National Assistive Technology Act Data System

Annual Progress Report - Full Report

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New York 2018

General Information

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

State AT Program Title:

NYS TRAID Program

State AT Program Title:

State AT Program URL

https://www.justicecenter.ny.gov

Mailing Address:

161 Delaware Avenue

City:

Delmar

State:

Zip Code:

12054

Program Email:

Melinda.Dolezal@justicecenter.ny.gov

Phone:

518-549-0220

TTY:

Lead Agency

Agency Name:

NYS Justice Center

Mailing Address:

161 Delaware Avenue

City:

Delmar

State:

Zip Code:

12054

Program URL:

https://www.justicecenter.ny.gov

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:

Mailing Address:

City

State:

Zip Code:

Program URL:

Program Director and Other Contacts

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

Dolezal, Melinda

Title:

TRAID Director

Phone:

518-549-0220

E-mail:

Melinda.Dolezal@Justicecenter.ny.gov

Program Director at Lead Agency (last, first):

Title:

Phone:

E-mail:

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

Title:

Phone:

E-mail:

Person Responsible for completing this form if other than Program Director

Name (last, first):

Title:

Phone:

E-mail:

Certifying Representative

Name (last, first):

Title:

Phone:

E-mail:

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 Commumity 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	45
B. Device Refurbish/Repair - Reassign and/or Open Ended Loan	605
C. Total	650

Performance Measure
D. Device Exchange - Excluded from Performance Measure	02
E. Reassignment/Refurbishment and Repair and Open Ended Loans - 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	57
F. Number of Individuals Included in Performance Measures	591

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

Entity provided AT devices directly.

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	00	$0	$0	$0
Hearing	00	$0	$0	$0
Speech Communication	00	$0	$0	$0
Learning, Cognition and Developmental	00	$0	$0	$0
Mobility, Seating and Positioning	32	$20,156	$0	$20,156
Daily Living	42	$16,512	$0	$16,512
Environmental Adaptations	00	$0	$0	$0
Vehicle Modification & Transportation	00	$0	$0	$0
Computers and Related	00	$0	$0	$0
Recreation, Sports and Leisure	01	$200	$0	$200
Total	75	$36,868	$0	$36,868

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

Device Reassign/Repair/Refurbish and/or OEL
Type of AT Device	Number of Devices Reassigned/Refurbished and Repaired	Total Estimated Current Purchase Price	Total Price for Which Device(s) Were Sold	Savings to Consumers
Vision	03	$1,041	$0	$1,041
Hearing	12	$14,483	$0	$14,483
Speech Communication	77	$41,853	$1,716	$40,137
Learning, Cognition and Developmental	128	$13,277	$64	$13,213
Mobility, Seating and Positioning	948	$369,726	$6,855	$362,871
Daily Living	846	$115,646	$838	$114,808
Environmental Adaptations	23	$12,388	$619	$11,769
Vehicle Modification & Transportation	01	$1,697	$0	$1,697
Computers and Related	34	$20,259	$0	$20,259
Recreation, Sports and Leisure	13	$7,978	$1,200	$6,778
Total	2,085	$598,348	$11,292	$587,056

D. Anecdote

A staff at the Plattsburgh TRAID Center writes that "I arrived to work on a Monday morning, there were two messages on my office phone. The first message was from a woman who recently lost her mother and the woman had a portable oxygen tank which she would like to donate to the TRAID program. The second message was from a woman whose father was in need of a portable oxygen tank but the family could not afford one. This was the first time since I have worked with TRAID that I had a request for this equipment. Needless to say, I was able to contact both parties and arrange for the quick exchange of this equipment for them."

Impact Area Education Employment Commumity 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.	16	03	184	203
2. AT was only available through the AT program.	10	03	93	106
3. AT was available through other programs, but the system was too complex or the wait time too long.	30	03	116	149
4. Subtotal	56	09	393	458
5. None of the above	07	01	97	105
6. Subtotal	63	10	490	563
7. Nonrespondent	03	00	25	28
8. Total	66	10	515	591
9. Performance on this measure	84.85%	90%	76.31%

F. Customer Satisfaction

Satisfaction
Customer Rating of Services	Number of Customers	Percent
Highly satisfied	564	86.77%
Satisfied	46	7.08%
Satisfied somewhat	04	0.62%
Not at all satisfied	03	0.46%
Nonrespondent	33	5.08%
Total Surveyed	650
Response rate %	94.92%

