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

2. Income of Applicants to Whom Loans Were Made

3. Loan Type

4. Interest Rates

5. Types and Dollar Amounts of AT Financed

6. Defaults

G. Notes:

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:

Staff from the state AT program, along with a physical therapist from a local pediatric rehabilitation facility, went to a middle school classroom. The AT program staff included an occupational therapist and the assistive technology lab coordinator. The teacher at the school wanted her students to combine science, engineering, and technology while working on assistive technology during the school year. The physical therapist brought in two families and their children with disabilities. The children were younger than the middle school students. The families introduced themselves to the students and talked about their needs. The students were also introduced to the children with disabilities. Over a two-day period, the middle school students received training on low-tech assistive technology. After receiving the low-tech AT training, the students brainstormed and created low-tech assistive technology, under the training guidance of the OT, PT and AT coordinator. The students used tri-wall corrugated cardboard and PVC to make low-tech AT devices to help the children.

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

The local university has a program that provides an inclusive on-campus college experience for young adults with intellectual disabilities. One of the students has an interest in learning to work with his hands. He works for the state AT program and staff provide daily, one-on-one, hands-on training to teach him about assistive technology. Trainers include the AT Lab coordinator and other staff who have engineering and assistive technology experience. This young adult is trained on basic repairs for a power wheelchair, including how to use a voltmeter to check the batteries, basic skills of using a tape measure, and how to operate power tools (like a cordless drill and other hand tools). Training on basic electricity principles has also been covered with him. This is an innovative training, designed to help him transition from a college setting to the workplace; providing skills to make him successful.

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

The Utah Assistive Technology Program collaborates with WebAIM, by training with them every other month, providing six trainings at Utah State University in an intense 3-day training to over 120 individuals. The assistive technology director, a user of AT to access the web, trains with WebAIM. Recipients of the training include representatives from PayPal, EBay, individuals from the hotel industry, Amazon, Delta Airlines, web design and IT professionals from Higher Education, Department of Defense, CIA, and other Federal agencies. The overall topic of the training is centered around the effectiveness of assistive technology that’s used to access the Internet. WebAIM’s goal is to improve the accessibility of web content for individuals with disabilities. WebAIM has done extensive training nationally and internationally and is known as one of the leading providers of web accessibility. WebAIM's mission is to expand the potential of the web for people with disabilities by providing the knowledge, technical skills, tools, organizational leadership strategies, and vision that empower organizations to make their own content accessible to people with disabilities.

E. Notes:

B. Description of Technical Assistance

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

A staff member of the assistive technology program sits on the AgrAbility board and provides technical assistance to help staff of AgrAbility improve their services to their clientele. Advised them on public relations and marketing. Ways to integrate assistive technology and work with Vocational Rehabilitation were also discussed.

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

The coordinator of the assistive technology lab provided technical assistance for the staff of an inclusive on-campus college experience program for young adults with intellectual disabilities, on how an internship for one of the students could be setup and provide the student with job skills to transition from the college program to a work setting. Suggestions were given of how assistive technology could be utilized for the student and how the college program could work with Vocational Rehabilitation, in order to improve the services they offer for the college students.

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. It is a familiar story with a surprise twist: Man acquires a disability. Man loses job. Man gets another job. Thanks to this unexpected career change, hundreds of other Utahns get moving again. The AT program posted a blog about the coordinator of the reutilization program. Because of acquiring a disability, sudden onset of vertigo, he changed his career and became the reuse coordinator. This story about him and a few people the reuse program has been able to help was a very successful blog, with 1387 hits. His story is shared a lot in social media too. The blog was written to bring more awareness to the reuse program, so even more people can be helped. The reuse program is continuing to grow and be able to help even more people.

2. A blog written about a couple in a rural part of the state was a successful blog, with 724 hits. It highlighted the work the AT lab coordinator did in the area of demonstrations, device loan, and reuse. A follow-up story was submitted to the local newspaper, and it ran as a news story to the publication’s readership. The blog and newspaper brought increased awareness about the AT lab and the services offered in a rural area of the state.

Notes: