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Great Possibilities June 2007 
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LATAN WINS NATIONAL LEADERSHIP AWARD LATAN has been awarded the RESNA Leadership Award. This award is given to an agency, company, association, or university that has significantly contributed to the advancement of the field of Assistive Technology. The contribution must have made an impact on a major segment of the population. Specifically, this award recognizes Louisiana Assistive Technology Access Network (LATAN) for their efforts in responding to the needs of people with disabilities in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Our efforts were enhanced by the contribution of so many. Collaborative efforts with the Independent Living Centers in Lake Charles, Alexandria and Shreveport along with many state agencies increased our abilities to reach more consumers. Contributions we received from individuals and other state technology act partners nationwide, through both monetary and assistive device donations, enabled LATAN to meet the ever increasing need of those who had lost so much. Baton Rouge Area Foundation, Disability Funders Network and the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation generously met our financial needs with grants. The award was accepted for LATAN by LATAN Board Vice-Chair, Dr. Frank Puckett during a ceremony at the RESNA conference in Phoenix, Arizona on June 18th. COMPUTERS FOR WORK, SCHOOL, OR JUST LIFE! Thanks to Century Tel Corporation, LATAN has stipend money available for a limited time to reduce the already low cost of its refurbished computer package by $100! The package includes a refurbished computer, 17 inch monitor, keyboard, mouse, floppy disk drive, CD ROM drive, dial-up modem, Ethernet card, and speakers. It has a Pentium III processor and comes loaded with Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional operating system, word processing software, presentation software, spreadsheet software, antivirus software, and an internet browser program. The best part is that all of this is delivered straight to your door! To be eligible for LATAN’s Computer ReUse program, you must be a citizen of Louisiana with a disability or functional limitation. You will also need to fill out an application, agree to and sign LATAN’s agreement and Microsoft’s Eligible Recipient agreement, and return it to LATAN with payment via check, money order, or credit card information. For more information, contact LATAN at 225- 925-9500 (Voice/TTY), 800-270-6185 (Voice/ TTY), or www.latan.org/ComputerReUse. LATAN ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY LOAN PROGRAM REACHES $2.5 MILLION On June 26, 2007, the LATAN Assistive Technology Loan Program surpassed $2.5 million in loans to individuals with disabilities or their family members to purchase assistive technology. Since 2002, there have been 140 loans ranging from $500 to $50,000. The loans have been for a wide array of equipment, including modified vehicles, mobility devices, computer equipment, home modifi- cations and hearing aids. If you or a family member need financial assistance in purchasing assistive technology, please call the Loan Program at (225) 925-9500 or (800)-270-6185. If you or a family member needed an assistive device, where would you go for help? THE ANSWER IS LATAN LATAN is Louisiana’s portal to the great pos sibilities created by technology for people with disabilities. Through incredible technologic advances, over 30,000 devices are available to aid people with tasks at home, school and work. That’s a lot to learn about! LATAN provides assistive technology information to people of all ages, with all disabilities and in all regions of the state. Your generous gift will let LATAN continue to develop and operate programs that inform, demonstrate and connect people to the possibilities assistive technology can bring to their lives. Donations can be made through regular mail to P O Box 14115, Baton Rouge, LA 70898, our website at www.latan.org or call the of- fice at 800-270-6185 with your credit card number. All donations are tax deductible. Announcing LATAN’s NEWEST Program Assistive Device Demonstrations are now available through LATAN’s Assistive Technology Resource Center. Individuals and organizations throughout Louisiana can call for an appointment to try out an array of equipment, learn about the features and benefits and get tips on funding for devices. EMERGING TECHNOLOGY The world’s most expensive (and sought after) keyboard We have some good news and some bad news for all those people who have been hanging out for the arrival of the Optimus keyboard from Russian designer Artemy Lebedev. The keyboard uses OLED technology so that each of the 113 keys is a stand-alone display showing exactly what it is controlling at that moment. Accordingly, you can switch from language to language, or program to program and the functionality of the key will be reflected in the 48 x 48 pixel image it shows. The good news is that after several years of legal and production delays, the first keyboards will be available on November 31, 2007. The bad news is that only 200 keyboards will be available on that date, with a further 200 in December and another 400 keyboards in January – hardly enough for a world market. But wait, there’s more bad news. The price is US$1564, though when volume production starts, which it surely must for such a sought-after productivity tool, the price can be expected to drop signifi- cantly. Pre-orders are now being taken. Flip Automatic Page Turner What are you going to read today? Whether it’s a magazine, chapter book, paperback, or hardcover, Flip can handle it. With a variety of books properly mounted in Flip, you’re able to turn pages in about 8 seconds, with 96% accuracy. Really easy to use. With Flip, moving through the pages of a book or magazine is as simple as the push of a button. Press it once to turn one page, or hold it down to turn a continuous string of 5 pages in a row. And of course, the dwell time can be adjusted to suit your specific needs or preferences. Really easy to set up. In as little as two minutes your book is installed and Flip is ready to move at your pace. While the manual will be more detailed, we could just say, “Set it down, hook it in, turn two knobs, and start reading.” Really quiet and convenient. When Flip isn’t turning a page, it sits silently waiting for your next move - no constant background noise or distractions. With a built in handle and adjustable stand, Flip goes where you want, and sits how you want, easily. There’s even a simple mouthstick holder built into the front of the device, just in case you need it. Really accessible. Flip has a wide array of adjustments that allow you to customize your experience to your specific needs. As mentioned above, Flip’s dwell time can be adjusted to meet a wide array of motor needs. Single switch automatic scanning is available, with fully adjustable scan rates. Flip’s two additional switch jacks offer the option of direct operation with external switches: one switch moves forward, one switch moves back. Flip ships with one Jelly Bean® switch There is a form you can complete online and you’ll receive a coupon good for another Jelly Bean switch, free! Really tempting. Right now. Flip is available now in limited quantities. If you’re interested in purchasing Flip on-line, simply visit the AbleNet website at ablenetinc.com. You may be contacted by an AbleNet representative to discuss availability. For further questions, please contact Natasha Tong at 800-322-0956 ext. 2241 or via email at ntong@ablenetinc.com. Flip automatic page turner Product Code: 100-20200 from AbleNet Price $3600.00 AAC Device Training Online Just Added to the DynaVox website! Archived Sessions: The following sessions have been recorded and are available for you to view at any time. To access them, visit http://www.dynavoxtech.com and click on Educational Offerings in the upper right corner on the homepage. Then, go to DynaVox U Online (Virtual Classroom) Context-Dependent Communicators |
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