|
Great Possibilities March, 2005 
Text Size |
|
|
|
Nothing is Impossible... Consumer Spotlight Fifteen-year-old Kriston Aime likes to watch videos, listen to music and talk on the phone with friends just like any other teenager. What Kriston cant do is attend school in her neighborhood. Kriston has a neuromuscular disease known as Spinal Muscular Atrophy. She gets tired easily and has fragile health. She states that it is hard for her to do certain things. When the weather changes, her whole body aches, much like a person who has arthritis. Because of her fragile health, Kriston is home-schooled. Kristons mom, Kathleen, tells about the trials she and Kriston have been through. Kriston was diagnosed at a very early age. Soon, Ronald McDonald house in New Orleans seemed more like home, than home did. Childrens Hospital and the Ronald McDonald house were where most of their time was spent in the early years of Kristons diagnosis and subsequent treatment. Months spent away from home in Baker encouraged the growth of new friendships for both Mom and Kriston, which have lasted a lifetime. Assistive technology plays a very important role in Kristons life. She uses both low-tech and high-tech assistive technology. Something as simple as a cup holder mounted on her wheelchair enables Kriston to be a little more independent. After all, what teenager wants mom doing everything for her? A hospital bed, used for positioning, helps relieve some of those achy muscle cramps and allows Kaylan, Kristons younger sister, to help with Kristons care. A portable Hoyer lift not only is used to transport Kriston at home to the toilet and bed, it also enables Kriston to accompany her family on trips out of town when hotel stays are necessary. With the Hoyer lift, even Kaylan can take Kriston in and out of bed. One of the other necessities in Kristons life is a van with a foldout wheelchair ramp. She just needs someone to lower the ramp, and in she goes for a ride or an overnight stay away with the family. Another reason Kriston feels the van is important is that it allows her to attend art class, which will help her attain her career goal as an illustrator of childrens books. In January 2005, LATAN helped Kriston get a computer through LATANs ReBoot Program. Access to the Internet is crucial for Kriston since she is homeschooled and it allows her to do her research without leaving home. She states, "This computer has helped me a lot, because I dont have to write out all my work, I can just type it up." Not to mention it allows for some social interaction with her friends. Being a typical teenager, the one thing Kriston is looking forward to is being able to drive her own vehicle. With her determination and her knowledge of assistive technology, we have no doubt we will one day see Kriston drive by and wave from her own accessible van. Her advice to others with disabilities is, "Keep your hopes up! Nothing is impossible." Way to go, Krissie! Policy Updates Tax Incentives For Business Part 1 of a 3-part series There are three tax incentives available to help employers offset the cost of accommodations for employees with disabilities and to make their places of business accessible for employees and/or customers with disabilities. We will explore the first incentive this issue and one in each of the next two issues of Great possibilities. Small Business Tax Credit: IRS Code Section 44, Disabled Access Credit, allows small businesses to take an annual tax credit for making their businesses accessible to persons with disabilities. To qualify, small businesses in the previous year could earn a maximum of $1 million in revenue or have 30 or fewer full-time employees. The credit is 50 percent of expenditures over $250, not to exceed $10,250, for a maximum benefit of $5,000. The credit amount is subtracted from the total tax liability. The credit is available every year and can be used for costs such as: * sign language interpreters for employees or customers who have hearing impairments; * readers for employees or customers who have visual impairments; * the purchase of adaptive equipment or the modification of equipment; * the production of print materials in alternate formats (e.g., braille, audio tape, large print); * the removal of barriers, in buildings and transportation, that prevent a business from being accessible to, or usable by, individuals with disabilities. How can this credit be claimed? Businesses can claim the Disabled Access Credit on IRS Form 8826. Additional information can be obtained through Office of Associate Counsel, IRS, 1111 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20224 phone: (202)622-3110. Medicares Proposed New Standard for Motorized Wheelchairs SOURCE: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services "People with disabilities are having trouble getting the motorized wheelchairs they need," said Mr. Mixon of Invacare. The criteria that Medicare proposed last month spells out how people who cant perform certain household tasks would be eligible. A beneficiary now needs a physician to certify a "medical necessity" to be reimbursed, but critics argue that the certificates questions are too vague. The agencys critics are particularly concerned that power wheelchairs are provided for use mostly within the home but not outdoors. Its at odds with other government initiatives aimed at promoting independence among people with disabilities. Someone with multiple sclerosis, for example, might be able to walk at home but need a power chair to move safely around his community. Requirement under Medicares proposed new standard: Cant do certain daily activities independently, such as bathing, grooming, eating and dressing. For more information go to www.cms.hhs.gov/medlearn/powerwheelchair.pdf. ****** LEGISLATIVE ACTION ALERT ****** LATAN NEEDS YOUR HELP President Bushs FY 2006 Budget zeroed out funding for all