Report on Unmet AT Needs
Headed for Dover

In the waning hours of the Delaware General Assembly’s last session, the Delaware Assistive Technology Policy Committee was established. The Committee’s charge was to examine and report on the need for personal mobility and vehicular transportation technologies in Delaware. Because assistive technology use is generally not limited to one life domain, the Committee has been looking broadly at the unmet needs for assistive technologies supporting access, communication, self-care, seeing, hearing, recreation, community participation, learning, and working. Public hearings held in early January gave people with disabilities in Delaware a chance to testify about the AT they need and why they haven’t been able to get it. The Committee’s report, due to the legislature in mid-January, will:

• describe the benefits of home modifications, vehicle modifications, and AT
• document the unmet need for home and vehicle modifications and AT in Delaware
• describe the barriers to accessing needed modifications and AT
• offer recommendations for ways that Delaware can improve access to modifications and AT for those who need them.

We are hopeful that the General Assembly will enact legislation that improves AT access. We are also hopeful that it will support the establishment of a low-interest loan program that Delawareans can access to get the home and vehicle modifications and the AT that they need. For more information, contact Beth Mineo Mollica at the DATI Central Site.