National Assistive Technology Act Data System

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

Lead Agency

Implementing Entity

Program Director and Other Contacts

Person Responsible for completing this form if other than Program Director

Certifying Representative

Activity 1

2. Geographic Distribution, Number of Individuals Who Acquired AT Devices and Services and Number for whom Performance Measure Data are Collected

3. Types and Dollar Amounts of AT Funded

Activity 2

2. Geographic Distribution, Number of Individuals Who Acquired AT Devices and Services and Number for whom Performance Measure Data are Collected

3. Types and Dollar Amounts of AT Funded

G. Notes:

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

G. Notes:

I. Notes:

G. Notes:

B. Description of Training Activities

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

The Delaware Division of Public Health Emergency Medical Services and Preparedness Section embarked upon a goal of increasing the awareness and use of Assistive Technology to assist Delaware residents who need some form of accommodation when visiting a POD (Point of Distribution) during an emergency. In order to accommodate those with vision or hearing loss, DATI worked with the Emergency Preparedness Section to identify and acquire equipment to be used during an emergency situation. With DATI’s guidance, the Emergency Preparedness personnel identified and purchased Assistive Technology designed to help individuals with vision and/or hearing loss access the PODs. Once the equipment was purchased, DATI designed a series of trainings to instruct all Emergency Preparedness staff across the state how to use the equipment in a POD setting. There were three half day training sessions scheduled to instruct participants on how to use and maintain the equipment included in the kits. The hands-on sessions were attended by 146 Emergency Preparedness staff members, and plans have commenced to develop an online version as well.

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

One of our AT Specialists engaged with high-school students in a campus-based summer pre-employment training program to orient them to AT and the ways it could be helpful to them in their final years of high school as well as on the job. She began with a two-hour overview for all the students, and then broke them into two groups for a subsequent “guided exploration” sessions in which they become more closely acquainted with tools for organization, literacy, task tracking, and homework management. Between the two sessions, all students benefited from more than 3 hours of exposure and practice.

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

Although no specific training in IT/telecommunications was implemented this year, we are in the process of developing a series of on-line tutorials focusing on the creation of accessible materials. These “just-in-time” tutorials will be available on our website at no cost. This initiative arose from great concern over our state’s transition to a primarily digital curriculum in the coming years, and the almost complete lack of awareness on the part of educators about how to design content from the outset to maximize accessibility. It is expected that the training series will be launched in the coming year.

E. Notes:

B. Description of Technical Assistance

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

As Medicaid managed care providers come and go in our state, Medicaid’s policy regarding augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices—which DATI helped to craft several years ago--is often overlooked. With a dramatic rise in the number of denials for AAC devices, there was clearly a need for renewed advocacy. A speech-language pathologist (SLP) asked for our assistance, and we joined forces with our state’s Protection and Advocacy organization to launch appeals. The first appeal, although protracted, yielded a reversal in the denial decision, and paved the way for more timely reversals of the other denials. We are now planning a statewide training for the coming year to educate SLPs and families about the Medicaid AAC policy and the process of appealing a denial to facilitate more systemic awareness and practice changes.

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

As young children move out of early intervention and into school district preschool programs, there is potential for valuable information about their AT access and use to be lost in the transition. We have piloted the concept of an AT transition portfolio that not only documents, but demonstrates via video clips, the way young children are using their AT for the benefit of the “receiving team.” Videos turn out to be a much more effective way of illustrating AT in action than narrative descriptions are. They also have the advantage of documenting the extent to which the children can participate successfully when they have access to their AT. Implementing transition portfolios can help teams avoid having to engage in entirely new assessments, enabling children to access and benefit from preschool services without protracted delays while their new teams are getting to know them.

C. Notes:

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. DATI sponsored a conference session at the state’s largest lifespan/cross-disability conference about smart home technologies for individuals with mobility impairments. The session featured Dr. Tony Gentry from Virginia Commonwealth University, and covered solutions for safety, home automation, communication, and daily living assistance. Products from multiple vendors were profiled and compared, and case studies were used to illustrate a range of solutions.

2. An overview about home and hearing technologies for a senior living facility resulted in a multitude of follow-up visits to one of our Assistive Technology Resource Centers and several equipment loans, ultimately leading to device acquisition for multiple customers.

Notes: