant.
• AT&T organizes a twice-yearly equipment drive among its 2000+ area employees.
• In addition to BBA, local churches--including the United Methodist church across the street--donate storage space, volunteers, and financial support.

Lessons Learned:

• Do not reinvent the wheel. "One of the keys to starting a program," Branum asserts, "is that you go see one that is active." Branum and McLemore studied how the 3-R program in Anniston is organized. Eventually Branum also visited the Huntsville and Montgomery programs, as well as FODAC in the neighboring state of Georgia. Branum learned about sanitizing equipment, storage, inventory, and policies and procedures through the PIOC online knowledge base, and by attending two PIOC conferences in Atlanta.
• Negotiate your liability insurance at the outset. BBA's insurance provider would not cover a DME reuse program that includes equipment involving breathing or blood, and ReMEDy had to assure that they would have safe practices with the mobility and seating equipment they loan out.
• Get trained on data reporting. Branum credits Baker for providing training on how to effectively track and report data. STAR requires that certain data be consistently collected and reported as a requirement of the STAR grant.
• Document as you train others. Branum is creating a manual he calls "The ReMEDy System" to house all the necessary forms and other program documentation, policies and procedures, and systems for program operation. "It's hugely complicated if you don't grow up with it," he realizes. On the statewide level, Baker is also making use of the ReMEDy start up experience, and is at work on a manual: "How to Start a Reuse Center" which will include a policies and procedures template.
• Be flexible with equipment transport. "Our program would be in its infancy if we had said from the outset that we would never collect or deliver equipment. We had to be willing to go to people's homes and work with them." Branum has been using his own vehicle and trailer, but recently received a donated cargo van for this purpose.
• Keep learning. Branum is facing challenges with building the program's capacity to meet the rising demand for services. He plans to explore Americorp/Vista internships and additional grant sources. Baker is looking to bring together additional stakeholders to discuss ongoing sustainability.
• Create a network of reuse programs. On the state level, Baker is working to connect the STAR reuse programs more closely for sharing and problem-solving. She has recommended, and is in the process of developing, a statewide AT Reuse Network and Summit among other initiatives.

Learn more about the Alabama STAR reuse network:

Check out the PIOC 08/31/11 webinar on partnerships to expand reuse. Helen Baker provides a lively overview of the STAR reuse network.

Contact: Helen Baker, executive director of Alabama's STAR Program

Explore PIOC Knowledge Base modules:

• A model reuse program operating budget is available under Finance>Budgeting

• Marketing/PR provides over a dozen articles ranging from "Community awareness--developing a strategy" to targeted advice, such as "Press Releases--how to use."

• Sustainability offers strategies ranging from capacity building and funding to stakeholder engagement.

Poignant for the AT Community: Mona Simpson on Steve Jobs

From Mona Simpson's "A Sister's Eulogy for Steve Jobs" at the New York Times Web site on October 30th, 2011:

One time when Steve had contracted a tenacious pneumonia his doctor forbid everything — even ice. We were in a standard I.C.U. unit. Steve, who generally disliked cutting in line or dropping his own name, confessed that this once, he’d like to be treated a little specially.

I told him: Steve, this is special treatment.

He leaned over to me, and said: “I want it to be a little more special.”

Intubated, when he couldn’t talk, he asked for a notepad. He sketched devices to hold an iPad in a hospital bed. He designed new fluid monitors and x-ray equipment. He redrew that not-quite-special-enough hospital unit.

Digital Books: So Many (Free) Ways to Read--MassMATCH News Quarterly

Check out the article I just wrote for the MassMATCH News Quarterly on free digital book sources: "An orientation to this dizzying world for everyone." This is a round up of resources for individuals with print disabilities as well as mainstream consumers. Along the way you'll learn a few things about play back devices and file types and all that confusing stuff. Read Digital Books: So Many (Free) Ways to Read at the MassMATCH Web site.

Google Improves Accessibility for Blind Users

Google has announced improved keyboard shortcuts and support for screen readers in Google Docs, Google Sites, and Google Calendar. Google Accessibility Technical Lead T.V. Raman reports that Google has been working with advocacy organizations for the blind to improve its products and plans to continue to make enhancements over the coming months.

Learn about Google's accessibility features 

Read the announcement at the Official Google Blog 

Supermarket Tests New Technology for Blind Shoppers--abledbody

Finding a loaf of French bread and a wheel of Camembert could get a lot easier for people with disabilities. French supermarket chain Casino is testing the potential of chip-enabled smartphones that would make grocery shopping easier for people who are blind, visually impaired or have a physical disability.

Read the rest at this abledbody Web page

VGO-Robotic Assistive Technology Brings Homebound Child Into His Classroom

This is a MUST WATCH video brought to my attention by a colleague in Massachusetts. The video shows a child who is homebound traveling the halls of his school thanks to VGO.

 

Great Video: Keith Jones Using Assistive Technology for His Home-Based Enterprise

ReThinking: He Doesn't Want to be Seen as Different

I've heard that refrain numerous times.

"But... he doesn't want to be seen as different."

It's usually uttered in response to specific technology recommendations offered during the IEP team process. The team typically nods their head in agreement; after all, it is a priority that the student completes school tasks in the same manner as their peers, or uses the same school tools as their friends. (Or is it?)

Unfortunately, I realize another team is unaware of Universal Design for Learning principles.  If they understood UDL, they would appreciate the importance of offering MULTIPLE methods of engagement, presentation and expression. Instead, they are sticking to the "one size fits all" approach, an approach which fails to meet the needs of all learners. It's an approach that allows teams to agree, "He doesn't want to be seen as different."

My challenge to the team is to change the culture, don't let the student be seen as different. Offer multiple methods of expression. Give choices. Offer alternatives to the traditional methods which fail many kids.

Sometimes students need a different method.

A classic example is the Poster Board.

Think of all the poster boards that have been assigned over the years. For some students, the fine motor or visual processing skills required to complete that task are nearly impossible without significant help from home. Paper can be the disability. Two alternatives are Glogster or VoiceThread, free online multimedia tools which minimize the potential output challenges. In addition, these tools can be more engaging.

But don't just change the expectation to ALL students will now create a Glog. Introduce them to the tools. Then let students choose the tool which will help them accomplish the task in the way that works best for them. Promote an environment where they are not seen as different. Every one chooses the method which promotes success. Some students will opt for the paper poster board, others will choose another option.

The essential point is the availability of choice. When there is choice, no one is seen as different. Every student gets what they need.

Easily accomplished in an age of numerous tool choices. Need a starting place? Refer to the UDL Tech Toolkit wiki to get you going.

-Karen Janowski

Karen Janowski is an assistive and educational technology consultant in Massachusetts. This blog post was originally published May 13, 2011 at Teaching Every Student and is reprinted with permission.

10 Things Every School District Should Know About AT

Check out this online training from the Georgia Project for Assistive Technology (a program of the Georgia Dept. of Education). Useful to school systems in any state (as well as parents, educators, therapists, and others), this 4 part video series helps frame essential concepts and action steps for the responsible provision of AT services. Whether you have an AT program in place or are in the process of developing a program, here are

10 Things Every District Should Know About Assistive Technology.  

 

The Kids' Project

 

  Adjustable Corner Sitter: "Sitting on the floor to play with blocks or to color is part of being a child."

Affordable easels, incline boards, adjustable desks, adaptive classroom chairs, corner sitters (support for sitting on the floor with everyone else), adaptive preschool toys, and more can be found at The Kids' Project, a program of the non-profit Pine Tree Society.

The Kids' Project adaptive equipment is comparable to top of the line adaptive equipment at 40-75% below commercial prices, providing more opportunities for greater success for children with special needs.

Their high-quality adaptive equipment is made by volunteer woodworkers and upholsterers. Find them at the Pine Tree Society Web site.

Reminder: AT Program News makes no endorsement, representation, or warranty expressed or implied for any product, device, or information set forth in this Web site. AT Program News has not examined, reviewed, or tested any product or device referred to on this Web site.

My Study Bar for Writing Support and More

Here's a terrific free tool from Scotland for Windows operating systems. Open source tools that support research, planning, structuring and writing are all organized for ease of access with My Study Bar.

My Study Bar provides 15 apps to choose from, including Xmind for planning and organization; T-Bar for customizing font and color backgrounds; Lingoes for when you need a talking dictionary; LetMeType for help with text input; Balabolka for converting text to audio, a speech-to-text app, and more.

XP, Vista, and Windows 7 are all supported, and the program can run off a USB stick. Step-by-step tutorials are also provided. Find it all at this JISC RSC Scotland N&E Web page.

Thanks to SC Assistive Technology Program Director Carol Page for suggesting My Study Bar to ATPN!

Beyond the Apps Store!

10 Web pages with apps for special education and adults with disabilities

As the volume of apps for mobile devices explodes, Web sites are cropping up to help us learn, review, and share about them. Below is a selection to help you get started:

1. Apps for Children with Special Needs (a4cwsn.com)
Videos of apps in action to help parents, educators, caregivers and professionals make more informed purchases. The creator is a parent who has also launched an effort to give away 50 iPads in 50 states.  

2. IEAR.org; I Education Apps Review
Founded by an education technology specialist, this site has created a community of over 500 educators, administrators, and app developers, including 30 volunteer "educator" app reviewers.  Apps are categorized by grade level and tagged by subject. There is also a special education category with 10 reviews so far. A great place to explore (and help grow?)

3. Teach with your iPad
This is a Wiki with a special education page. There are a lot of educators out there creating Wikis to share education technology advice and this is one of them.

4. Mobile Learning for Special Needs
Founded by a special educator, this Wiki includes 140 iPad/iPhone apps organized by category in addition to articles, video case studies and captioned video tutorials on devices.

5. Moms With Apps: special needs page
An online catalog of apps created by family-friendly developers.

6. iPodsibilities
"One teacher's thoughts on using iPods and iPads in the classroom."  Apps, reviews, lesson plans and more--including for special education.

Beyond Special Education…

7. iPhone/iPad Apps for AAC

8. iPhone/iPad Apps for Magnification and Vision Support

9. iPhone/iPad Apps for Literacy Support
These link to large spread sheets explaining, comparing, and reviewing apps! The AAC page sorts apps with symbols/pictures only, apps with symbols and text-to-speech, and text-based-only apps. The Vision page sorts apps by magnification and other vision support. The Literacy Support sheet is more of a listing only. They are provided by the Spectronics Web site--a supplier of inclusive learning technologies in Australia and New Zealand.

10. AAC TechConnect Apps Assistant
The Apps Assistant is under development to help sort through the sea of AAC apps through a series of basic questions. Check out the apps list and sign up for beta testing.

Happy searching!

Igniting Student Writing with Storybird

One tech-savvy parent's just-in-time classroom intervention 

Last year my second-grader was learning to hate writing. "It's the worst part of the day," he'd say. "I can never think of anything to write about!"  

His teacher, it turned out, used no prompts and fiction was outlawed. ("Their plots are too messy at this age" she told me.) Writing periods were spent practicing the structure of a paragraph among other prescriptive tasks.  

Back in graduate school, I'd had the opportunity to teach high-schoolers a summer course I called "Writing with Passion for School and for Yourself." Now I was wondering how I could also show my son that writing is satisfying, nourishing and essential. How could I show his class? (After all, I'm a writer not an educator.)

At an AT Advisory Council meeting in December, I took the opportunity to share my woes with Karen Janowski. Janowski is an educational technology and AT specialist working with public schools in Massachusetts (see "ReThinking: He Doesn't Want to be Seen as Different" in the sidebar). I told Janowski about my son, how he receives reading room support and hates writing so much he gets angry with waitresses who bring him crayons.

She recommended trialing Storybird.com, a free online storytelling program. Storybird allows users to create gorgeous picture books by selecting graphics by participating artists, and writing accompanying text. The site is durable for young students; once logged in, student projects are automatically saved as they work. Once a book is finished, the project may be published online and/or ordered in hard copy.

Back at my son's school (in Vermont), a group of parents and I decided to tackle integrating Storybird into his class of 20 first- and second-graders. For guidance I enlisted the support of the reading specialist (she met with me on her own time and attended class when she could manage it). To get into the weekly schedule, I took over the class computer lab (unstructured time used solely for learning the keyboard and playing games). And to motivate the kids, I got a grant from the PTO to buy one soft-cover copy of each student's book for them as a keepsake.

My Goals:

• To give the students a writing project that was completely theirs.
• To envision themselves as published authors (elevate their task and sense-of-self).
• To introduce them to the elements of a story (concepts of plot, character, and setting--part of the state standards).
• To provide motivation for learning basic word processing skills and sentence construction.
• To model my own love of writing.
• To have fun.

Nuts and Bolts:

• To introduce the unit, I showed them a Storybird I wrote (above) which incorporated some of their first names to get them excited. (Here is the Google Doc slide presentation I used to guide them on that first day. Be sure to click on the speaker notes).
• To ensure enough time, including time to learn and play with the Web site, we met weekly for over four months of the school year.  
• The first set of weeks was spent writing individual stories; the last half we spent in small groups on collaborative works (adult facilitated!)
• Collaborative stories were shared in a final wrap-up celebration using a SMART Board.  
• At the end of the school year, the students chose which stories they wanted the PTO to purchase (their individual or their group project).

The Devil in the Details:

• 4 adults helped in computer lab each week.
• I pre-registered each student at home to create simple user names and passwords.
• I used a projected screen to help guide them through log-in and tools.  
• To maximize class time, eventually we learned to arrive early to pre-log them in, choosing who would sit where for a quieter classroom (it worked!)
• We came up with some parameters: no project could be over 20 pages, and words must accompany every page.
• One parent made colorful, paper "choosing hats" for drawing names when conflicts in small groups needed resolving.
• Storybird updates were sent home to parents including login instructions for home access.

Outcomes:

• Initial grumbling about lost free computer lab time vanished by the second week.
• A mid-session show of hands revealed 50% of the classroom was working on Storybird at home, writing on their own free time (and not always the students we would have predicted!)
• Logging in, I found that older siblings had also created stories or collaborated with younger siblings to get in on the action!
• The first-grader on the autism spectrum enjoyed sequencing pictures and thrived contributing during group work (he was assigned to the reading specialist's group).
• I used a SMART Board with my small group, which made everyone eager to place pictures, enter text, and stand up to read what we had created.
• Final results varied, predictably, by skill level. For some, just learning to navigate the site, drag and drop pictures, and move a cursor were big accomplishments. However, all developed a range of skills much faster than anticipated. Most were eager to read and share their stories with the class and answer questions (making me wish we'd had more time for literary criticism because they loved it).
• Their plots were, indeed, messy. They loved them anyway.   

Special Needs (with input from Karen Janowski):

• Storybird works with Co:Writer word prediction and Dragon Naturally Speaking software.
• Storybird is forgiving and flexible; students can easily change, edit, correct, and update their work. Nothing is unfixable, even after you hit "publish."
• Spell check may be enabled or disabled (I found many second-graders were empowered and delighted to use spell check).
• Reluctant or struggling writers love placing and sequencing pictures. The artwork inspires storytelling.
• Older students can collaborate via email on a common Storybird project (swapping turns). Comments may be left on published works (a huge motivator).

Final note:

In March my son was stuck at home with walking pneumonia while I was stuck out of state due to a snow storm. Using Skype with Storybird, however, I was able to babysit him for over an hour, providing respite for my partner. I chose Skype's "screen share" option, and he and I took turns reading published Storybirds aloud to each other (I turned the pages as well as guided him, word-by-word, using the cursor). It was a wonderful way to visit with each other as well as support his learning.

Plus, these days he admits that writing is not the worst part of his day.

-Eliza Anderson, ATPN editor-in-chief

Spending Down ARRA?

As the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act expires August 30th, 2011, consider these words of wisdom from Fred Tchang (director of AT Services at Advancing Opportunities in NJ):

"Districts have contacted my organization countless times requesting a laundry list of technology they ought to purchase. We advise those districts to buy less, not more and to put more money into training and support. In corporate America, I'm told, companies set aside one-third of their technology funds for training and implementation. Yet too many school districts continue to commit too much of their available funding into equipment and far too little, if anything, to training and implementation."

Read the full article, "Beyond ARRA," at this Family Center on Technology and Disability Web page.

California's Taking Action For Accommodations

AT advocacy gets a shot of adrenaline with this youth-led back-to-school campaign

This year California's AT Network is partnering with an energized, youth-led, advocacy campaign to educate students with disabilities on their rights to assistive technology.   

The campaign, Take Action for Accommodations, was launched last year by Youth Organizing! Disabled and Proud (YO!). Both AT Network and YO! are programs of the California Foundation of Independent Living Centers (CFILC). YO! launched the campaign after CFILC became aware that state budget cuts were putting the civil rights of community college students in jeopardy.  

"We began educating the community right away about the cuts, and heard from students that they were getting accommodation denial letters," explains CFILC Executive Director Teresa Favuzzi. "The campaign was born out of decisions that policy makers made."   

Today the depth of the problem is well understood. According to the California Association for Postsecondary Education and Disability, while the community college system has experienced cuts averaging about 2.5%, the system has cut disability services more than 40%. As result there have been delays of up to 7 weeks for accommodations, and in some cases outright denials.

Mobility assistance, readers, note takers, large print books, audio books, sign language interpreters, captioning, campus transport services and other essential accommodations are being delayed or denied, putting the academic careers of students with disabilities at risk (TA4A Fact Sheet)

AT Network Director Kim Cantrell teaches within this system and reports hearing first-hand from students how disability services is turning them away. "They're telling them they can't serve any more students. Yet legally, under Section 504 of the Rehab. Act, they have to serve them."

The fundamental right to equal education for people with disabilities is guaranteed under both federal and state law (Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Section 11135 of the California Government Code). Budget difficulties do not relieve the state or the community college system from the responsibility to provide reasonable accommodations (TA4A Fact Sheet)

The cause, however, is helping to energize YO!--a membership organization of over 300 teens and young adults with disabilities. In the spring of 2010, YO! launched TA4A in partnership with Disability Rights California (DRC, the state's protection and advocacy agency). This year they are working with another legal partner, Disability Rights Advocates.  

Here is how the campaign has evolved, what's been learned so far, and links to YO!'s other school-related initiatives:    

Initial TA4A campaign strategy

• to reach out to graduating high school seniors and current community college students with disabilities;
• to educate them about their rights to accommodations;
• to train them to get students involved on their own campuses who, like themselves, may have been denied services; and
• to assist students with filing complaints with the U.S. Dept. of Education's Office of Civil Rights (OCR) under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. 

"We won't change the situation if we don't show that enough students with disabilities are impacted"--YO! Organizer Christina Mills

Key campaign activities:

• In October of 2010, DRC and YO! provided a training on accommodations and Section 504 at the 5 Disability Rights California offices: San Diego, Los Angeles, Fresno, Sacramento, Oakland. The trainers were in Oakland and the other sites were included via video-conference.
• Attendees were encouraged to train others on their local campuses and file their own complaints as appropriate. (Check out this TA4A Web page for the "Campaign Resources and Organizers Toolbox"). 

Results to date:

• 75+ students and parents have been trained. 
• 7-10 community college campuses are now active with the campaign.
• Nearly 50 complaints have been filed with OCR.

Lessons learned

"Looking back I would have thought about collecting student stories and experiences myself and then shared them as a group with OCR," reports Organizer Christina Mills. "Students feel safer about sharing their stories with a third-party versus filing a first-hand complaint with OCR." Mills reports that students felt vulnerable to retaliation when filing a complaint, particularly those in smaller rural communities. 

A new partner helps shift the strategy 

YO! is now collaborating with another legal advocacy group, Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), to engage students to share their experiences.

"We were about to change our campaign strategy when we noticed that Disability Rights Advocates [had] sent out a call for students experiencing denial of services," explains Mills. "DRA is taking anonymous complaints which is different than what OCR require[s]. We're hoping that more students will come forward with their stories if they know their information is secure." If DRA can get enough evidence to show that accommodations complaints are an issue, then they will look into taking further legal action.    

More YO! advocacy 

YO! has two additional campaigns, both relevant to back-to-school: 

• "Own My Own Power," an anti-bullying campaign working to see passage of AB9--Seth's Law--in honor of the 13-year-old who took his life in California.  
• Disability History Week Campaign (DHW), an effort to get Disability History Week recognized and taught in California schools. Check out: Resources for Educators and Organizers, Organize DHW in Your Own State, and the Youth Organizer's Toolbox.   

 For more information:

 Contact: Kim Cantrell, director, AT Network

Understanding GPS--William Bielawski, Friends of ATIA newsletter

A look at the strengths and limitations of Global Positioning Systems for pedestrians who are blind or visually impaired

A person who was totally blind once told me that she felt safe at home and at her work site, but getting from one to the other caused her anxiety. A GPS (Global Positioning System) is an orientation tool that is currently receiving a lot of attention for how it can help improve independence (and relieve anxiety) for people who are blind or visually impaired. Leader Dogs for the Blind incorporates GPS into their training and describes GPS with the acronym WWH, for Where am I? Where am I going? How do I get there? And indeed, these are the questions a GPS should answer. But how do they work? And what GPS features and limitations should you look out for?

GPS pedestrian features to know about:

Street Navigation: GPS is good at identifying street intersections and any points of interest (POI) that you pass, but they can rarely direct you to the front door of your destination. Indeed, they typically have up to a 30 foot error in knowing your exact location! Moreover, they only have data about the address and GPS location of the street intersections. Between two intersections (a street segment) they assume the addresses are distributed proportionately. So GPS calculates, for example, that 1529 West Taylor is 29% of the way between 1500 West and 1600 West (which is far from the case!) However, this error does not make GPS useless. It will still get you to the right street segment, if not to the front door. And once you do find the front door, you can save its exact location for future use.

Open Area Navigation: Another useful GPS feature is navigation to a location that is not on the street, like the door to a store in a mall. In such open areas, some GPS devices give frequent clock face directions relative to your current position and heading.  For example, "go 160 feet at 2 o'clock." Using this can be tricky (you have to avoid obstacles), but ultimately you hone in on your destination. This feature is ideal for college quads.

Virtual Exploring: The last feature is called "virtual exploring" which simulates your movement from intersection to intersection anywhere on the map. The GPS device tells you the length of the traversed street segment. This allows you to preview an area, much like looking at a map. Some devices let you query POIs while virtually exploring.

Choosing a GPS: There are thousands of GPS apps for mobile devices. Only a few have accessible controls and give verbal directions on pedestrian routes. Sendero sells the LookAround app for the iPhone which describes upcoming intersections and nearby POIs. None of these apps support open areas or virtual exploring. A new GPS device called the Kapten Plus provides virtual exploring (without POI query), but does not handle open areas.  The Trekker Breeze does open areas beautifully, but does not allow virtual exploring. The Sendero based GPS products for Braille notetakers do it all as does the Mobile Geo app for Windows Mobile phones [however it is not yet Windows 7 compatible]. Choose the product that best meets your needs and skills.

-William Bielawski   

For the past 5 years, William Bielawski has been the manager of the Adaptive Technology Center at The Chicago Lighthouse for People who are Blind or Visually Impaired. He is currently working on a grant entitled "Freedom to Explore" which aims to improve the employability of young adults by enhancing their orientation skills with GPS. You can learn more from Bielawski by attending these upcoming ATIA webinars on computer access, mobile devices, and CCTVs.

This article appears in the July 2011 Friends of ATIA newsletter.

 

Free Everyday Math Apps Today and Tomorrow

For those with kids using the Everyday Math curriculum, and for anyone else interested, McGraw-Hill is offering its Everyday Mathematics apps for free through June 29th. Apps include Baseball Multiplication 1-6 Facts, Baseball Multiplication 1-12 Facts, and Top-It, Name that Number, Beat the Computer, and others.

My "typical" almost 3rd grader managed Baseball Multiplication this a.m. pretty well. He is easily frustrated by technology and this one worked out okay. I checked out Divisibility Dash myself, since division is on our agenda, but I find this app hard to understand and with little incentive to play.

When will McGraw Hill make apps that teach the relationships drilled by these Fact Triangles we (parents and kids) are endlessly saddled with? Inquiring bloggers want to know!

 

Looking for a Great Accessible Beach?

Helpful Advice from the Blogosphere!
 
TravelinWheels Highlights Accessible Beaches in North America
Discusses beaches (and provides links) for California, Florida, US Northeast, Midwest, Southeast, Mexico, and Hawaii.

Frommers: The Able Traveler. "Accessible beaches for everyone."
Discusses beach accessibility features and where to find them.

TravelMuse: Beach Access
"How and where to plan an accessible family beach vacation." Discusses Florida, San Diego, Caribbean, Jamaica, Turks and Caicos, Roatan.

Cape Cod Disability Access Directory
Upper, mid, lower, and outer cape thoroughly analyzed!

Gina Lynn Carson, M.Ed: "New Jersey Shore/Beach Accessibility"
An assistive technology consultant blogs on NJ beaches and provides info (and links) for the whole state.

Guide to Hilton Head Beaches
Discusses these SC beaches and provides wheelchair access info.

Virginia Tech post: "Hokie's Help Create Fully Accessible Beach Park"
An article on the unique Grommet Island beach park and playground for every "body."

For Beach and Water Accessibility--The Mobi-chair

From the makers of the Mobi-mat--the portable beach access path--comes the Mobi-chair. Made of corrosion resistant alluminum and steel, the Mobi-chair rolls on sand, floats in the water, and folds for convenient storage and portability.

Try the Mobi-chair for free in Florida! Five Sarasota County beaches have them available at no charge -- Lido Key, Siesta Key, Nokomis, Venice and Manasota Beach.

Learn more: visit www.mobi-chair.com

Also, for a discussion of additional beach mobility products, check out this Everyone Outdoors blog post. It's by the coordinator of the Dept. of Conservation and Recreation's Universal Access Program in Massachusetts State Parks.

Reminder: AT Program News makes no endorsement, representation, or warranty expressed or implied for any product, device, or information set forth on this Web site. AT Program News has not examined, reviewed, or tested any product or device referred to on this site.

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.

Great Adaptive Recreation Resource: The National Center on Physical Activity and Disability (NCPAD)

Check out the Lifetime Sports pages of this Web site out of the University of Illinois at Chicago! Here is a wealth of information on playing and adapting nearly a dozen sports, from bocce and golf to sled hockey and Tai Chi. Learn how games are played, watch videos of players playing with adaptations, and find equipment suppliers in your area. NCPAD Lifetime Sports

Also, if you are looking for accessible and adaptive recreation and/or fitness programs in your state or region this summer, NCPAD houses a state-by-state and town-by-town program directory. Find everything from adaptive sailing in Vermont, to deer hunting in Arkansas, and golf in California. The directory is also a summer camps resource. NCPAD Programs Directory

NCPAD is a program of the Dept. of Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois--Chicago and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Tips for Easier Gardening--Gardens for Every Body

Gardens for Every Body is a great Web resource on accessible gardening for seniors and persons with disabilities. Below is an excerpt from their Tips for Easier Gardening:

If you have limited strength, mobility, or trouble getting around the garden, try some of the following tips for easier gardening.

• Put hanging baskets on pulleys so that they can be easily lowered for maintenance.
• When possible use lightweight pots for the patio or balcony. If using clay try having them set on a platform with wheels so that you can easily move them around when needed.
• If you have a large garden and are always forgetting things, try getting a few inexpensive tools and putting them in a plastic-type container (safe from the elements) near the bottom of the garden. This will save steps and allow you to prune and weed as you go.
• Try using a mailbox to hold small hand tools. There are great decorative mailboxes on the market that will add charm to the garden.
• Place stools, garden chairs or benches in the garden so that you can rest often.
• You can buy a garden cart to carry long handled tools but a plastic garbage pail on wheels works just as well and is somewhat cheaper. The wheels are adjustable on the back so they will stay in one place when you park it. The tools are where you need them and they don't fall.

Read the rest of this article at this Gardens for Every Body Web page (by Karen Funkenbusch, MA and Willard Downs, PhD)

Missouri's Gardens for Every Body

One quirky effort to reach farmers with disabilities becomes a national model... and a deep Web resource

For 13 years, the University of Missouri AgrAbility project has been running a program that provides strategies, tools, adaptive services, and education on accessible gardening. Funded by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA), it began in 1998 as back-door outreach to farmers and ranchers with disabilities. "Because in '97-98 there were no farmers and ranchers with disabilities in the entire state!" kids Program Co-Director Karen Funkenbusch. "Anyway, AgrAbility couldn't find them."

Funkenbusch's father-in-law--himself a farmer--came up with the gardening approach. "He told me I should go into the churches and talk about tools for the garden, since everybody has a vegetable garden." The presentations turned out to be popular--appealing to people's passions--and led to home visits with parishioners. "I'd get out there and it would be, 'Karen while you're here talking to Mamma about her garden, could you come look at my tractor? I've had a hip replacement, and I can't get up on my tractor."

Today Missouri AgrAbility works with 50 clients with disabilities each year.

To some, accessible gardening seemed to stray from the USDA AgrAbility mission, which aims to keep farmers with disabilities safely farming. But Funkenbusch persevered. "Agriculture includes your Victory garden, landscaping, horticulture, even agri tourism. And with vegetable gardening, most farmers bring their produce to markets, or church, or sell it at a road-side stand. These are all agricultural occupations if you bring in $1000." (Missouri AgrAbility is currently helping a veteran start a niche market horticulture business; they've had a farmer put a cabin on his land for turkey hunting, and another use his silos for ice climbing.)

Armed with this justification--as well as adapted wheelbarrows, shovels, and hoes--Funkenbusch  reached farmers and ranchers of many communities.  "We work with Latino, Hmong, Amish, Mennonite, African American, you name it."

From 1999 to 2008, arthritis-specific funding from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) to the MU Medical School allowed for program expansion and the development of more resources, including the Gardens for Every Body Web site. These days most AgrAbility programs around the country have a gardening component using the Gardens for Every Body materials. And these days Funkenbusch, herself, gives fewer presentations and instead supports the activities of her program's extensive partners.

Gardens for Every Body Partners

• University of Missouri Extension specialists, including Master Gardeners, are trained in Gardens for Every Body and provide workshops, outreach and referral in rural and urban churches, libraries, and  community centers statewide. (Every USDA AgrAbility program works through a land grant university and its extension services.)
• Centers for Independent Living (ILCs) provide Gardens for Everybody information and referral and help AgrAbility clients navigate state resources. (Every USDA AgrAbility program works in partnership with nonprofit disability organizations and MO AgrAbility partnered with the ILCs at the advice of the state's Tech Act program--the first AgrAbility program to do so.)
• MU's Dept. of OT/PT students. This partnership, one of the program's first, has had statewide impact. Students learn about Gardens for Every Body and adapt a tool for particular client needs. They then graduate and work in a variety of settings throughout the state, sometimes starting accessible garden programs, often calling Funkenbusch or their local University of Missouri Extension Center with client referrals.
• Nursing homes: another spot where MU students land. This has lead to advising facilities on creating accessible gardens.
• Rural County Health Nurses: Funkenbusch partners with nurses doing outreach on arthritis to integrate Gardens for Every Body information and referral.
• USDA Farm Services Agency: provide AgrAbility outreach materials and referrals to farmers and ranchers who come in to apply for loans.
• Vocational Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation Services for the Blind (RFB), and the Veterans Administration (VA) are all sources of funding for AT for vocational purposes. Newly returned veterans are a new focus area of Missouri AgrAbility.
• Lowe's, Home Depot, and Wal-Mart donated tools, gadgets, equipment and materials. Funkenbusch reports these were easy donations to obtain simply by going into the stores and asking. 
• Missouri AT program helped MU obtain the AgrAbility grant to begin with and continues to provide referrals and consultation to the program.

Learn More:
Spend time learning about garden tools, strategies, structures, and systems at the Gardens for Every Body Web site.

Contact:
Karen Funkenbusch, program co-director
University of Missouri AgrAbility Project

Growing Inclusive Community Gardens in Kansas

"Food, Exercise, Friends, and Maybe Money"

It started out a modest proposal. In 2009, AT for Kansans (ATK) applied for a 3-year Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) recreational programs grant to develop 5 community gardens accessible to individuals with disabilities, seniors, and those with serious health conditions. They estimated they'd reach 150 people with disabilities each year (plus their social networks), fund some tools, some technical assistance, some structural modifications, and a little admin for local community garden coordinators. In their application they predicted gardening would have positive social, health, and employment outcomes, and dutifully explained how they would track, tally, and report them.

The enthusiasm they tapped into, however, no one predicted.

By the end of year one, the Kansas Inclusive Community Gardening Project closed the number of participants with disabilities it could reasonably track at 370--more than double its intended target.  "And these are people with pacemakers, amputees, individuals with spinal cord injury, back problems, health conditions," emphasizes Program Director Sara Sack, "you name it, and all ages have been involved in the gardens!"

Employment outcomes, too, have already exceeded expectations. In its application, Kansas anticipated the social benefits of gardening could extend to "possibly new employment contacts." Yet by the close of year one, 6 participants had actually acquired work through their community garden. "It's the sleeper story about this initiative, I think," reflects Project Coordinator Sheila Simmons, "that there are individuals really getting work."

Low Hanging Fruit

ATK partnered with community gardens at all stages of development, from longstanding programs to those just starting up. Their idea was supported by a literature review that showed, nationally, community gardens were not conscious of accessibility issues, and that many even had policies that exclude practices at the heart of accessible cultivation. Vertical gardening was often banned for blocking light on other plots. Smaller more manageable plots were often unavailable.

Sack and Simmons helped new programs develop accessible policies and materials as well as physical spaces and structures, and worked to retrofit the practices,  pathways and sheds of established gardens. All programs integrated data collection into their membership and orientation materials, including end-of-season surveys. All programs were the recipients of adaptive tools for their tool sheds. 
Outreach to potential gardeners with disabilities was accomplished through county extension services, ATK's 5 access sites, and of course, word of mouth. Which is why, Simmons says, the impact of this program will now never go away.  "We get calls from other gardens around the state. They've heard about us and they want to learn more." Indeed, according to Simmons, the garden that was the most hesitant to change initially is now the most fervent supporter of accessible practices. "They've seen what this means for them. These are people dedicated, after all, to spreading the word about gardening--to get you germinating seeds in February--and now they are reaching a whole new population of converts!"

Garden Plot or Job Reference?

Garden converts include people like "Henry," an older low-income gentleman with serious health conditions who had recently lost his wife. Henry joined the Parsons garden at the start of last season and ended up working there as much as three times each day.

"It anchored him," Simmons muses, "it brought him out where there is always someone to talk to. He was there with people of all ages. He loved to see the children, and he was so attentive to his plants that people began offering him work."  

Indeed, Simmons saw how a community garden plot can go beyond addressing social isolation, but may also function like a compelling job reference: your plot a reflection of your punctuality, attention to detail, organizational skills, even creativity. "And we have stories like Henry's in every garden," she says.

Swords into Plowshares

Another surprise came at the Fort Riley military base. Simmons was there to talk to service members with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) about tools for memory and organization. "I went with Echo Pens and iPads and ended up talking about gardening!"

That's because the base is home to a large and ambitious community garden. Between 150-270 service members participate, many with head injuries ("though we do have a couple of guys gardening from wheelchairs," Simmons notes).  Dubbed "The Warrior Garden," it helps feed kids at the Fort Riley day care center as well as gardener families.

ATK is providing Warrior Gardeners with adaptive tools and strategies for gardening with TBI--help that has proved to have a positive employment side effect. "These bases are massive," Simmons explains, "and a lot goes into grounds keeping and appearances. So it's interesting, in some cases the garden has enabled service personnel to revise their MOS's [military job descriptions]. They're out of their tanks, but still on active duty taking care of the grounds."

 Examples of ATK accessible gardening strategies:

• Smaller plots
• Raised beds and wide rock pathways
• Vertical growing
• Drip irrigation system with accessible valves (different ways of turning water on and off)
• Adaptive tools in accessible sheds
• Accessible produce washing station

Program Nuts and Bolts          

ATK's 5 Inclusive Community Gardens:

• Hutchinson Community Garden
• Ft. Riley Wounded Warriors
• Elm Creek Community Garden, Iola
• Parsons Community Garden
• WIN Community Garden, Wichita

Program Partners:

• Local garden coordinators
• Master gardeners
• USDA County Extension Agents
• 4-H Programs
• ATK access sites
• American Community Gardening Association  

Learn more

Contact:

Sara Sack, ATK program director
Sheila Simmons, ATK project coordinator

Visit the Parsons Community Gardens Blog 

Find your local community garden at the American Community Gardening Association Web site. 

One Man's Path to Meaningful Self-Employment

Bill Fuppull and Get Guam Teleworking

Bill Fuppul used to work in cargo for Continental Airlines. Today he is a self-employed translator and interpreter with clients that include the Guam Dept. of Education and the Guam Dept. of Rehabilitation. He retooled his work life with the help of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the University of Guam, the Guam alternative financing program for AT (GOAL AT), and most recently Get Guam Teleworking.

Fuppul's new career is a good match for his skills, abilities and the needs of his community.  Several years ago he had an electrical accident that resulted in paraplegia. With the help of the SBDC and its partnership with the loan programs, however, Fuppul spun his language skills into an entrepreneurial opportunity that addresses a deep community need: English translation and interpreter services to help reach Guam's Chuukese immigrants.

"One of my first clients was the Dept. of Education, special education. They needed their parent's rights brochure in Chuukese. I created that for them."  A native of Chuuk (an island in Micronesia), Fuppul is literate and fluent in both Chuukese and English; he also speaks Pohnpaien, another Micronesian language.

Many Chuukese natives come to Guam for better economic and educational opportunities, so Guam's public services need Bill's translation skills. The SBDC helped him create a business plan and acquire a business license. Through GOAL AT Bill acquired his first computer in 2007. Through Get Guam Teleworking, he upgraded that hardware in 2010.

GOAL AT provides financial loans to eligible applicants with disabilities (or family members) who are looking to purchase AT. Telework has a much smaller target: eligible applicants with disabilities who need equipment in order to "telecommute" (work from home or a telework center) through an employer or as a self-employed small business owner. In FFY10 Get Guam Teleworking made five loans. Bill, having paid off his original loan and already self-employed, was an ideal applicant.

Telework approved a $2,000 loan for a faster laptop equipped with Microsoft Office plus a wireless printer/fax and router.  The faster computer meant Bill could take on larger projects and more clients. Once equipped, his first new job was a 48 page translation for the Guam Dept. of Education. "I could not have taken the job without the new computer," he says. And thanks to the wireless router and printer, he was able to complete the project easily from his wheelchair and bed.

Asked how the new loan has impacted his life, Fuppul told ATPN that these days he is enjoying the benefits of a solid credit rating (he provided a nice Christmas for his family) and is now considering how to market his Chuukese translation services beyond Guam. It frustrates him, he says, to see such poor translations on Hawaiian Web sites. Need an English-to-Chuukese translator? Email Bill Fuppul

Get Guam Teleworking Nuts and Bolts:

    * Get Guam Teleworking is administered by the Guam Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (Guam CEDDERS)
    * Loans made in 2010: 5
    * Loans Guaranteed? Yes
    * Loan range: $100 to $5000 (may exceed in certain circumstances)
    * Rate/term: currently 2.125% for up to 5 years (longer terms may be approved by the Loan Board)
    * Average income of applicants: $16,386/year
    * Bank partner: Pacific Island Microcredit Institute

Massachusetts's Assistive Technology for Employment Toolkits

There are probably hundreds of different accommodations workplaces are now providing to employees with disabilities. Most are simple, like wrist supports or a schedule modification. Others are more complex like screen reading software, a modified workstation, or the option to telecommute. Regardless of the solution, it's the ability to think creatively about workplace practices and environments--coupled with a general awareness of assistive technology (AT) tools--that is often critical to employment success for individuals with disabilities.

To help develop these awareness skills, the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC) recently partnered with Easter Seals MA to create AT for Employment Toolkits. The toolkits are for use by employment specialists and job developers. MassMATCH (the Massachusetts state AT Act program) provided technical assistance to steward the design of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)-funded project, brainstorming needs with job placement specialists, and then helping to contract with Easter Seals to design and assemble them and provide trainings on their use.

About the Toolkits:

The toolkits are wheeled suitcases packed with information and equipment. The contents are targeted to raise awareness among employers, counselors, and potential users about the power AT can have leveling the playing field for individuals with disabilities. In total 29 kits were created, one for every MRC area office.

What's in them:

    * A guide to using the toolkit 
    * Sample devices for use with individuals with different disabilities (i.e. trackball mouse, digital recorder, personal amplifier, smart pen, magnifiers, iPod Touch with memory/organization apps, etc.) 
    * A binder of referral and resource information for employers and MRC staff (including the Job Accommodation Network Accommodation and Compliance Series by disability, information on Universal Design and AT, comparison charts on specific product types, open source information, etc.) 
    * 3 desktop easels with presentation information on AT for individuals with different disabilities as well as information on employer tax credits and work place accommodations.

How the toolkits are used:

The toolkits are currently integrated into employer sensitivity trainings on working with individuals with disabilities, and are helping to facilitate conversation about different types of disabilities and AT. According to Bill Allen, MRC's statewide employment placement director, most employers do not know what is available and having something in hand can make a very big impression.

MRC is also ramping up to integrate the toolkits into cross-trainings the agency has planned with major Massachusetts employers including MBTA, Allied Barton, Manpower, and Adecco. Cross-trainings allow MRC to learn about these workplaces and what is required of their employees, and for employers to learn, in turn, about services, accommodations, and on-the-job trainings MRC can provide to help fill their positions with qualified VR clients.

Allen is excited by the role he sees the AT toolkits will play to further these employer partnerships. ARRA funds, he explains, have also been used to hire six employment specialists with marketing and business backgrounds to do outreach, and create new employer relationships. The mission of that initiative dovetails nicely with deploying the toolkits. "It's all part of this infrastructure we're building for the future," he says, "for MRC's creating long-term sustainable relationships. We have a strategic plan to tap into market sectors like health care, IT, construction (for when that gets going again!) And AT is going to lead the way. As technology changes the workplace, we're going to be the go-to people for businesses when they understand what we do and all that we offer."

To learn more about what's in the toolkits: Download the AT For Employment Toolkit Power Point

Questions? Email MassMATCH Coordinator Kobena Bonney

New Mexico's ADA Template for Small Businesses

"Employers are often a little bit fearful of accommodation issues," notes Andy Winnegar, former director of New Mexico Technology Assistance Program (NM TAP) and now an independent consultant on employment and disability issues. When it comes to interviewing, hiring, and retaining individuals with disabilities, human resource (HR) departments "just don't have experience with it, particularly if they are a small business."

It's why the Disability Business Technical Assistance Center (DBTAC) Southwest ADA Center teamed with NM TAP to draft the Small Business Accommodations Policy, Winnegar explained in a phone interview with ATPN in February. "We figured if they had these policies and procedures in place for their own employees, as well as for applicants, they'll have something to refer to, feel less overwhelmed, and ultimately hire more qualified people with disabilities."

The "policy" is a combination template and learning tool for businesses looking for some hand-holding when it comes to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It's a document adapted from the policy and  procedures created for the state of New Mexico in 2004. That year, Governor Bill Richardson called for state agencies to increase their hiring of people with disabilities and Winnegar (also a former deputy director of NM DVR) was at the table charged with how to carry it out. The process, he reflects, "took a long time with a policy committee working through both agencies' own policies as well as the state HR and ADA coordinators, but we had a good chance to test it and get a lot of the details worked out."

That was hard work the DBTAC Southwest ADA Center saw as an opportunity. The Center, whose mission is to promote voluntary compliance with the ADA, contracted with NM TAP to take the newly crafted state policy and adapt it for the small business community.

It's not just HR departments, Winnegar notes, but also supervisors within companies who can benefit by this template. The document lays out suggested procedures for making reasonable accommodations, including a system of accountability. And it helps educate employers on the limits of the ADA, the parameters created to protect businesses from undue hardship. Used appropriately, the template can jump-start more than just compliance-on-paper, but also the education businesses need to adopt responsible accommodations practices that are really in their best interest anyway.

For example, one pitfall businesses frequently fall into, Winnegar emphasizes, is the tendency to move a little too quickly to long-term disability instead of making accommodations that might actually benefit the employer. "They just don't have enough information about the technologies and things out there for accommodations, and also, really, it's just easier for them to put somebody into the disability benefits process because it's a process they know."

The goal of the "model" Small Business Accommodations Policy, then, is to help HR departments get equally comfortable with the process for retaining and hiring qualified individuals who have disabilities. And talking to businesses about retaining their current trained employees, Winnegar observes, is a good entry point for initiating strong interest in learning about making reasonable accommodations. Plus it lays the groundwork of experience that will ultimately build a business community less fearful of hiring and working with qualified individuals who also happen to have disabilities.

Download the NM TAP Small Business Accommodations Policy (RTF)

Archived webinars sponsored by DBTAC Southwest ADA Center (part II makes use of the NM TAP document):

Developing a Successful Reasonable Accommodation Process (Part II) presented by Julie Ballinger, Disability Rights and Issues Consultant, on January 26, 2011.

Developing a Successful Reasonable Accommodation Process (Part I) presented by Julie Ballinger, Disability Rights and Issues Consultant, on January 19, 2011

ErgoQuest Workstations

ErgoQuest is a Michigan-based company that makes recliner and over-bed workstations. Complete workstations range from $1,500 to $10,000 and may be motorized or non-motorized. The company also sells "zero-gravity" recliners and workstation accessories.

Check out the ErgoQuest Web site.

Reminder: AT Program News makes no endorsement, representation, or warranty expressed or implied for any product, device, or information set forth in this newsletter. AT Program News has not examined, reviewed, or tested any product or device referred to in this newsletter.

Alternative Workstations for Wheelchair Users

A half-day RESNA 2011 workshop with Andy Winnegar 

Wheelchair workstation design has generally presumed users work seated in a wheelchair, yet for some individuals this is not possible. After all, wheelchairs come in a variety of configurations including standing and tilting, and wheelchair users who work standing, lying on their backs, sides and stomachs also need accessible user-friendly workstations. Indeed there are an estimated 1.4 million wheelchair users in the United States and all have a need to access computers and other devices. 

This workshop is about what exists and what needs to be invented for those who use wheelchairs. Participants will help brainstorm new ideas starting with what exists today.  The workshop will conclude with elaborating on concepts that are the most promising for the future design process. 

Come if you want:

   1. An understanding of the range of technologies available for alternative workstation design;
   2. To learn about technical and functional aspects of workstation ergonomics.
   3. To identify 6 current devices intended for particular operational functions.
   4. To identify 3 new technologies not yet developed that may hold promise.

RESNA 2011 will be held in Toronto, Canada at the Sheraton Centre Toronto from June 5 through June 8, 2011. Learn more at this RESNA conference Web page.

Andrew Winnegar is a consultant with the DBTAC Southwest ADA Center a program of ILRU (Independent Living Research Utilization) at TIRR Memorial Hermann. He recently presented with RESNA TA on a model accommodation policy for small business at the RSA Employment Conference. He was honored as the 2007 RESNA (Rehabilitation Engineer and Assistive Technology Society of North America) Conference, Don Ross Invited Lecturer - Early Deployment of Reasonable Accommodations for State Government Workers.

Book Review: The Illustrated Guide to Assistive Technology and Devices, by Suzanne Robitaille

Worthy of Any Assistive Technology Program's AT for Employment Toolkit!

Heads up, this is a good read! The Illustrated Guide to Assistive Technology and Devices showed me that we still need people writing books like this, even with the Internet. We need people like Suzanne Robitaille who can cast their net over a sea of material, interpret it, put it into historical context, spin it through their own life experience, and hand it over to the willing and grateful reader.

You might not expect that's what you'll find in The Illustrated Guide to Assistive Technology and Devices. The cover is tiled with icons that look downright clickable. And so my first unconscious reaction was, why even put it to paper? Isn't there just an app for that?

Then I started reading.

This book is for anyone who wants to see the AT forest for the trees. Of course it doesn't cover everything and everyone, but it is a proper orientation on AT for adults, articulated in a strong voice by a writer who knows how to say it simple. Robitaille is a former AT columnist for Businessweek Online and the founder of abledbody.com. I suspect she's never written a federal grant in her life; it takes a special talent to be able to write just three and a half pages on the history of AT.

I'm not saying it's perfect. The introduction too closely suggests the AT Act programs are funded to buy devices for people all over the United States. And is it the Eye Pal SOLO that can also magnify text to a computer screen or the Eye Pal SOLO LV? We are nerds for noticing. Robitaille does what few can do: paint the complete landscape with a few deft strokes.

The Illustrated Guide to Assistive Technology and Devices: Tools and Gadgets for Living Independently was published by Demos Medical in 2009.

8 Great Online Employment Resources (for Persons with Disabilities)

1. Our Ability
A Web portal for mentoring launched March 24th. View and listen to success stories. Post a job or resume. Read about and interact with successful people with disabilities in the education and business world.  The site is the brain-child of John Robinson, general manager for WCNY, AXXESS Media Productions (author of
Get Off Your Knees: A Story of Faith, Courage, and Determination).

2. Accessible Technology for All
AccessibleTech.org is a project of the ADA National Network geared for the business community. The site provides resources on accessible technology and AT. National Hotline: 800-949-4232

3. Workrave
Free ergonomics software download to prevent Repetive Strain injury while working on your computer. (Windows and Linux only). Find more free ergonomics software

4. Searchable Online Accommodation Resource (SOAR) The Job Accommodation Network (JAN)'s Web page for exploring various accommodation options for people with disabilities in work and educational settings.
 
5. Employer's Practical Guide to Reasonable Accommodations  Another great JAN resource: covers Americans with Disabilities Act basics and info on reasonable accommodations for applicants, interviewees, current and former employees, and employees on leave.
 
6. Workplace Accommodation Examples
Read case studies about successful workplace accommodations and add your own. This Wiki  was created as a means to share unique accommodation ideas. Located at CATEA's Work RERC site (at Georgia Tech).

7. Punch-In.org
A new self-directed Employment Assistant that is geared for young adults with disabilities seeking to enter the workforce.

8. Solving the Employment Puzzle for Youth with Disabilities
Customizable, free parent training curriculum that focuses on providing specific
information on various employment systems for persons with disabilities. From the Pacer Center. Power Point version.

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.

UDL 2.0--Hands On!

Pssst!! I'm writing from ATIA Orlando where my preconference seminar is with Beth Poss, MA CCC-SLP and Chris Bugaj, MA CCC-SLP. They're teaching us about FREE web tools for an engaging classroom that is Universally Designed for Learning (UDL). We are halfway through and it's so much fun, I thought I'd share.

So far we've learned how a previously unmotivated student with learning disabilities was transformed by a project on Shakespeare using Glogster. How to engage visual learners with their 2nd grade spelling words (Spell with Flickr), how to turn writing assignments into colorful word clouds, revealing frequency of word use (and perhaps over reliance on certain vocabulary),  and a free web-based text-to-speech tool that provides downloadable mp3 files… among other tools. And we're only half-way through this workshop!