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)	1,722
Serve as loaner during service repair or while waiting for funding	852
Provide an accommodation on a short-term basis for a time-limited event/situation	1,831
Conduct training, self-education or other professional development activity	41
Total	4,446

B. Short-Term Device Loan by Type of Borrower

LOANS By Borrower Type
Type of Individual or Entity	Number of Device Borrowers
Individuals with Disabilities	2,661
Family Members, Guardians, and Authorized Representatives	957
Representative of Education	274
Representative of Employment	34
Representatives of Health, Allied Health, and Rehabilitation	360
Representatives of Community Living	153
Representatives of Technology	07
Total	4,446

C. Length of Short-Term Device Loans

Length of Short-Term Device Loan in Days	60

D. Types of Devices Loaned

Types of Devices Loaned
Type of AT Device	Number
Vision	1,206
Hearing	92
Speech Communication	220
Learning, Cognition and Developmental	687
Mobility, Seating and Positioning	2,417
Daily Living	1,851
Environmental Adaptations	245
Vehicle Modification and Transportation	05
Computers and Related	433
Recreation, Sports and Leisure	210
Total	7,366

E. Anecdote

A woman called TRAID looking for assistance. She said that despite her hearing aids, she has trouble hearing. She is deaf in one ear and her hearing aid helps tinnitus, but her good ear isn’t so good. She is currently training her dogs as hearing service dogs, and they will bark and lick her face to wake her at night, but she was still concerned about fire alarms, the phone etc. We discussed several options, including CapTel and Caption Call phones, which she had not heard of before. I also told her that I thought that a baby cry monitor and flashing strobe would ensure she woke up in case that the dogs were barking (a dog cry monitor, so to speak). She could also borrow the SafeAwake Fire Alarm and it should also trigger the strobe when the fire alarm goes off. When the woman came to TRAID to pick up the items, she was very happy with everything – and said that she hadn’t heard of any of this before. On the loan comments section, she wrote: “Jean has been extremely professional yet friendly and compassionate to me. This service has truly been long awaited and very welcome. She assisted in every way possible.”

Impact Area Education Employment Commumity 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	338	21	919	1,278
Decided that an AT device/ service will not meet needs	17	01	55	73
Subtotal	355	22	974	1,351
Have not made a decision	06	01	22	29
Subtotal	361	23	996	1,380
Nonrespondent	68	04	270	342
Total	429	27	1,266	1,722
Performance on this measure	98.34%	95.65%	97.79%

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.	33	11	1,064	1,108
2. AT was only available through the AT program.	96	11	661	768
3. AT was available through other programs, but the system was too complex or the wait time too long.	45	03	289	337
4. Subtotal	174	25	2,014	2,213
5. None of the above	06	04	143	153
6. Subtotal	180	29	2,157	2,366
7. Nonrespondent	48	10	300	358
8. Total	228	39	2,457	2,724
9. Performance on this measure	96.67%	86.21%	93.37%

H. Customer Satisfaction

Satisfaction
Customer Rating of Services	Number of Customers	Percent
Highly satisfied	3,943	88.69%
Satisfied	238	5.35%
Satisfied somewhat	18	0.4%
Not at all satisfied	14	0.31%
Nonrespondent	233	5.24%
Total Surveyed	4,446
Response rate %	94.76%

I. Notes:

Data was manually documented using the entry date.

Device Demonstration

A. Number of Device Demonstrations by Device Type

Type of AT Device / Service	Number of Demonstrations of AT Devices / Services
Vision	124
Hearing	80
Speech Communication	217
Learning, Cognition and Developmental	94
Mobility, Seating and Positioning	1,189
Daily Living	793
Environmental Adaptations	45
Vehicle Modification and Transportation	03
Computers and Related	215
Recreation, Sports and Leisure	17
Total # of Devices Demonstrated	2,777

B. Types of Participants

Demonstrations by Participant Type
Type of Participant	Number of Participants in Device Demonstrations
Individuals with Disabilities	3,012
Family Members, Guardians, and Authorized Representatives	2,328
Representatives of Education	241
Representatives of Employment	22
Health, Allied Health, Rehabilitation	240
Representative of Community Living	394
Representative of Technology	09
Total	6,246

C. Number of Referrals

Referrals
Type of Entity	Number of Referrals
Funding Source (non-AT program)	1,933
Service Provider	126
Vendor	217
Repair Service	22
Others	00
Total	2,298

D. Anecdote

Staff from the Corning TRAID Center completed an IPAD demonstration for different communication apps. The individual who was interested in the assistive technology does not speak. The staff worked with the individual and his service coordinator and also gave referrals for service animal for steadiness and deaf services for adaptive communications from his home.

