National Assistive Technology Act Data System

Annual Progress Report - Full Report

Pennsylvania 2021

General Information

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

State AT Program Title:
Pennsylvania's Initiative on Assistive Technology dba TechOWL
State AT Program Title:
State AT Program URL
https://techowlpa.org
Mailing Address:
1301 Cecil B. Moore Ave., Ritter Annex 430
City:
Philadelphia
State:
PA
Zip Code:
19122
Program Email:
TechOWL@temple.edu
Phone:
800-204-7428
TTY:
711

Lead Agency

Agency Name:
Institute on Disabilities/UCEDD at Temple University
Mailing Address:
1301 Cecil B. Moore Ave., Ritter Annex 430
City:
Philadelphia
State:
PA
Zip Code:
19122
Program URL:
https://techowlpa.org

Implementing Entity

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):
Singleton, Kim
Title:
Director
Phone:
215-204-3862
E-mail:
kim.singleton@temple.edu
Program Director at Lead Agency (last, first):
Gould-Taylor, Sally
Title:
Executive Director
Phone:
215-204-5775
E-mail:
sgould-taylor@temple.edu
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):
McNally, Sandra
Title:
Assistant Director
Phone:
215-204-3370
E-mail:
sandra.mcnally@temple.edu

Certifying Representative

Name (last, first):
Mitchell, Karen
Title:
Assistant Vice President, Research Administration
Phone:
215-707-7547
E-mail:
karen.mitchell@temple.edu

State Financing

Did your approved state plan for this reporting period include any State Financing? Yes
Did your approved state plan for this reporting period include conducting a Financial Loan Program? No

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? 2
Activity 1
How would you describe this state financing activity?Telecommunications equipment distribution

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

County of ResidenceIndividuals Served
A. Metro (RUCC 1-3)206
B. Non-Metro (RUCC 4-9)53
C. Total Served259

Performance Measure
D. Excluded from Performance Measure0
E. Number of Individuals Included in Performance Measures259

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

3. Types and Dollar Amounts of AT Funded

Type of AT Device / ServiceNumber of Devices
Funded
Value of
AT Provided
Vision 133108250.00
Hearing 15842210.00
Speech communication64845.00
Learning, cognition, and developmental 00.00
Mobility, seating and positioning00.00
Daily living 127479.00
Environmental adaptations00.00
Vehicle modification and transportation 00.00
Computers and related 00.00
Recreation, sports, and leisure00.00
Total309162784.00

Activity 2
How would you describe this state financing activity?Last resort - Activity

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

County of ResidenceIndividuals Served
A. Metro (RUCC 1-3)6
B. Non-Metro (RUCC 4-9)1
C. Total Served7

Performance Measure
D. Excluded from Performance Measure0
E. Number of Individuals Included in Performance Measures7

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

3. Types and Dollar Amounts of AT Funded

Type of AT Device / ServiceNumber of Devices
Funded
Value of
AT Provided
Vision 3350.00
Hearing 1100.00
Speech communication00.00
Learning, cognition, and developmental 00.00
Mobility, seating and positioning6800.00
Daily living 1150.00
Environmental adaptations00.00
Vehicle modification and transportation 00.00
Computers and related 00.00
Recreation, sports, and leisure00.00
Total111400.00



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? 1
Activity 1
How would you describe this state financing activity?AT Fabrication or AT Maker Program

2. Geographic Distribution and Number of Individuals Served

County of ResidenceIndividuals Served
A. Metro (RUCC 1-3)41
B. Non-Metro (RUCC 4-9)6
C. Total Served47

Performance Measure
D. Excluded from Performance Measure0
E. Number of Individuals Included in Performance Measures47

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

3. Types and Dollar Amounts of AT Funded

Type of AT Device / ServiceNumber ProvidedTotal Estimated
Current Retail
Purchase Price
Total Price for
Which Devices
Were Sold
Savings
to Consumers
Vision 101400.00140.00
Hearing 000.000.00
Speech communication 6400.0040.00
Learning, cognition, and developmental 162100.00210.00
Mobility, seating and positioning 000.000.00
Daily living 12517300.001730.00
Environmental adaptations 413350.00335.00
Vehicle modification and transportation 000.000.00
Computers and related 000.000.00
Recreation, sports, and leisure 17828400.002840.00
Total 37652950.005295.00


D. Anecdote

Maeve's mother contacted us from our website looking for a beach walker that her daughter could use when they go to the lake, beach, or pool. The issue with using her standard walker is that it could get damaged or rusted, so they were hoping that we could make a walker that she could use for recreation and not worry too much if it gets damaged. We partnered with 2 occupational therapy graduate students and they both took on this project and customized this walker for Maeve. These students went above and beyond for this project and the family couldn't be happier.

Smiling female toddler standing inside a purple wheeled walker. The walker is open in the front. She holds onto the sides to help her walk.
Impact Area

Ollie's mother contacted us through the order form on the website for a few devices that could help Ollie. She specifically asked for child-sized versions of some devices which we now have the capacity to provide. We worked with a team of 3 undergraduate engineering students to make several adult-sized 3D printed devices child-sized. It is very difficult to find 3D open-source files specifically made for a child, so we took it upon ourselves to make some of those files ourselves and share them with Makers Making Change to have a larger impact.

Young boy using an assistive button hook to button his shirt.ton
Impact Area

E. Performance Measures

Performance Measures
Response Primary Purpose for Which AT is Needed Total
Education Employment Community Living
1. Could only afford the AT through the AT program. 00 00 225 225
2. AT was only available through the AT program. 05 01 71 77
3. AT was available through other programs, but the system was too complex or the wait time too long. 00 00 06 06
4. Subtotal 05 01 302 308
5. None of the above 00 00 00 00
6. Subtotal 05 01 302 308
7. Nonrespondent 00 00 05 05
8. Total 05 01 307 313
9. Performance on this measure 100% 100% 98.37%

F. Customer Satisfaction

Satisfaction
Customer Rating of Services Number of Customers Percent
Highly satisfied 119 38.02%
Satisfied 30 9.58%
Satisfied somewhat 00 0%
Not at all satisfied 03 0.96%
Nonrespondent 161 51.44%
Total Surveyed 313
Response rate % 48.56%

G. Notes:

Reutilization

A. Number of Recipients of Reused Devices

Activity Number of Individuals Receiving a Device from Activity
A. Device Exchange 04
B. Device Refurbish/Repair - Reassign and/or Open Ended Loan 4,153
C. Total 4,157

Performance Measure
D. Device Exchange - Excluded from Performance Measure 00
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 00
F. Number of Individuals Included in Performance Measures 4,157

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

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 $925 $0 $925
Hearing 00 $0 $0 $0
Speech Communication 00 $0 $0 $0
Learning, Cognition and Developmental 00 $0 $0 $0
Mobility, Seating and Positioning 02 $244 $0 $244
Daily Living 01 $149 $0 $149
Environmental Adaptations 00 $0 $0 $0
Vehicle Modification & Transportation 00 $0 $0 $0
Computers and Related 00 $0 $0 $0
Recreation, Sports and Leisure 00 $0 $0 $0
Total 04 $1,318 $0 $1,318

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 13 $13,610 $0 $13,610
Hearing 04 $425 $0 $425
Speech Communication 16 $14,065 $0 $14,065
Learning, Cognition and Developmental 10 $990 $0 $990
Mobility, Seating and Positioning 2,786 $576,800 $470 $576,330
Daily Living 3,272 $156,007 $241 $155,766
Environmental Adaptations 41 $2,317 $20 $2,297
Vehicle Modification & Transportation 03 $2,697 $0 $2,697
Computers and Related 09 $1,945 $0 $1,945
Recreation, Sports and Leisure 27 $3,224 $0 $3,224
Total 6,181 $772,080 $731 $771,349

D. Anecdote

Ms. G needed a digital magnifier to read documents, including records from late family members. It would be a huge relief to be able to sort through these herself rather than to trust another person's translation. A member of our AT program team delivered and set up a digital magnifier and provided instructions for its use. Not only was Ms. G able to read her documents, she was delighted to realize that she could also use the magnifier to resume her former hobby of jewelry making. It opened doors for her that she never realized were possible.

Impact Area

E. Performance Measures

Performance Measures
Response Primary Purpose for Which AT is Needed Total
Education Employment Community Living
1. Could only afford the AT through the AT program. 06 09 3,487 3,502
2. AT was only available through the AT program. 08 01 244 253
3. AT was available through other programs, but the system was too complex or the wait time too long. 04 02 387 393
4. Subtotal 18 12 4,118 4,148
5. None of the above 02 00 05 07
6. Subtotal 20 12 4,123 4,155
7. Nonrespondent 00 00 02 02
8. Total 20 12 4,125 4,157
9. Performance on this measure 90% 100% 99.83%

F. Customer Satisfaction

Satisfaction
Customer Rating of Services Number of Customers Percent
Highly satisfied 3,954 95.12%
Satisfied 164 3.95%
Satisfied somewhat 12 0.29%
Not at all satisfied 01 0.02%
Nonrespondent 26 0.63%
Total Surveyed 4,157
Response rate % 99.37%

G. Notes:

The average value of daily living devices was $48; this reflects that fact that more small items such as medicine organizers, reachers, dressing aids, and sensory processing tools were distributed this year.

Device Loan

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) 629
Serve as loaner during service repair or while waiting for funding 24
Provide an accommodation on a short-term basis for a time-limited event/situation 32
Conduct training, self-education or other professional development activity 79
Total 764

B. Short-Term Device Loan by Type of Borrower

LOANS BY TYPE OF BORROWER
Type of Individual or Entity Number of Device Borrowers
Desicion-making All other Purposes Total
Individuals with Disabilities 291 44 335
Family Members, Guardians, and Authorized Representatives 109 14 123
Representative of Education 44 23 67
Representative of Employment 08 00 08
Representatives of Health, Allied Health, and Rehabilitation 144 46 190
Representatives of Community Living 20 02 22
Representatives of Technology 13 06 19
Total 629 135 764

C. Length of Short-Term Device Loans

Length of Short-Term Device Loan in Days 63

D. Types of Devices Loaned

Types of Devices Loaned
Type of AT Device Number of Devices
Desicion-making All other Purposes Total
Vision 72 31 103
Hearing 82 31 113
Speech Communication 194 37 231
Learning, Cognition and Developmental 13 02 15
Mobility, Seating and Positioning 09 05 14
Daily Living 35 06 41
Environmental Adaptations 72 18 90
Vehicle Modification and Transportation 00 00 00
Computers and Related 347 96 443
Recreation, Sports and Leisure 65 26 91
Total 889 252 1,141

E. Anecdote

Mr. R, who resides in senior housing, heard that iPads were available for seniors to borrow from our AT Lending Library. He was very excited when the iPad arrived, and after some assistance with setting up some color contrast and magnification accessibility settings, our AT team helped him learn to use the iPad. Due to the pandemic, Mr. R's residence facility was in lockdown, and using the iPad provided a way for him to connect with his family and explore the Internet. He was so pleased with the iPad, he purchased one for himself.

