Vol. 11, No. 1: Winter 2003 (Distributed as Vol. 10, No. 4) |
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What's Inside...the Winter 2003 issue:
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.
Meet DATI's Newest
AT Specialist
Hello! My name is Marvin Williams and I am
the new Assistive Technology Specialist for the Kent County
Assistive Technology Resource Center. I have recently
moved to Delaware with my wife, April, and our five year old son, Gabriel.
Medicaid Home and
Community Based Waiver Programs
The major source of public
funding for long-term services and supports for persons with
disabilities nationwide is Medicaid.
The percentage of Medicaid spending on services and supports
provided in the home or a community setting has grown exponentially.
These services may be offered either through a state’s “regular” Medicaid
program or through a home and community-based services (HCBS)
waiver program. This article will outline the use of Medicaid
HCBS waivers by states to supplement and expand the services
available to persons with disabilities in their homes and communities.
Zen and the Art of Successful
AT Transitions
As transitions are inevitable, we can and
should prepare for them as best we can. Without such planning,
we jeopardize the
efficiency of the transition process. The equipment may not
be complete or may not be working properly. Problems with equipment
ownership may arise if an item’s history has not been
documented. The new staff may not know how to operate the equipment
or how the particular individual uses the equipment. All of
these problems—or even one of them—is enough to
cause big headaches for everyone. The key to preventing these
problems, or at least minimizing their destructive effects,
is the successful transmission of AT information between service
teams.
Augmentative Communication
Training Planned for April
Dick Lytton, Director of
Clinical AT Services at the duPont Hospital for Children,
will present a full-day workshop on April 3, 2003 titled Implementing
Assistive Technology and Augmentative Communication in Schools
and Homes.
Communication Aid Manufacturers
Association (CAMA) Workshop
CAMA is a not-for-profit organization
of the world’s leading manufacturers of AAC software
and hardware technology, and is a recognized leader in helping
professionals and consumers with a wide range of experience
maintain their proficiency and enhance their skills and knowledge
of AAC.
New Program Promotes
Access to Distance Learning
An increasing number of institutions
of higher education are turning to distance learning to serve
their students, according
to the National Center for Education Statistics. However, most
distance learning courses are limited in accessibility and pose
problems for full participation of students and instructors
with disabilities. This is soon going to change.
Essays Wanted
Guidelines
for a Different Journey: Personal Stories for Parents by Adults
with Disabilities is a new book that Stan Klein and John
Kemp are co-editing. For this book, adults who have grown up
with disabilities and/or health care needs are invited to write
short essays for parents of children with disabilities and/or
health care needs.
PreK AAC Research Participants
Needed
A doctoral student at Michigan State University
is studying family factors that may affect successful agumentative
and alternative
communication (AAC) system use. Eligible participants are parents
of pre-kindergarten children (ages 1-6 years) who have used
their current AAC system for 6-12 months.
Tech Tidbits
PAC
Mate & ErgoQuest Sit / Stand / Recline Workstations