Impact Area Education Employment Commumity 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	295	93	2,124	2,512
Decided that an AT device/ service will not meet needs	21	05	99	125
Subtotal	316	98	2,223	2,637
Have not made a decision	35	02	51	88
Subtotal	351	100	2,274	2,725
Nonrespondent	20	03	29	52
Total	371	103	2,303	2,777
Performance on this measure	85.18%	95.15%	96.53%

F. Customer Satisfaction

Satisfaction
Customer Rating of Services	Number of Customers	Percent
Highly satisfied	6,040	96.7%
Satisfied	118	1.89%
Satisfied somewhat	11	0.18%
Not at all satisfied	33	0.53%
Nonrespondent	44	0.7%
Total	6,246
Response rate %	99.3%

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.	49	14	1,248	1,311
2. AT was only available through the AT program.	106	14	754	874
3. AT was available through other programs, but the system was too complex or the wait time too long.	75	06	405	486
4. Subtotal	230	34	2,407	2,671
5. None of the above	13	05	240	258
6. Subtotal	243	39	2,647	2,929
7. Nonrespondent	51	10	325	386
8. Total	294	49	2,972	3,315
9. Performance on this measure	78.23%	69.39%	80.99%	80.57%
ACL Performance Measure	75%	75%	75%	75%
Met/Not Met	Met	Not Met	Met	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	633	114	3,043	3,790
Decided that an AT device/ service will not meet needs	38	06	154	198
Subtotal	671	120	3,197	3,988
Have not made a decision	41	03	73	117
Subtotal	712	123	3,270	4,105
Nonrespondent	88	07	299	394
Total	800	130	3,569	4,499
Performance on this measure	83.88%	92.31%	89.58%	88.64%
ACL Performance Measure	70%	70%	70%	70%
Met/Not Met	Met	Met	Met	Met

Training

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

Training by Participant Type
Type of Participant	Number
Individuals with Disabilities	5,913
Family Members, Guardians and Authorized Representatives	2,512
Representatives of Education	4,004
Representatives of Employment	199
Rep Health, Allied Health, and Rehabilitation	217
Representatives of Community Living	870
Representatives of Technology	260
Unable to Categorize	40
TOTAL	14,015

Geographic Distribution of Participants
Metro	Non Metro	Unknown	TOTAL
13,874	141	00	14,015

B. Training Topics

Trainings by Topic
Primary Topic of Training	Participants
AT Products/Services	8,995
AT Funding/Policy/ Practice	301
Information Technology/Telecommunication Access	273
Combination of any/all of the above	4,425
Transition	21
Total	14,015

B. Description of Training Activities

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

Staff from the Buffalo TRAID center met with the Office for Aging of Niagara County to learn about, see the use of and try various assistive technologies and devices that will assist the elderly population in daily living. The presenter explained the use of, demonstrated, and allowed participants to try technologies and devices, such as bathroom, kitchen, grooming, hearing and vision assistive technology. Eight staff members from the Office for Aging were present. After the presentation, many devices were loaned to Niagara County individuals having a positive impact in the quality of their daily lives. This presentation educated and raised awareness within an agency that reaches many individuals, organizations and facilities in the Niagara County area.

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

Staff from the Utica TRAID center had an information table at the training called Educating the Whole Child: Focus on Students with Disabilities, held at the Herkimer BOCES WEB Complex in Herkimer, NY. This training centered around students transitioning from High School, and was aimed at school counselors, so our display featured equipment purchased by the ACCES-VR grant so that they could explain the types of equipment available and how the process worked. This was a valuable event in increasing understanding on how their students can benefit from our services. Of course, we also explained the breadth of services available at TRAID besides the equipment for transitioning students. There were also some special needs high school students there, and some teachers were aware of the program and some were not.

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

Staff from the Westchester TRAID Center presented at a full day conference at the Black Institute. The presenter met with preschool staff about the topic of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC.) During the session, the presenter discussed what AAC is, the terminology related to it, who would be a candidate for AAC, types, and implementing it into the classroom among other things. The presentation was given via PowerPoint but was interactive in that the audience got an opportunity to interact with the technology that was brought by the presenter. The audience consisted of teachers, teachers assistants, speech language pathologists, and occupational therapists. During the session, the audience became more aware of how they can implement this type of assistive technology into their program and classroom. There were also opportunities for questions and a short discussion.

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	201
Training or Technique Assistance will be developed or implemented	72
No known outcome at this time	00
Nonrespondent	00
Total	273
Performance Measure Percentage	100%
RSA Target Percentage	70%
Met/Not Met	Met

E. Notes:

Technical Assistance

A. Frequency and Nature of Technical Assistance

Technical Assistance by Recipient Type
Education	89%
Employment	11%
Health, Allied Health, Rehabilitation	0%
Community Living	0%
Technology (IT, Telecom, AT)	0%
Total	100%

B. Description of Technical Assistance

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

Staff from the Buffalo RTC presented to The Office for Aging of Niagara County so staff could learn about, see the use of and try various assistive technologies and devices that will assist the elderly population in daily living. The presenter explained the use of, demonstrated, and allowed participants to try technologies and devices, such as bathroom, kitchen, grooming, hearing and vision assistive technology. Eight staff members from the Office for Aging were present. After the presentation, many devices were loaned to Niagara County individuals having a positive impact in the quality of their daily lives. This presentation educated and raised awareness within an agency that reaches many individuals, organizations and facilities in the Niagara County area.

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

Staff from the Long Island TRAID Center attended several conferences and events including the Suffolk Melville Special Needs Expo. This event connects families to many resources specifically geared to the special needs community and is designed to deliver essential information to parents and caregivers as well as give the kids in a fun-filled day. Multiple resources were included including but not limited to information on assistative technology, IDEA protocol, and local resources.

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. TRAID hosted a table at the local Plattsburgh High School which was having Passport to Success for students and their families. The primary purpose of this event was to connect students with community resources which are available to the student for support in navigating the educational system and help prepare the student for the transition out of school and either toward college or employment. This event also provided TRAID with the opportunity to connect and network with other community resources and inform them about the TRAID/ACCES-VR programs available in the surrounding areas. There were 50 people from the public attending the event (student/family members) and 18 vendors who hosted tables.

2. Staff from the Brooklyn TRAID center presented information regarding SHARE and Tech Works at Family Connect Adapt Community Network Workshop entitled Sensory Smart Strategies for Real Life Challenges with Lindsey Biel. Approximately 40 persons attended; parents as well as professionals. I invited those attendees to visit the various SHARE Libraries and distributed fliers detailing SHARE and Tech Works.

Information And Assistance

Information And Assistance Activities by Recipient
Types of Recipients	AT Device/ Service	AT Funding	Total
Individuals with Disabilities	1,218	148	1,366
Family Members, Guardians and Authorized Representatives	1,195	402	1,597
Representative of Education	588	75	663
Representative of Employment	89	19	108
Representative of Health, Allied Health, and Rehabilitation	797	241	1,038
Representative of Community Living	336	249	585
Representative of Technology	224	219	443
Unable to Categorize	212	131	343
Total	4,659	1,484	6,143

Notes:

State Improvement Outcomes

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?

A. State Improvements

1. In one or two sentences, describe the outcome. Be as specific as possible about exactly what changed during this reporting period as a result of the AT program's initiative.

2. In one or two sentences, describe the written policies, practices, and procedures that have been developed and implemented as a result of the AT program's initiative. Include information about how to obtain the full documents, such as a Web site address or e-mail address of a contact person, but do not include the full documents here. (If there are no written polices, practices and procedures, explain why.)

3. What was the primary area of impact for this state improvement outcome?

B. State Improvements

1. In one or two sentences, describe the outcome. Be as specific as possible about exactly what changed during this reporting period as a result of the AT program's initiative.

3. What was the primary area of impact for this state improvement outcome?

Additional And Leveraged Funds

Additional and Leveraged Funds

Did you have Additional and Leveraged Funding to Report?

Yes

A. Leveraged Funding for State Plan Activities

State Plan Activities
Fund Source	Amount	Use of Funds
Public/State Agency	$510,000	Device Loan
Public/State Agency	$500,000	Device Loan
Public/State Agency	$100,000	Device Loan
	Amount: $1,110,000

B. Leveraged Funding for Activities Not in State Plan (data not previously reported in other activity sections)

Non-State Plan Activities
Fund Source	Amount	Use of Funds	Individuals Served	Other Outcome

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).

This additional state funding has been awarded to the Assistive Technology/TRAID Centers from the New York State Department of Health (Money Follows the Person $500,000 and Early Intervention $100,000) and the New York State Department of Education (ACCES-VR $510,000.) These funds have been sub-allocated to the TRAID centers for purchases of devices for the loan program.

Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs . Saved: Wed Mar 13 2019 13:55:20 GMT-0500 (Central Daylight Time)