National Assistive Technology Act Data System

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

One individual passed away before completing services.

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

Consumer passed away.

Referral Types:

This past year ATP saw an increase in referrals from Nebraska VR (vocational rehabilitation). ATP has been sending out quarterly newsletters to all Nebraska VR staff. Each newsletter highlights a different ATP Technology Specialist, spotlights a newer piece of technology, and gives a success story where assistive technology helped an individual be successful on the job. The intent behind the newsletter is to keep AT in the forefronts of the minds of Nebraska VR staff so that when they are working with an individual that may benefit from assistive technology, they will think to send ATP a referral so that we can help that person find the assistive technology that will work for them.

Referral Sources:

Area Agencies on Aging/ADRC - Statewide - 30% of referrals, Centers for Independent Living/ADRC - Statewide - 30% of referrals, Rehabilitation Hospitals - Central and Eastern part of the state - 3% of referrals, Nebraska VR (Vocational Rehabilitation) - statewide - 18% of referrals, Reuse partners - Eastern part of state - 7% of referrals, Education (IEP/IFSP teams) - statewide - 3% of referrals, General advertising (website, newsletters, presentations at conferences, event booths) - statewide - 9% of referrals

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?

ATP has an agreement with the Nebraska Department of Education, Office of Special Education to provide awareness activities, training, technical assistance, and a statewide assistive technology loan pool to IEP/IFSP teams in the state of Nebraska. The intent of this program is to build the capacity of local special educators in the area of assistive technology. This partnership is funded using IDEA Part B and IDEA Part C funding. ATP provides training on AT and AT Services to school districts and Education Service Units across Nebraska, as well as presenting at various statewide conferences. Along with in-person trainings, webinars are also used to reach as many educators as possible. All webinars are archived on ATP's website/Youtube page. Another service provided that started a few years ago is a partnership between ATP and various teacher prep programs across Nebraska to provide demonstration videos on different types of AT. ATP provides the equipment and production/captioning of the video, and the students from the teaching college learn about and then present a short 1-3 minute video on the equipment. This gives the student a chance to gain more knowledge of AT while allowing ATP to post these videos for anyone to view on their website/Youtube page. ATP also hosts an AT Cadre each year where around 20 educators are chosen to participate in a 9 month intensive TA project where they are required to meet with a coach and the group monthly to discuss various topics around AT. At the end of the program each participant presents their final project which is something they are encouraged to take back to their school/ESU with the intent of improving their organizations AT services. Lastly, this program funds a statewide assistive technology library where educators can request items to be used for decision making purposes or for a shot term accommodation. These items are then shipped to the school along with a return label. Loans are capped out at 60 days with one possible 30 day extension. This short timeframe is intended to encourage the school to make a decision and move forward with a purchase so that a permanent piece of equipment can be provided for the student. This program is focused on educators but also allows ATP to help them learn about other services provided by the State AT Program. Often times children that use AT in the school setting can also benefit from AT in the work environment, at home, or after leaving the school system. This helps individuals and families connect to ATP so that we can assist them across the lifespan.

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.

This program was restructured a few years ago, going from a model where grants were give out to 5 Education Service Units to provide the required services, to an in-house model where the State AT Program provides all services required by the grant/MOU. This restructure has ensured that information and trainings being distributed are consistent and giving the same message. It also ensures that services are truly statewide and that certain regions or areas are not getting more or better services than another. Also by centralizing the program and the statewide loan pool there is less need for duplicate pieces of equipment. The prior model had 5 loan pools each needing their own items which causes a lot of waste, especially among items that don't get loaned out regularly. Since the restructure a lot of work has been put into equipment purchasing and making decisions based on metrics and demand for item types. Over the past few years we have seen an increase in loan request for assistive technology, requests for trainings on specific AT topics from districts/ESU's, and requests from parts of the state that we had not worked with before. This data tells us that more educators across the state are becoming more aware of AT and their need to increase their knowledge in the area. This program and it's funding are planned to continue into the near future.

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

Education; Transition(school to work or congregate care to community);

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

Device Loan; Demonstration; Training; Public Awareness; Technical Assistance;