Impact Area

F. Access Performance Measures

Access Performance Measures
Response Primary Purpose for Which AT is Needed Total
Education Employment Community Living
Decided that AT device/service will meet needs 30 04 119 153
Decided that an AT device/ service will not meet needs 01 01 20 22
Subtotal 31 05 139 175
Have not made a decision 02 00 07 09
Subtotal 33 05 146 184
Nonrespondent 191 21 233 445
Total 224 26 379 629
Performance on this measure 21.29% 29.59% 56.42%

G. Acquisition Performance Measures

Acquisition Performance Measures
Response Primary Purpose for Which AT is Needed Total
Education Employment Community Living
1. Could only afford the AT through the AT program. 06 03 03 12
2. AT was only available through the AT program. 09 00 07 16
3. AT was available through other programs, but the system was too complex or the wait time too long. 00 00 01 01
4. Subtotal 15 03 11 29
5. None of the above 59 04 15 78
6. Subtotal 74 07 26 107
7. Nonrespondent 13 02 13 28
8. Total 87 09 39 135
9. Performance on this measure 20.27% 42.86% 42.31%

H. Customer Satisfaction

Satisfaction
Customer Rating of Services Number of Customers Percent
Highly satisfied 177 23.17%
Satisfied 29 3.8%
Satisfied somewhat 03 0.39%
Not at all satisfied 04 0.52%
Nonrespondent 551 72.12%
Total Surveyed 764
Response rate % 27.88%

I. Notes:

Length of loan period: Loan period was extended to 9 weeks to meet demand for devices needed to mediate isolation and increase access to telehealth and remote programs. Performance measures and satisfaction rates are affected because almost all of our device loans are delivered by a drop-ship method. While this is more convenient for our borrowers, this means that our regional centers do not have face-to-face contact with borrowers and therefore try to obtain data through email or telephone follow-up; many borrowers do not readily respond to these methods.

Device Demonstration

A. Number of Device Demonstrations by Device Type

Type of AT Device / Service Number of Demonstrations of AT Devices / Services
Vision 25
Hearing 22
Speech Communication 17
Learning, Cognition and Developmental 01
Mobility, Seating and Positioning 00
Daily Living 10
Environmental Adaptations 02
Vehicle Modification and Transportation 00
Computers and Related 13
Recreation, Sports and Leisure 00
Total # of Devices Demonstrated 90

B. Types of Participants

Demonstrations by Participant Type
Type of Participant Number of Participants in Device Demonstrations
Individuals with Disabilities 83
Family Members, Guardians, and Authorized Representatives 41
Representatives of Education 04
Representatives of Employment 00
Health, Allied Health, Rehabilitation 07
Representative of Community Living 14
Representative of Technology 00
Total 149

C. Number of Referrals

Referrals
Type of Entity Number of Referrals
Funding Source (non-AT program) 40
Service Provider 03
Vendor 107
Repair Service 00
Others 07
Total 157

D. Anecdote

Beth, who has significant hearing loss, received a demonstration of a Pocket Talker and nearly fell off her chair when she heard a notification sound from her mobile phone for the first time ever. Using this device, she is now able to talk with her young children without missing anything or needing to ask them to repeat themselves.

Impact Area

E. Performance Measures

Performance Measures
Response Primary Purpose for Which AT is Needed Total
Education Employment Community Living
Decided that AT device/service will meet needs 04 04 70 78
Decided that an AT device/ service will not meet needs 00 00 02 02
Subtotal 04 04 72 80
Have not made a decision 00 00 10 10
Subtotal 04 04 82 90
Nonrespondent 00 00 00 00
Total 04 04 82 90
Performance on this measure 100% 100% 87.8%

F. Customer Satisfaction

Satisfaction
Customer Rating of Services Number of Customers Percent
Highly satisfied 130 87.25%
Satisfied 14 9.4%
Satisfied somewhat 04 2.68%
Not at all satisfied 00 0%
Nonrespondent 01 0.67%
Total 149
Response rate % 99.33%