Want to know more? Here's the google docs slideshow presentation, complete with links that we are currently perusing: UDL 2.0--Hands On!

Enjoy... uh oh, we're starting up again.

Another Free iPhone/iPad App for Assistive Technology Device Loan Libraries

Perhaps we are starting an app demo-access movement! Susan LaSante, who is a member of the Massachusetts AT Advisory Committee, is also making an app available for free to demo/loan libraries nationwide. [Also check out this December 1, 2011 free app post.] LaSante developed PhotoTell for a particular student who is motivated to communicate through the use of photographs (the student takes herself) that are then linked to voice messages (recorded by her mother). LaSante is inspired by her success with this student, and writes that she is also available to adapt the software for a particular individual's needs. A PhotoTell Lite version will soon be available free to everyone at the iTunes apps store, however demo/loan centers may have the full version to trial with clients. Interested? Email Susan LaSante

Learn more about PhotoTell at this iTunes app store Web page.

 

 

 

Iowa's Fall-Prevention Project and Partnerships

Iowa's IPAT is promoting fall prevention and is creating some unique partnerships along the way.

The project started last year when IPAT began collaborating with the Johnson County Livable Community for Successful Aging--Fall Prevention Task Force, led by the Visiting Nurses Association, to raise awareness and provide age-in-place solutions. This year it has plans to expand statewide.

The project has generated a growing interest among a widening group of community partners. Indeed, IPAT Director Jane Gay calls it "a great example of stone soup."

But why is IPAT focusing on fall prevention?

In an email to ATPN, Gay reports:

• About 5.8 million seniors experience at least one fall every three months. 
• Falls are responsible for 83.7% of all injury-related hospitalizations in [Iowa's] Johnson and Washington Counties for those 65 and over, and the impact spans the socioeconomic and cultural spectrum.
• About 1.8 million of those who fall seek medical treatment or restrict their activities on the day after their fall.
• Half of all elderly adults hospitalized for hip fracture cannot return home or live independently after the fracture.
• Two-thirds of persons who experience a fall will fall again within six months. 

For its year-long campaign, the Fall Prevention Task Force chose a different focus every other month, and IPAT took the lead last March. Fall prevention, Gay notes, "Is one issue that AT and home modifications can play an important role [with]." 

 

About the Project

 IPAT's strategy was to create AT and home modification outreach displays for well-traveled locations. These included an elaborate fixed central display for use at a popular mall, and smaller portable versions for rotation countywide. The posters directed readers to IPAT's information and referral service.

Partners and a smart design, Gay emphasizes, helped make it all happen. Here are the details:

The fixed display was...   

• Made up of window-size posters and a collection of actual devices.
• Designed so passersby could quickly absorb information and from a distance.
• Installed in an empty mall storefront, lit and locked behind glass (requiring no staffing!) 
• Marketed with a newspaper article and through promotion at the Home Builder Association's Home Show.
• Left up throughout the month to reach shoppers, mall walkers, and attendees of two mall community events.

The smaller displays were...   

• 3 sets of posters: a table top display, a  2' x 3" set, and a 17"x 11" set.
• Installed at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics main entrance and in the Center for Disabilities and Development hallway display cases.
• Rotated among banks, libraries, and faith-based organizations countywide by volunteers with the AARP.

Additional partner contributions:

• The mall contributed the empty store front (a poor economy does have its perks!) spot lighting, and tables. (The mall was approached for this donation by a businessman on the Taskforce.)
• The Home Builder's Association helped with the rental cost of the frames and drapes for the middle display area of devices (in addition to promotion).
• A Plumbing Supply store contributed and set up the products and materials part of the display.
• A DME vendor contributed devices. 

More stone soup:

• Gay reports that the Plumbers Supply store started out just loaning IPAT its display stand and equipment, but then became so inspired by the outreach effort that it approached IPAT with the idea of developing and teaching a CEU (Continuing Education Credit) for plumbers on home modifications (CEUs are required for a plumber to stay licensed). 
• This year IPAT has approached the newly formed State Fall Prevention Coalition out of the Iowa Department of Public Health to offer the posters' PDF files and project description for statewide use.  (Community and county Fall Prevention Projects would create and fund their own posters' printing and projects.)

IPAT's lessons learned  

1. Collaboration (stone soup) works! AT is part of many other issues. Work with projects that have the same goal. What collaborations are currently underway in your state?
2. Try a new approach on a smaller level first. You'll then find sharing or managing your successful project on a larger scale is easier to sell and do.
3. New-found partners become good marketers of state AT Act program services and invite you to participate in other events or projects.  

IPAT's Fall Prevention poster files are available for use by other programs

Email Jane Gay for the PDF files. Poster PDFs do not list local partners.

Thanks for all your insights Jane!

WisLoan: An AFP for Across the Lifespan

There are a lot of ways to craft an Alternative Financing Program (AFP) to fund assistive technology. In Wisconsin, WisLoan's emphasis is on providing access to credit for applicants who likely would not otherwise qualify.  To do so, it partners with the M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank and eight Wisconsin Independent Living Centers to deliver a level of service that is unique among programs. The result?  An AFP creating relationships with residents with disabilities to serve them across the life span.

Case in point: the Hendersons (not their real name)

The Hendersons first approached WisLoan six years ago for help buying an array of equipment. Mr. Henderson needed a new battery for his scooter and a Hoyer lift (he has Multiple Sclerosis), and they both needed hospital beds and lift chairs (she also has a disability). The Hendersons's needs were significant, but their credit scores were low (under 550 points). With the help of the Wisconsin device reutilization program (Wheelchair Recycling) and WisLoan, however, the Hendersons were able to acquire everything they needed with a loan for just $1,300. That was their WisLoan #1.

WisLoan looks at consumer credit differently than conventional banks. Medical bills, for example, are generally disregarded; and there is an understanding of how individuals with a new disability can fall behind with bills while their disability applications are pending. Each WisLoan application is considered by a loan committee that includes individuals with disabilities, some of whom are bankers, as well as vocational rehabilitation case managers, and other representatives from rural and urban communities around the state. The committee weighs the risks involved with each application, but also has the experience to problem-solve solutions that may not have already been explored.

Despite their poor credit score, the Hendersons proved a good risk. They paid off their first loan and came back a couple years later when their needs changed. Thanks to their improved credit, they were moving out of their rental to a home they had purchased; and now they needed a home modification for wheelchair access. That was their WisLoan #2.

WisLoan subcontracts with eight Independent Living Centers to provide AFP services throughout Wisconsin. The Hendersons, as with any applicant seeking a home modification, were provided with a site visit by an ILC staff person (most of whom have disabilities themselves). Site visits serve a variety of purposes, including helping staff understand what is needed so that they can give advice on affordable solutions (since staff have seen many home modifications). Site visits--coupled with the consumer choice, empowerment, and respect philosophy at the core of the ILCs--also convey a level of care that sends a powerful message to applicants with disabilities. They help initiate lasting relationships that often pay in many ways, such as assuring that applicants know where to go for future advocacy assistance and problem-solving, and perhaps providing a deeper appreciation for the goals of and risk incurred by the WisLoan program. 

Indeed, shortly thereafter, the Hendersons were back again. This time for an adapted vehicle so that Mr. Henderson could have reliable transportation. That was WisLoan #3.

The loans, WisLoan Coordinator Patti Kraemer emphasizes, are not all consecutive. The program will roll one into another as new needs come up, and each application is considered by the loan committee on its own terms and within a family's current circumstances.

Indeed, last year they were back again. Mr. Henderson's MS had progressed. He needed a newer lift chair. He also needed air conditioning for his home (MS is aggravated by heat). Their WisLoan #4 covered the air conditioning. The chair was covered by a grant provided by the Wisconsin MS society.

Whenever possible the ILCs refer applicants for grant sources. (They are, of course, few and far between.) Kraemer, who has MS herself, knew the WI Chapter of the MS Society would consider Mr. Henderson's application for a lift chair. And the grant meant a lower loan payment for WisLoan #4. It's the advantage WisLoan sees in partnering with the ILCs. In the course of considering applications, staff can think through other sources of funding, entitlements included. Wisconsin, Kraemer notes, has an SSI state supplement that not everyone is getting, and while small, sometimes it makes the difference with a loan payment.

Today the Hendersons are in their own accessible air-conditioned home, continuing to build a positive credit history. Kraemer knows this may not be the end of their WisLoan relationship. Indeed, she anticipates working with the Hendersons, potentially, for years to come.

