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

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

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:

76 pediatric DME and AT items were exchanged for student use in schools.

G. Notes:

Most of the Device Exchange items are very low cost. Additionally, ABLE Tech had a FEMA grant that ended leaving over 1,700 smoke alarms and specialized alert devices to be exchanged. A fire department in a single county requested the items, received them, and was highly satisfied. The fire department will proceed with installations in the homes of individuals with disabilities.

I. Notes:

G. Notes:

C. Description of Training Activities

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

Schools need to be aware of more funding resources for assistive technology (AT). This year ABLE Tech provided two trainings on funding AT that specifically targeted educators and related service providers in order to increase the acquisition of AT for students with disabilities across the state. Content focused on the information one must know to secure funding for AT, primarily based on age, disability, and income, and participants not only learned about resources but also practiced writing for grants that would fund AT. The trainings were a hit! In addition to reaching public school educators and related service providers, participants also included a wide array of other individuals including healthcare professionals, representatives of the community as well as employment and technology. Participants were highly satisfied with the training, and have already reported that a grant for AT was funded!

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

ABLE Tech contributes and participates in the Oklahoma Transition Council’s Transition Institute. The 15th annual event was held virtually and included variety in the scheduled presentations. In an evening session, ABLE Tech staff presented the following information to 58 professionals and parents: Quality Indicators for assistive technology (AT) in the area of transition, writing AT in the IEP for students who are planning for transition, and exploring AT, from all 10 categories, that assists students before, during, and after transitions. All sessions were provided in both English and Spanish, and ABLE Tech was able to arrange for live captioning for all program sessions allowing the Institute to reach a diverse audience. Most participants reported being very likely to use the information they learned and also are highly likely to recommend others attend a future session on the topic of AT and Transition.

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

For the fifth year, Oklahoma ABLE Tech presented TechAccess Oklahoma, Oklahoma’s premier web accessibility conference. ABLE Tech ran the event over two days on Zoom in order to protect the health and safety of the growing technology accessibility community in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. We also reduced the program, running a single track of sessions on June 4th and 5th. Roughly 125 individuals participated throughout the day on Thursday, and on Friday participation dipped a bit to just over 100. In the conference evaluation, 96.8% of respondents rated their experience with the conference “great” or “good”. Some comments from the group include: “I'm so glad you're doing this. It's so necessary, especially since things seem to change and evolve all the time.” “This is a not-to-miss event for me.” “Outstanding speakers and information.” The conference also had multiple sponsoring agencies who helped make this such a great event, including the Oklahoma State Department of Education, the Department of Rehabilitation Services, the Oklahoma Office of Workforce Development, the Online Consortium for Oklahoma, WebAIM, and Popetech!

E. Notes:

B. Description of Technical Assistance

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

ABLE Tech has collaborated for years with the Department of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) and the Oklahoma Office of Workforce Development to provide technical assistance (TA) to Workforce Development Boards statewide to create and implement a 5 Star Rating Rubric Framework evaluation model to guide on physical and programmatic accessibility for all Workforce Centers in Oklahoma. This certification system compels Workforce Centers to consider individuals with disabilities who are seeking quality employment in Oklahoma. ABLE Tech has provided TA, training, and assistive technology which will assist Workforce Centers in providing equity to all job seekers, regardless of disabilities. This TA is resulting in statewide change and is influencing state policy.

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

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. ABLE Tech has knowledgeable and talented staff who create and present public awareness materials/activities every month. This year, ABLE Tech championed the creation of videos to share targeted information on ABLE Tech’s four core programs: Device Demonstration, Device Short-Term Loan, Device Reutilization, and State Financing Activities. These short, professional videos were created using online animation software to bring awareness to individuals across the lifespan and statewide regarding ABLE Tech services. All videos are accessible, including captioning and audio description to make the video experience engaging for individuals of all abilities, including those with hearing and vision impairments. These videos are available on ABLE Tech’s website and YouTube channel that individuals may access the information at any time. View the videos at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCksqGU7NDQ&list=PL0gW6noozmWExludZamaC5ktAeuolmH7e.

2. As all face-to-face public awareness (PA) activities halted with COVID-19, ABLE Tech was provided the opportunity to pivot into the creation and delivery of live/virtual PA events. This environment launched “Tech Thursday.” ABLE Tech subject matter experts presented on various topics including specific AT devices/categories of devices and AT services available through ABLE Tech. Guest speakers, who were also subject matter experts, presented and brought awareness to additional resources available to support individuals with disabilities of all ages who found themselves experiencing life through technology (Ex. distance and virtual learning, teletherapy, working remotely, etc.). Feedback from attendees has been positive and is leading to an increase in usage of ABLE Tech’s programs and services.

Notes: