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

Activity 1

2. Geographic Distribution and Number of Individuals Served

3. Types and Dollar Amounts of AT Funded

G. Notes:

During FY21, MDTAP continued its efforts to increase marketing and awareness of the Assistive Technology Financial Loan Program, working with potential applicants and organizations to increase the number of loans made during this period. Although the loan issued rates are still lower than pre-COVID levels, the program is hopeful that these continued efforts will result in larger numbers of loans made in FY22. Additionally, MDTAP experienced a lapse in state contracts from 7/1/21 thru 9/30/21, resulting in lower numbers of those served through the cooperative buying program. This issue has since been resolved.

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:

In FY21, device repair/refurbishment activities resumed at a higher level (as COVID 19 recovery efforts took place), and the Maryland High Tech AT Reuse Center returned to in-person coverage and more equipment distributions took place.

I. Notes:

As the state moved into COVID recovery efforts in FY21, MDTAP's device loans began to pick back up, moving closer to pre-Covid levels. We did, however, experience a gap in regional statewide services between 7/1/21 thru 9/30/21 (the last quarter of the federal reporting period), which resulted in fewer device loans in the three outlying regions of Maryland - Western Maryland, Southern Maryland, and Eastern Shore. Although our central office was able to accommodate requests for shipping devices for device loans and virtual demonstrations in these regions, our regional contractors were unable to participate in community driven device loans because of a lapse in contracts. This has since been resolved and we anticipate a steady increase in device loans in federal fiscal year 2022.

G. Notes:

As the state moved into COVID recovery efforts in FY21, MDTAP's device loans began to pick back up, moving closer to pre-Covid levels. We did, however, experience a gap in regional statewide services between 7/1/21 thru 9/30/21 (the last quarter of the federal reporting period), which resulted in fewer device loans in the three outlying regions of Maryland - Western Maryland, Southern Maryland, and Eastern Shore. Although our central office was able to accommodate requests for shipping devices for device loans and virtual demonstrations in these regions, our regional contractors were unable to participate in community driven device demonstrations because of a lapse in contracts. This has since been resolved and we anticipate a steady increase in device demonstrations in federal fiscal year 2022.

C. Description of Training Activities

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

On February 17th, MDTAP conducted a training on "AT to Combat Social Isolation." This training addressed an important and pertinent dilemma that many Marylanders (Americans) faced which arose secondary to the pandemic in regard to the stay-at-home orders and the halting of many businesses, health care services, social gatherings, etc. As Marylanders took the time to heal and keep loved ones safe a new dilemma came to light: the feeling of isolation and loneliness. Marylanders who didn’t have the technology to keep them in touch with their support groups, churches, adult day services, may have increased feelings of depression, suicidal ideation, loneliness, helplessness. We at MDTAP felt this was something that needed to be addressed through a training of what technology was available that could help bridge these gaps in isolation and increase individuals ability to connect with their respective groups, tribes, families, friends, and the like. We had 66 individuals across 15 different counties in Maryland with different disciplines (health representatives, technology representatives, individuals with disabilities etc.) in attendance. This training covered key vocabulary (e.g. social isolation vs loneliness) and the impact of social isolation on mental and physical health, and offered numerous technology interventions (some free and others various pricing) to increase interactions with friends, family, and various organizations. This training lead to multiple individuals reaching out in regards to learning more about the technology explored in the slide deck, how to utilize it, and what type of internet connection is needed, etc. A number of health care, tech, and community representatives reached out just to convey how helpful this training was and that the information presented was very relevant and helpful to give individuals the knowledge and options to stay engaged with others.

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

A certified ATP provided training on assistive technology and transitioning: middle school to high school; high school to post-graduation; hospital or assisted living to home. There were 81 attendees from all categories (Individuals with disabilities, Community Living, Reps of Education, Reps of Employment, Family, Reps of Health, and Technology) and 17 of the state's 23 counties. A representative of education thought the presentation would benefit their special educators with transitioning students, so our AT Specialist repeated the presentation to 44 staff members. Information on the types of transitions and how to acquire AT once a student is ready to transition from school to higher education or out of public education was shared. The positive impact was that attendees gained valuable information on how to assist their students to obtain the AT the need through and after transition.

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

On April 20th, ICT staff hosted a training session on Video Conferencing Accessibility, as a direct result of ongoing inquiries at the state level about the accessibility functionality in various web conferencing platforms. This session had 63 participants representing state agencies, education institutions, technology representatives, and more. The session focused on alternatives for accessibility in video conferencing including: captioning, accessible materials, language use and narration, and sign language interpretation. Staff provided a demonstration of how to make accessible materials, such as slide decks and PDFs, and participants learned about specific capabilities within multiple platforms including Google Meets, Microsoft Teams, Cisco WebEx, and Zoom.

E. Notes:

During FY21, MDTAP increased its virtual trainings on a variety of AT-specific and ICT topics. As a result of the pandemic, we have increased our trainings and identified a more successful method for capturing training data. In FY22, we will focus on increasing the performance measure targets for ICT to better capture the results from our ICT trainings.

B. Description of Technical Assistance

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

The Maryland IT Accessibility team, part of the MDTAP staff, met with the Digital Accessibility Coordinator for the State of Michigan to discuss how Maryland has established a statewide, interagency approach to procuring accessible IT and evaluating current state websites. The team provided guidance on Maryland's practices and followed up with an additional meeting with Michigan state government employees in the office of civil rights and digital access. We anticipate an ongoing collaboration with Michigan as they implement ways to improve and expand their statewide accessibility approach.

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

The Maryland AT program has been part of the Statewide Interagency Transition Council - a council comprised of state agency representatives, local transition council reps, vocational rehabilitation representatives, and more. In October 2020, MDTAP worked with IATC members to contribute to and finalize two transition documents - the Student Resource Map and the State Agencies’ Transition Collaborative of Maryland (SATC-MD) guide. Both documents are available to those involved in the transition process at a local district level, including educators, parents, and students, and provides guidance on programs and steps during the transition from school to higher education or the workforce. Both documents include technology as a key part of the successful transition process.

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. MDTAP staff hosted a session on assistive technology services and AT demonstrations during the Arc of Maryland's Partners in Policymaking event. This multi-day virtual program brings together advocates, people with I/DD, people with physical disabilities, service providers, family members, and others to explore AT resources and services. The intent of the program is to empower, educate, and inform so that people with disabilities, family members, and providers can better advocate for change and inclusion on a legislative platform. We had 31 attendees during this session.

2. MDTAP staff presented on assistive technology and AT services during the annual conference for Maryland Service Coordinators. This brought together nearly 100 service coordinators from across the state to learn about AT, how to implement AT when working with constituents, when to make a referral to the MDTAP program, and included a demonstration of some AT devices that can support the varied needs of consumers. This session also included information on funding AT, various methods to include AT in waivers, and additional services across the state that can be combined to support the AT needs of Marylanders.

Notes:

MDTAP is working on a strategy to increase outreach with a direct intent of increasing our Information & Assistance data in FY22. We believe that a part of the decline in numbers between FY20 and FY21 is directly related to fewer constituent requests during COVID and a lapse in our regional contract services for the final quarter of FY21. With contracts back in place, more targeted outreach strategies developed, and a more nuanced system for recording assistance calls and emails, we anticipate having I&A data return to pre-Covid levels in FY22.

Overview of Coordination/Collaboration Activities

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.

The Maryland ICT team worked directly with the Office of State Procurement to develop and implement a training module on the laws & processes around procuring accessible information technology. This collaboration included work with Department of General Services (which oversees a portion of all state procurement AND all ongoing training of procurement officers) AND Department of Information Technology (DoIT).

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.)

The developed curriculum is now integrated into the standard Maryland OSP training program, which is a mandated training for all state procurement officers. The training highlights the necessity for including IT Accessibility in all state RFPs, evaluating vendor claims of accessibility, and implementing a checks & balances system before awarding IT procurements when accessibility is required. For more information on this module, email andrew.drummond@maryland.gov, Director of IT Accessibility Policy & Programs with the Maryland Department of Disabilities.

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

Technology (ICT accessibility and AT