National Assistive Technology Act Data System

Annual Progress Report - Full Report

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New Jersey 2023

General Information

Statewide AT Program (Information to be listed in national State AT Program Directory)

State AT Program Title:

Richard West Assistive Technology Advocacy Center of DRNJ

State AT Program Title:

State AT Program URL

https://www.at4nj.org

Mailing Address:

210 South Broad St 3rd Floor

City:

Trenton

State:

Zip Code:

08608

Program Email:

mmarotta@disabilityrightsnj.org

Phone:

800-922-7233

TTY:

609-633-7106

Lead Agency

Agency Name:

New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development

Mailing Address:

1 John Fitch Plaza, PO Box 0398

City:

Trenton

State:

Zip Code:

08625

Program URL:

https://www.nj.gov/labor

Implementing Entity

Does your Lead Agency contract with an Implementing Entity to carry out the Statewide AT Program on its behalf? (Check if Yes)

Name of Implementing Agency:

Richard West Assistive Technology Advocacy Center of DRNJ

Mailing Address:

210 South Broad St 3rd Floor

City

Trenton

State:

Zip Code:

08608

Program URL:

https://www.at4nj.org

Program Director and Other Contacts

Program Director for State AT Program (last, first):

Marotta, Michael

Title:

Director

Phone:

609-777-0185

E-mail:

mmarotta@disabilityrightsnj.org

Program Director at Lead Agency (last, first):

Carroll,Karen

Title:

Director DVRS

Phone:

609-292-5987

E-mail:

Karen.Carroll@dol.nj.gov

Primary Contact at Implementing Agency (last, first) - If applicable:

Marotta, Michael

Title:

Director

Phone:

609-777-0961

E-mail:

mmarotta@disabilityrightsnj.org

Person Responsible for completing this form if other than Program Director

Name (last, first):

Title:

Phone:

E-mail:

Certifying Representative

Name (last, first):

Carroll, Karen

Title:

Director DVRS

Phone:

609-292-5987

E-mail:

Karen.Carroll@dol.nj.gov

State Financing

Did your approved state plan for this reporting period include any State Financing?

Did your approved state plan for this reporting period include conducting a Financial Loan Program?

B. State Financing Activities that provide consumers with resources and services that result in the acquisition of AT devices and services

1. Overview of Activities Performed

How many other state financing activities that provide consumers with access to funds for the purchase of AT devices and services were included in your approved state plan?

C. State Financing Activities that Allow Consumers to Obtain AT at Reduced Cost

1. Overview of Activities Performed

How many state financing activities that allow consumers to obtain AT at a reduced cost were included in your approved state plan?

D. Anecdote

Impact Area Education Employment Community Living

E. Performance Measures

Performance Measures
Response	Primary Purpose for Which AT is Needed			Total
Response	Education	Employment	Community Living	Total
1. Could only afford the AT through the AT program.	00	00	00	00
2. AT was only available through the AT program.	00	00	00	00
3. AT was available through other programs, but the system was too complex or the wait time too long.	00	00	00	00
4. Subtotal	00	00	00	00
5. None of the above	00	00	00	00
6. Subtotal	00	00	00	00
7. Nonrespondent	00	00	00	00
8. Total	00	00	00	00
9. Performance on this measure	NaN%	NaN%	NaN%

F. Customer Satisfaction

Satisfaction
Customer Rating of Services	Number of Customers	Percent
Highly satisfied	00	NaN%
Satisfied	00	NaN%
Satisfied somewhat	00	NaN%
Not at all satisfied	00	NaN%
Nonrespondent	00	NaN%
Total Surveyed	00
Response rate %	NaN%

G. Notes:

Reutilization

Did your approved State Plan for this reporting period included conducting any device reuse activities?