WisLoan Nuts and Bolts

The Loans:

• WisLoans are provided to qualifying applicants at an interest rate of 6.5% with a 100% guarantee.
• Loans have ranged from $150 to $75,000.
• 50% of loans have funded vehicle modifications, 15% home modifications, 12% hearing aids.
• Loans have additionally paid for Hoyer lifts, co-pays for wheelchairs, a pontoon boat, a fence, visual aids, adjustable beds, among other needs.

WisLoan Applicants:

• 56% of WisLoan recipients earn under $25,000 per year.
• 53% of applicants are approved.
• WisLoan's default rate is 6%.

Bank Partnership:

• WisLoan's own funds are 100% invested, while the M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank funds each loan with its money.
• Defaults, however, are paid out of WisLoan's funds, so the program incurs 100% of the risk.
• WisLoan would like to see the bank take on more of the risk, but it's not likely in the current economy.

Funding and Loan-Making History:

• Between 2001 and 2006, WisLoan has received a total of $3,787,766 in federal Title III funding (through the Wisconsin Dept. of Health Services) matched with $1,262,585 from Independence First (Wisconsin's largest ILC).
• 807 WisLoans, totaling $6,034,298, have been awarded since the program's inception (as of December 31st, 2010).

Contact:

WisLoan Coordinator Patti Kraemer
Learn more at this Wisconsin Dept. of Health Services Web page.

Robots for Elder Care?

Researchers at Georgia Tech's Healthcare Robotic Lab have projects underway to explore both age-in-place  and facility-based care applications for robots.

According to a January 4, 2011 article at Scientific American.com, the Georgia Tech researchers are working on robots to open doors and drawers and pick objects up off the floor.  Last May the lab was awarded a PR2 robotics kit from Willow Garage in California as a beta program recipient. The test kit is a personal robot that includes software that works right out of the box. (Sixteen institutions were awarded PR2s for experimentation and to encourage cross-collaboration.)

At Georgia Tech's Healthcare Robotics Web site, additional projects include "Cody" a robot learning to perform a "robotic bed bath" on a live person (see the robotic bed bath video).

What do you think? Are robots the wave of the future for our parents and our selves?

Read more about the PR2 at this Scientific American 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

Ask the Expert: Stubborn, Stubborn, Stubborn!

Dear Expert:

How do I get through to my father that he needs a grab bar in the shower? A pill box organizer? Or anything at all? I fear for him. He has very low vision, osteoporosis, and needs to take heart medication. Often when I see him he is complaining that he's not sure if he took too many or missed a dose. Frankly, I'm the one who's going to have the heart attack.

Yours, a concerned daughter (also the ATPN editor)

Dear ATPN editor:

At support groups for elders and individuals living with Parkinson's something I've learned to ask is, "Tell me what you think would help?" This open-ended question is often a great way to move the discussion forward productively. (Plus, frankly, I learn as much from people I present to as they learn from me.)

There are, of course, a lot of devices for medication dispensing, including devices with recorded reminders that will also ring family members (even out of state) if a dose has not been taken. Check out: electronic caregivers assistant at Safety and Wellness.

Something I've learned, however, is how ineffective buying a device or tool for a family member can sometimes be. But if you buy two, one for yourself and one for your father, you might find he is more willing to use it.  That way it's not something you have bought for him because he needs it, but something that you also have found helpful and wish to share (which is often the case, anyway!) You might start with a grab bar in your own shower and mention how reassuring you find it for getting in and out. Many types of grab bars can be installed or check out portable grab bars (no drilling necessary) at Grab It Online.

 
Another item to consider is a shower-product dispenser. I use one myself, mounted on the wall of my shower, filled with the shampoo and liquid soap. Many falls in the shower are due to reaching for soap or handling containers. You could put one in your own shower and give one to him (they don't require drilling to install). He can still keep that bar of soap around, but probably he'll reach for it less often if this is mounted right where he'd use it. Check out: AmeraProducts.

Hope that helps!

Gary Johnson

Gary Johnson, ATP, works for Iowa's IPAT conducting "Gadgets and Gizmos" demonstrations and conversations with Iowa's Parkinson's Association support groups and support groups organized by regional Area Agencies on Aging.

 

Email Gary

The U-Step Walker

The U-Step Walker is designed for stability and will move only when either hand break is squeezed. The U-Step stops rolling the moment the hand break is released. The walker is easy to use when standing up from a chair because the unit will not roll forward. Walking speed is regulated by adjusting wheel tension. An optional laser-projected red line provides a visual cue for prompting steps. The U-Step Walker is made by In-Step Mobility Products, Inc.

Learn more at UStep.com.

Assistive Technology for Parkinson's (and Beyond)

Thanks to Gary Johnson, ATP, at Iowa's IPAT for these resources

Clothing Resources

Adaptive Clothing: Buck and Buck

Elastic Shoelaces: Disability Products

Ring Zip Grips: Disability Products

Sock Pullers (various styles): medical suppliers

Bedroom Resources

Home Hospital Beds: Aria Medical Equipment, other medical suppliers

Transfer Pole (useful anywhere): Technology for Long Term Care, other medical suppliers

Adjustable over the bed table: Wal Mart, medical suppliers

Bedside Commodes: Allegro Medical, other medical suppliers

Kitchen Resources

Sip Tip Cup: Care Giver Products, Wright Stuff

Weighted Utensils: Disability Products

Nose cut out glass: Disability Products

Non-Skid Plates and Dishes: Disability Products

Large Number Wall Hanging Calendar/Clock: Independent Living Aids

Cabinet Organizers: Ovis, Kitchen Source and most home improvement centers

Reacher/Grabber: pharmacies, and medical suppliers

Kitchen Carts: Stacks and Stacks

5-way ergonomic opener: Canopeners

Bathroom Resources

Electric Toothbrush: Sonicare, department stores

Elevated toilet seat, toilet frames: Walgreens, medical supply stores

Toilet frame/railings: Jansen Medical, medical supply stores, pharmacies

Long-handled Comb, Lotion stick, Magnetic Clasp, Razor Extender: Dynamic Living, medical supply stores

Footbrush: Living Better with Arthritis

Portable Grab Bar, Tub Handle: Grab It Online, Disability Products

Hand Held Shower Heads: home and department stores, medical supply stores

Shower Benches: pharmacies, home and department stores

Bath Product Dispenser: Amera Products, Bed Bath and Beyond

Shower Chairs: Allegro Medical, medical supply stores

Transportation Resources

Swivel Disk: Walgreens (in stock)

18" Rear View Mirror: Disability Products, Active Forever

HandyBar:  Active Forever

Car Caddie: Disability Products

U Step Walker: medical supply stores

Miscellaneous Resources

Offset hinges: Active Forever, Dynamic Living

Safepath Products: Safe Path Products

Pill Timer/Dispenser: Epill

Electronic Caregivers Assistant:  Wellness Wizard: Safety And Wellness

Amplified Photo Phone: Clarity Products

Large Print Keyboard: Independent Living Aids

Personal Emergency Response System:  Life Line

Reminder: AT Program News and Iowa's IPAT make no endorsement, representation, or warranty expressed or implied for any product, device, or information set forth in this Web log. AT Program News and IPAT have not examined, reviewed, or tested any product or device referred to in this Web log.

Nominate Students for Free Assistive Technology

Know a high school or college student who is blind and could benefit from assistive technology?

Sendero Group is working with Stevie Wonder, HIMS, and Humanware to provide four awards: 2 BrailleNote mPowers with Sendero GPS and 2 Voice Sense units with Sense Navigation GPS software.

To fill out a nomination form, visit this Sendero Group Web page.

You may also nominate a younger student who has strong Braille or computer skills.

Nominations are accepted until January 31, 2011 and decisions will be announced by March.

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.

2 Free Android Apps for Print Disability to Compete at Consumer Electronics Show

This is from Steve Jacobs, President of Ideal Group, Inc and CEO of Apps4Android Inc.:

You can help us showcase the importance of accessible ICT design at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

We (Apps4Android) are the only mobile software developer submitting accessibility applications to CES 2011's “Mobile Apps Showdown.” Both applications being submitted are "free-to-the-user" open source Android applications. Votes are being solicited from the general public (you) to determine which mobile app(s) people believe "stand to impact society the most."

If our two accessibility apps get the largest number of votes, they win the contest, and generate press coverage focused on the importance and benefits of accessible ICT design. Since both apps are "free-of-charge to users," we will not benefit financially from a win. People with disabilities will win.

The following links will take you to each of two pages that will enable you to vote 1-5 stars on each of our apps by simply clicking on a Star.

1. IDEAL Item ID, a talking barcode maker and reader for individuals with vision-impairments.

2. IDEAL Web Reader a Gesture Based Web Browser for individuals with print disabilities:

Thank you, in advance, for helping us weave accessibility into the fabric of products and services showcased at the world's largest consumer electronic show.