G. Notes:

Overall Performance Measures

Overall Acquisition Performance Measure

Acquisition Performance Measures
Response Primary Purpose for Which AT is Needed Total
Education Employment Community Living
1. Could only afford the AT through the AT program. 12 12 3,715 3,739
2. AT was only available through the AT program. 22 02 322 346
3. AT was available through other programs, but the system was too complex or the wait time too long. 04 02 394 400
4. Subtotal 38 16 4,431 4,485
5. None of the above 61 04 20 85
6. Subtotal 99 20 4,451 4,570
7. Nonrespondent 13 02 20 35
8. Total 112 22 4,471 4,605
9. Performance on this measure 34.34% 70% 90.56% 89.25%
ACL Performance Measure 85%
Met/Not Met Met

Overall Access Performance Measure

Access Performance Measures
Response Primary Purpose for Which AT is Needed Total
Education Employment Community Living
Decided that AT device/service will meet needs 34 08 189 231
Decided that an AT device/ service will not meet needs 01 01 22 24
Subtotal 35 09 211 255
Have not made a decision 02 00 17 19
Subtotal 37 09 228 274
Nonrespondent 191 21 233 445
Total 228 30 461 719
Performance on this measure 23.33% 42.86% 64.33% 51.1%
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 99.42% 95% Met
Response Rate 86.27% 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 121
Family Members, Guardians and Authorized Representatives 76
Representatives of Education 209
Representatives of Employment 10
Rep Health, Allied Health, and Rehabilitation 1,089
Representatives of Community Living 766
Representatives of Technology 32
Unable to Categorize 108
TOTAL 2,411

Geographic Distribution of Participants
Metro Non Metro Unknown TOTAL
2,151 200 60 2,411

B. Training Topics

Trainings by Topic
Primary Topic of Training Participants
AT Products/Services 507
AT Funding/Policy/ Practice 802
Combination of any/all of the above 860
Information Technology/Telecommunication Access 164
Transition 78
Total 2,411

C. Description of Training Activities

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

AT, AAC & Early Intervention: This was a training provided for professionals working with Philadelphia’s Early Intervention services, including occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and special educators. The response to the training announcement was so high that we needed to add a second session due to the Zoom webinar limit of 500 attendees.

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

A long-time program of the Institute on Disabilities, Augmentative Communication Empowerment & Supports (ACES), provides programming for individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). This year, ACES needed to be virtual, so we offered a training (in partnership with CommunicationFIRST) called Talking with Doctors. This 8-week online strand provided AAC users (“participants”) with information and strategies to advocate for themselves in healthcare settings. Throughout the program, participants attended webinars and participated in group roundtable discussions. Each participant also created or updated a personal tool to use when communicating with doctors and other medical professionals.

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

AT and digital/social media accessibility:The Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (Philadelphia’s Area Agency on Aging) requested a training on AT and digital / social media accessibility. They have a large client base that cannot interact with social media and documents in a typical way, so this training focused on making their social media and digital information accessible to people who are blind, deafblind, or have low vision.

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 85
Training or Technical Assistance will be developed or implemented 07
No known outcome at this time 34
Nonrespondent 38
Total 164
Performance Measure Percentage 56.1%
ACL Target Percentage 70%
Met/Not Met Not Met

E. Notes:

All of our trainings were conducted virtually. Despite providing links to accessible online forms, it is much more challenging to obtain training data virtually than it is to hand out forms to people in person and collect them right away.

Technical Assistance

A. Frequency and Nature of Technical Assistance

Technical Assistance by Recipient Type
Education %
Employment %
Health, Allied Health, Rehabilitation 32%
Community Living 36%
Technology (IT, Telecom, AT) 32%
Total 100%

B. Description of Technical Assistance

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

The initial rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations in Philadelphia relied heavily on large community clinic sites. It was important to make these locations and processes as accessible as possible, to ensure equitable healthcare access during the pandemic. TechOWL was able to consult on the design of spaces and supplies to make the vaccination experience manageable for residents with disabilities. This included consideration of sensory needs, mobility assistance, and communication access. Upon our recommendation, the mass vaccination site made changes such as implementing a private booth for those who needed to receive their vaccine in a less stimulating space and distributing large print or audio versions of documents for those unable to access the traditional print materials. TechOWL was also able to be of direct service in sourcing materials for sensory accommodation kits (headphones, fidgets, visual timers) as well as picture communication boards and iPads to connect to remote ASL / langu