A. Number of Recipients of Reused Devices

Activity	Number of Individuals Receiving a Device from Activity
A. Device Exchange	1,657
B. Device Refurbish/Repair - Reassign and/or Open Ended Loan	00
C. Total	1,657

Performance Measure
D. Excluded from Performance Measure because AT is provided to or on behalf of an entity that has an obligation to provide the AT such as schools under IDEA or VR agencies/clients.	00
E. Number of Individuals Included in Performance Measures	1,657

If a number is reported in D you must provide a description of the reason the individuals are excluded from the performance

B. Device Exchange Activities

Device Exchange
Type of AT Device	Number of Devices Exchanged	Total Estimated Current Purchase Price	Total Price for Which Device(s) Were Exchanged	Savings to Consumers
Vision	01	$1,500	$0	$1,500
Hearing	00	$0	$0	$0
Speech Communication	00	$0	$0	$0
Learning, Cognition and Developmental	00	$0	$0	$0
Mobility, Seating and Positioning	4,298	$1,017,734	$340,078	$677,656
Daily Living	1,957	$154,923	$51,641	$103,282
Environmental Adaptations	1,809	$603,921	$201,307	$402,614
Vehicle Modification & Transportation	150	$16,445	$16,445	$0
Computers and Related	00	$0	$0	$0
Recreation, Sports and Leisure	100	$4,379	$1,212	$3,167
Total	8,315	$1,798,902	$610,683	$1,188,219

C. Device Refurbish/Repair - Reassignment and/or Open Ended Loan Activities

Device Reassign/Repair/Refurbish and/or OEL
Type of AT Device	Total Estimated Current Purchase Price	Total Price for Which Device(s) Were Sold	Savings to Consumers
Vision	$0	$0	$0
Hearing	$0	$0	$0
Speech Communication	$0	$0	$0
Learning, Cognition and Developmental	$0	$0	$0
Mobility, Seating and Positioning	$0	$0	$0
Daily Living	$0	$0	$0
Environmental Adaptations	$0	$0	$0
Vehicle Modification & Transportation	$0	$0	$0
Computers and Related	$0	$0	$0
Recreation, Sports and Leisure	$0	$0	$0
Total	$0	$0	$0

D. Anecdote

Provided a discount on a specialized Joerns bed. This bed can be lowered to 7 inches from the floor allowing the consumer to increase independence.

Impact Area Education Employment Community Living

E. Performance Measures

Performance Measures
Response	Primary Purpose for Which AT is Needed			Total
Response	Education	Employment	Community Living	Total
1. Could only afford the AT through the AT program.	00	00	566	566
2. AT was only available through the AT program.	00	00	620	620
3. AT was available through other programs, but the system was too complex or the wait time too long.	00	00	471	471
4. Subtotal	00	00	1,657	1,657
5. None of the above	00	00	00	00
6. Subtotal	00	00	1,657	1,657
7. Nonrespondent	00	00	00	00
8. Total	00	00	1,657	1,657
9. Performance on this measure	NaN%	NaN%	100%

F. Customer Satisfaction

Satisfaction
Customer Rating of Services	Number of Customers	Percent
Highly satisfied	1,260	76.04%
Satisfied	393	23.72%
Satisfied somewhat	04	0.24%
Not at all satisfied	00	0%
Nonrespondent	00	0%
Total Surveyed	1,657
Response rate %	100%

G. Notes:

Device Loan

Did your approved State Plan for this reporting period included conducting Short-Term Device Loans?

A. Short-Term Device Loans by Type of Purpose

Loans By Purpose
Primary Purpose of Short-Term Device Loan	Number
Assist in decision-making (device trial or evaluation)	116
Serve as loaner during service repair or while waiting for funding	22
Provide an accommodation on a short-term basis for a time-limited event/situation	04
Conduct training, self-education or other professional development activity	06
Total	148

B. Short-Term Device Loan by Type of Borrower

LOANS BY TYPE OF BORROWER
Type of Individual or Entity	Number of Device Borrowers
Type of Individual or Entity	Desicion-making	All other Purposes	Total
Individuals with Disabilities	37	32	69
Family Members, Guardians, and Authorized Representatives	09	00	09
Representative of Education	39	00	39
Representative of Employment	06	00	06
Representatives of Health, Allied Health, and Rehabilitation	02	00	02
Representatives of Community Living	03	00	03
Representatives of Technology	20	00	20
Total	116	32	148

C. Length of Short-Term Device Loans

Length of Short-Term Device Loan in Days	30

D. Types of Devices Loaned

Types of Devices Loaned
Type of AT Device	Number of Devices
Type of AT Device	Desicion-making	All other Purposes	Total
Vision	06	00	06
Hearing	01	00	01
Speech Communication	61	00	61
Learning, Cognition and Developmental	32	00	32
Mobility, Seating and Positioning	04	00	04
Daily Living	08	00	08
Environmental Adaptations	00	00	00
Vehicle Modification and Transportation	00	00	00
Computers and Related	169	32	201
Recreation, Sports and Leisure	00	00	00
Total	281	32	313

E. Anecdote

A student and their school team borrowed an iPad and AAC app from the TLC. The trial was so successful that they asked to extend the loan while they wait for insurance funding to purchase their own device. An elementary student borrowed a Liftware Level spoon to work on feeding herself lunch more independently. Her team reported that the trial is going very well. A college student with a physical disability borrowed a Keymecher touchpad to use while accessing his Surface tablet mounted above him while laying in bed. This worked very well and he will be purchasing.

Impact Area Education Employment Community Living

F. Access Performance Measures

Access Performance Measures
Response	Primary Purpose for Which AT is Needed			Total
Response	Education	Employment	Community Living	Total
Decided that AT device/service will meet needs	31	18	22	71
Decided that an AT device/ service will not meet needs	09	03	04	16
Subtotal	40	21	26	87
Have not made a decision	21	03	03	27
Subtotal	61	24	29	114
Nonrespondent	01	01	00	02
Total	62	25	29	116
Performance on this measure	65.57%	87.5%	89.66%

G. Acquisition Performance Measures

Acquisition Performance Measures
Response	Primary Purpose for Which AT is Needed			Total
Response	Education	Employment	Community Living	Total
1. Could only afford the AT through the AT program.	00	00	00	00
2. AT was only available through the AT program.	00	00	00	00
3. AT was available through other programs, but the system was too complex or the wait time too long.	00	00	00	00
4. Subtotal	00	00	00	00
5. None of the above	32	00	00	32
6. Subtotal	32	00	00	32
7. Nonrespondent	00	00	00	00
8. Total	32	00	00	32
9. Performance on this measure	0%	NaN%	NaN%

H. Customer Satisfaction

Satisfaction
Customer Rating of Services	Number of Customers	Percent
Highly satisfied	111	75%
Satisfied	37	25%
Satisfied somewhat	00	0%
Not at all satisfied	00	0%
Nonrespondent	00	0%
Total Surveyed	148
Response rate %	100%

I. Notes:

Device Demonstration

A. Number of Device Demonstrations by Device Type

Type of AT Device / Service	Number of Demonstrations of AT Devices / Services
Vision	126
Hearing	12
Speech Communication	271
Learning, Cognition and Developmental	305
Mobility, Seating and Positioning	24
Daily Living	129
Environmental Adaptations	45
Vehicle Modification and Transportation	00
Computers and Related	376
Recreation, Sports and Leisure	25
Total # of Device Demonstrations	1,313

B. Types of Participants

Type of Participant	Decision-Makers	Other Participants	Total
Individuals with Disabilities	516	00	516
Family Members, Guardians, and Authorized Representatives	169	206	375
Representatives of Education	364	200	564
Representatives of Employment	38	00	38
Health, Allied Health, Rehabilitation	109	00	109
Representative of Community Living	89	00	89
Representative of Technology	28	00	28
Total	1,313	406	1,719

C. Number of Referrals

Referrals
Type of Entity	Number of Referrals
Funding Source (non-AT program)	353
Service Provider	169
Vendor	389
Repair Service	07
Others	05
Total	923

D. Anecdote

Demonstrated a Chromebook to a woman with a visual impairment who wants to write a memoir. She was very excited about using Google Docs, Google Drive, built-in voice recognition, built-in text-to-speech, and built-in zoom features to enable her to type/dictate, see the text enlarged, or hear it read back. She was also very excited to be able to do Google searches on a larger screen (she only had a smartphone).

Impact Area Education Employment Community Living

E. Performance Measures

Performance Measures
Response	Primary Purpose for Which AT is Needed			Total
Response	Education	Employment	Community Living	Total
Decided that AT device/service will meet needs	485	54	321	860
Decided that an AT device/ service will not meet needs	11	02	25	38
Subtotal	496	56	346	898
Have not made a decision	242	17	61	320
Subtotal	738	73	407	1,218
Nonrespondent	05	03	87	95
Total	743	76	494	1,313
Performance on this measure	66.76%	73.68%	70.04%

F. Customer Satisfaction

Satisfaction
Customer Rating of Services	Number of Customers	Percent
Highly satisfied	1,054	61.31%
Satisfied	129	7.5%
Satisfied somewhat	02	0.12%
Not at all satisfied	00	0%
Nonrespondent	534	31.06%
Total	1,719
Response rate %	68.94%

G. Notes:

Overall Performance Measures

Overall Acquisition Performance Measure

Acquisition Performance Measures
Response	Primary Purpose for Which AT is Needed			Total
Response	Education	Employment	Community Living	Total
1. Could only afford the AT through the AT program.	00	00	566	566
2. AT was only available through the AT program.	00	00	620	620
3. AT was available through other programs, but the system was too complex or the wait time too long.	00	00	471	471
4. Subtotal	00	00	1,657	1,657
5. None of the above	32	00	00	32
6. Subtotal	32	00	1,657	1,689
7. Nonrespondent	00	00	00	00
8. Total	32	00	1,657	1,689
9. Performance on this measure	0%	NaN%	71.58%	70.22%
ACL Performance Measure				85%
Met/Not Met				Not Met

Overall Access Performance Measure

Access Performance Measures
Response	Primary Purpose for Which AT is Needed			Total
Response	Education	Employment	Community Living	Total
Decided that AT device/service will meet needs	516	72	343	931
Decided that an AT device/ service will not meet needs	20	05	29	54
Subtotal	536	77	372	985
Have not made a decision	263	20	64	347
Subtotal	799	97	436	1,332
Nonrespondent	06	04	87	97
Total	805	101	523	1,429
Performance on this measure	66.67%	77%	71.13%	69.03%
ACL Performance Measure				90%
Met/Not Met				Not Met

Overall Satisfaction Rating

Customer Rating of Services	Percent	ACL Target	Met/Not Met
Highly satisfied and satisfied	99.80%	95%	Met
Response Rate	84.85%	90%	Not Met

Training

A. Training Participants: Number and Types of Participants; Geographical Distribution

Training by Participant Type
Type of Participant	Number
Individuals with Disabilities	119
Family Members, Guardians and Authorized Representatives	130
Representatives of Education	252
Representatives of Employment	90
Rep Health, Allied Health, and Rehabilitation	82
Representatives of Community Living	40
Representatives of Technology	25
Unable to Categorize	4,638
TOTAL	5,376

Geographic Distribution of Participants
Metro	Non Metro	Unknown	TOTAL
00	00	5,376	5,376

B. Training Topics

Trainings by Topic
Primary Topic of Training	Participants
AT Products/Services	4,795
AT Funding/Policy/ Practice	92
Combination of any/all of the above	231
Information Technology/Telecommunication Access	137
Transition	121
Total	5,376

C. Description of Training Activities

Describe innovative one high-impact assistance training activity conducted during the reporting period:

A 2-day PODD training was held with a national PODD trainer-49 attendees, attendees left energized and ready and willing to try PODD with their students. Training was well received

Briefly describe one training activity related to transition conducted during the reporting period:

Did workshops on transistion for SPAN Parent Advocacy Network, NJ Youth Transistion on how to transition students from school to work, or college

Briefly describe one training activity related to Information and Communication Technology accessibility:

Held webinars and live sessions on captions,, alt text, how to do audio description. In addition, worked with NJ Court system on how to make their website more accessible.

D. IT/Telecommunications Training Performance Measure

IT/Telecommunications Training Performance Measure
Outcome/Result From IT/Telecommunications Training Received	Number
IT and Telecommunications Procurement or Dev Policies	137
Training or Technical Assistance will be developed or implemented	00
No known outcome at this time	00
Nonrespondent	00
Total	137
Performance Measure Percentage	100%
ACL Target Percentage	70%
Met/Not Met	Met

E. Notes:

Technical Assistance

A. Frequency and Nature of Technical Assistance

Technical Assistance by Recipient Type
Education	50%
Employment	20%
Health, Allied Health, Rehabilitation	08%
Community Living	20%
Technology (IT, Telecom, AT)	02%
Total	100%

B. Description of Technical Assistance

Describe Innovative one high-impact assistance activity that is not related to transition:

Collaborated with a virtual group of Johnson & Wales University students who discussed their creative assistive technology solutions for their partners with disabilities on the Maker Roundtable. Students collaborated in groups, sharing ideas, and collectively, the Maker Roundtable provided recommendations and methods to improve or enhance the usability of the devices they had created for individuals with disabilities.

Breifly describe one technical assistance activity related to transition conducted during the reporting period:

Worked with a young man with a disability, and a transition coordinator, with information about AT and how to incorpoate AT in employment.

C. Notes:

Public Awareness

Public Awareness Activities

Public Awareness Narratives

Describe in detail at least one and no more than two innovative or high-impact public awareness activities conducted during this reporting period. Highlight the content/focus of the awareness information shared, the mechanism used to disseminate or communicate the awareness information, the numbers and/or types of individuals reached, and positive outcomes resulting from the activity. If quantative numbers are available regarding the reach of the activity, please provide those: however, quantative data is not required.

1. Led the charge with a variety of activities for AT awareness day. Posted over 50 posts on social media, twitter, Facebook, tiktok, with videos, updated tech, posts about services, how AT benefits, etc. also created a virtual Jeopardy game (via Zoom) with over 100 participants that was well received.

2. This year we super sized Annual Assistive Technology Statewide Conference to a 2 day event with over 125 attendees. The key focus area was AT & Mental Health. We had a nationally recognized keynote speaker(Hillary Goldthwait-Fowles, Ph.D. ATP) for the topic. In addition, we had Apple Education there presenting 2 sessions, along with many other presenters presenting on AT (K-12 education, Higher Education, Workplace and Community Living) the conference was well received for all that attended

Information And Assistance

Information And Assistance Activities by Recipient
Types of Recipients	AT Device/ Service	Total
Individuals with Disabilities	88	88
Family Members, Guardians and Authorized Representatives	116	116
Representative of Education	86	86
Representative of Employment	42	42
Representative of Health, Allied Health, and Rehabilitation	17	17
Representative of Community Living	588	588
Representative of Technology	00	00
Unable to Categorize	00	00
Total	937	937

Referral Types:

Attended multiple outreach events throughout the year and one major one is the Abilities Expo which is a 3-day event in Edison each year and has over 1000 attendees. After the event people reach out to us to learn more about our services, especially the loan library. We have partnered with Rutgers, NJAAW and other agencies on a variety of webinars that has helped with our outreach efforts and increased referral and information results. We have also added a "Tech Spotlight webinar series which has added interest in our program especially the loan program, people are interested in the technology after seeing the webinar.

Referral Sources:

About 70% of the referrals we receive are from OT, speech therapist, special education teachers, and parents, from school districts throughout NJ looking for information on what type of AT may be good for their student/child Others information request are coming from their caregivers, individuals with disabilities DDD agency and other agencies

Notes:

Coordination/Collaboration and State Improvement Outcomes

Overview of Coordination/Collaboration Activities

Coordination/Collaboration activities are not required. You may report up to two MAJOR coordination/collaboration activities for this reporting period. How many will you be reporting?

A. Coordination/Collaboration

1. As concisely as possible, describe the partnership initiative. What activities/services were provided? Who are the major collaborating organizations and what is their role? Who is served/benefited? What funding was used to implement the initiative?

Partnered with NJAWW (NJ Advocates for Aging well) Developed and implemented a webinar series that covered a variety of AT topics The first 15-20 minutes were an overview of the AT covered. It included a demo of one software/device, (a strong emphasis on that this technology is not the only technology that meets the need and may not be ideal for everyone) and stress there may be multiple steps in set-up to get it work for the individual. The remainder of the time will be discussion based and brainstorming of ideas and best practices on ways to introduce and train individuals, caregivers, relatives, etc of the devices/software. Resources will be provided that will help with the training and set-up of devices at home and in community settings. In addition, had a table at the NJAAW conference where we demo and handed out resources about the program, more than 100 people attended

2. As concisely as possible, describe the measurable results of the initiative and any lessons learned. How did access to AT change as a result of the coordination/collaboration/partnership? How did awareness of AT change as a result of the partnership? How did the reach of the state AT program change as a result of the partnership? What made the partnership successful? What would you change or wish you had done differently? Provided funding/resources are available, will the initiative continue or is this a one-time event? What advice would you give for replication of the initiative? Please include URL for initiative if available.

The webinars were well attended and the attendees were actively engaged with the content. Many have followed up with additional questions about the webinars

3. What focus areas(s) were addressed by the initiative?

Community Participation and Integration; Health; Aging; Veterans;

4. What AT Act authorized activity(s) were addressed?

Demonstration; Training; Information & Assistance; Public Awareness;

Overview of State Improvement Activities

State improvement outcomes are not required. You may report up to two MAJOR state improvement outcomes for this reporting period. How many will you be reporting?

Additional And Leveraged Funds

A. Leveraged Funding for State Plan Activities

Fund Source	Amount	Use of Funds	Data Reported
Federal	$35,000	Training	True
	Amount: $35,000

For any leveraged funding reported above for which data could not be reported, please describe the extenuating circumstances that precluded data from being reported and efforts to remediate the situation in future reporting periods.

B. Public Health Workforce Grant Award

All Section 4 AT Act grantees were awarded $80,000.00 in supplimental Public Health Workforce grant funding to increase the full-time equivalent (FTE) of staff withing the disability and aging network for public health professionals. Please document the status of these funds below.

The status of these funds at the end of the FY23 (9/30/2023) is as follows: (Check one) We did not utilize this funding in FY23 and wish to decline the funds in the future
We did not expend any of this funding in FY23, but plan to expend funding in FY24 and/or FY25
We expended some of all of this funding in FY23 (please complete the section below)

Please report the amount expended (drawn down and liquidated) in this reporting period, FY23:

$35,000.00

Please report the number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) positions this funding supported by type. This can be a direct employee FTE or contractual FTE.

Type of FTE Position	FTE Positions (0.01 to 9.99)
Assistive Technology Specialist	1.00
Information and Assistance Specialist	0.00
Outreach and Awareness Specialist	0.00
Training Specialist	0.00
Health Care Professional (includes PT, OT, SLP)	0.00
Accessibility Expert	0.00
Policy Expert	0.00
Technology Expert (Digital Divide, Mobile Tech)	0.00
Program Manager	0.00
Other positions needed to advance public health and prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVid-19 (describe with narrative field required)	0.00

Please describe the activities of the above FTE and how such activities advance public health.

Partnered with NJAWW (NJ Advocates for Aging well) Developed and implemented a webinar series that covered a variety of AT topics. The first 15 minutes were an overview of the AT covered. It included a demo of one software/device, (a strong emphasis on that this technology is not the only technology that meets the need and may not be ideal for everyone) and stress there may be multiple steps in set-up to get it work for the individual. The remainder of the time will be discussion based and brainstorming of ideas and best practices on ways to introduce and train individuals, caregivers, relatives, etc of the devices/software. Resources will be provided that will help with the training and set-up of devices at home and in community settings. Went to outreach events throughout the state of NJ which were for aging & disabilty communities specifically these events made individuals, agencies, caregivers aware that there are many forms of AT especially low tech solutions it built awareness

C. Describe any unique issues with your data in this section (e.g., the reason why you were unable to report the number of individuals served with additional or leveraged funds).

Center for Assistive Technology Act Data Assistance . Saved: Tue Feb 13 2024 14:11:02 GMT-0600 (Central Standard Time)