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

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. There was a time when social media was just an endless void where great ideas about Assistive Technology would only be seen by a few hundred people at best. This year, however, TechOWL struck gold by creating a TikTok account (@TechOWLpa, https://www.tiktok.com/@techowlpa?lang=en. On December 23, 2020 TechOWL posted their first every TikTok. Less than a year later TechOWL has 180,000 followers, 3 million likes, countless viral posts, and has received attention from local and national news outlets about our newly founded influencer status. In addition to the TikTok success, TechOWL’s Instagram has also reached new heights with over 26,000 Instagram followers and counting. The post that truly changed the game was posted on August 25, 2021, by TechOWL member Alanna Raffel and has been viewed over 8.5 million times! This video caught the attention of major news outlets who have or are writing stories about TechOWL. So far Yahoo News, In the Know, 6 ABC, NPR Pittsburgh, KYW Philly, The Sun and Univision have all written about TechOWL's growing social media influence. One of these articles is here: https://www.intheknow.com/post/assistive-technology-tiktok-video-disabilites [sic]. As a result, we are receiving inquiries from all over the US as well as from several other countries, definitely raising the Public Awareness of AT.

2.

Information And Assistance

Information And Assistance Activities by Recipient
Types of Recipients AT Device/
Service
AT Funding Total
Individuals with Disabilities 1,056 1,317 2,373
Family Members, Guardians and Authorized Representatives 543 663 1,206
Representative of Education 111 43 154
Representative of Employment 33 25 58
Representative of Health, Allied Health, and Rehabilitation 291 345 636
Representative of Community Living 390 425 815
Representative of Technology 20 35 55
Unable to Categorize 240 28 268
Total 2,684 2,881 5,565

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? 1

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?

CARES Act funds received from the Pennsylvania Department of Aging enabled our program to add hundreds of iPad tablets, apps, Chromebooks, and Wi-Fi Hotspots to our AT Lending Library. Borrowers used these devices devices to mitigate social isolation, access remote services, telehealth appointments, grocery and meal deliveries, and video calls, as well as other services.

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.

Because of this new collaboration and increased inventory in our statewide lending library, we did not see an anticipated dramatic reduction in our loans due to the pandemic. More people were able to access tablets and laptops during the pandemic. Lessons learned were that consumers wanted longer loan periods (we increased to 9 weeks) and ultimately wanted ownership programs. We subsequently applied for a grant to start a tablet ownership program the the CDC and PA Dept. of Health.

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

Community Participation and Integration; Recreation / Leisure; Health; Aging; Aging and Disability Network / No Wrong Door; Information and Communication Technology / Remote Connectivity;

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

Device Loan;

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? 00

Additional And Leveraged Funds

Did you have Additional and Leveraged Funding to Report? Yes

A. Leveraged Funding for State Plan Activities

Fund Source Amount Use of Funds Data Reported
Public/State Agency$672,630Device LoanTrue
Public/State Agency$80,000State FinancingTrue
Public/State Agency$347,120TrainingTrue
Public/State Agency$110,455State FinancingTrue
Public/State Agency$123,569TrainingTrue
State Appropriations$450,000Device LoanTrue
Federal$11,500Technical AssistanceTrue
Federal$291,140State FinancingTrue
Public/State Agency$174,511State FinancingTrue
Private$10,000Technical AssistanceTrue
Amount: $2,270,925

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. 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: Mon Mar 07 2022 11:14:58 GMT-0600 (Central Standard Time)


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This FY21 State AT Program Annual Progress Report was exported from the National Assistive Technology Act Data System (NATADS). NATADS was developed with partial support from the Center for Assistive Technology Act Data Assistance.