State Assistive Technology Programs, despite the bipartisan unanimous endorsement of legislation to reauthorize the Assistive Technology Act (PL108-364) which President Bush just signed late last year. If Congress adopts President Bush's budget, there will be NO money in Louisiana for the assistive technology program and thousands of people with disabilities in Louisiana will lose access to critical assistive technology that enables them to live and work independently. Congress is beginning to work on a funding plan for FY 2006. The Louisiana delegation needs to hear from you about what NO federal funding for assistive technology will mean to the nearly 1 million people with disabilities in the State of Louisiana. If you would be willing to help people with disabilities by contacting your Member of Congress, please call or e-mail Kurt Hellmann at (225)925-9500, (800)270-6185 or khellmann@latan.org. LATAN will provide you with the information you need to make effective contact. Classifieds We would like to encourage everyone to use this newsletter to "swap and shop" for new and used assistive technology devices. Just send your information and label it "Classified Ads" to: LATAN P.O. Box 14115 Baton Rouge, LA 70898-4115 Shoprider motorized scooter, Model TE-888-4, 4 wheels. Very stable. Carries up to 300 lbs. New batteries, goes 25 miles on a charge. Variable speed up to 5 mph. Disassembles into 5 pieces. Excellent condition, was $4900 new, asking $1500. 504-793-9386 (beeper) Sonic Scooter with basket and rechargeable battery. It holds 200 lbs. Price: $800. Please contact 985-898-1943 or 985-892-2279f or further information. Dynavox 3100 with manuals and carry case. DSS Software Version 2.11; Data 2.09.01; IKAP v1.27. System cleaned, new battery, software updated August 2002. System now used only to keep in operating condition. Dynavox currently supports this system. Replacement cost $7295 (provided by Dyanvox). Asking $3,000. If interested, please call Arthur at 225-768-7839. Be a Friend of LATAN There's no doubt about it-Assistive Technology (AT) helps people with disabilities live full lives, as independently as possible. Your gift to Friends of LATAN helps make AT accessible to many of your friends, neighbors and family members. Your support of LATAN today means an education or a job, and a fulfilling life in the future for someone you know and love . LATAN believes that Great possibilities are just around the corner. * Good Friend: $50 * Supporter Friend: $100 * Sustainer Friend: $250 * Benefactor Friend: $500 * Angel Friend: $1,000 * GREAT possibilities Friend: Over $1,000 * Other: _______________________________ Name: ___________________________________ Telephone: _______________ Email: _________________________ Address: __________________________________________________________________________________________ City: ____________________________________ State: ________________________ Zip Code: _________________ My donation is in memory of _________________ or my donation is in honor of _________________. Please send a memorial or honor donation letter to _________________ , and mail it to __________________________________ . Please make your tax-deductible donation payable to LATAN at Post Office Box 14115/Baton Rouge, LA 70898-4115. Zonco Arm Support and Mobile Arm Valet Introducing two new products with a wide range of industrial and utility applications for those with Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, Parkinsons Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, ALS, Post-Stroke, and other neurological disorders. The ZoncoArm Support and the Zonco Mobile Arm Valet have been engineered to exceed the structural strength and design capabilities of every other model of articulating ergonomic arm support on the market. For pricing and ordering information, visit www.zoncoarm.com or phone 1-800-370-0047. LATAN Activities AT for Aging in Place The Assistive Technology for Aging in Place, a resource guide for Louisiana residents beyond 50, made its grand debut at the conference hosted by the Resource Center on Aging with Developmental Disabilities and the Louisiana Developmental Disabilities Nurses Association in Lafayette, April 4th and 5th. Michael Harrell, Executive Director of the Resource Center and a LATAN Board of Directors member, was honored with the LA DDNA Leadership Award at the conference for producing 2 successful training workshops and 2 successful training conferences, each of which surpassed their target indicators. The Assistive Technology for Aging in Place guide will be highlighted at the New Orleans Continuity of Care meeting in May. Service providers to the senior population will be introduced to this new assistive technology resource. Visit the LATAN website at www.latan.org for excerpts from the manual, or to order one for $25. You can place your order by phone (225.925.9500/800.270.6185), fax (225.925.9560) or electronically at www.latan.org. Order forms are available upon request. Hurry! Supplies are limited. Family Fun - 7th Annual Assistive Technology Camp Do you have a child between the ages of 3-6 who has a disability and would like to attend a camp filled with excitement and the wonderful world of technology? LATAN, along with Families Helping Families, Louisiana Assistive Technology Initiative, Louisiana Developmental Disabilities Council, Medcamps of Louisiana, Childrens Bureau of New Orleans, and LA Tech Center for Biomedical Engineering & Rehabilitation Science and a host of volunteers, will once again sponsor the Assistive Technology Camp in Sibley, Louisiana. Camp is scheduled for June 24-26. You provide the transportation for your family to camp; well provide the fun! Lodging and meals are free. Parents and siblings attend too! Parents, get ready to learn about how to advocate for your child. For more information, contact Henry Bateman at 800-638-6115. Baton Rouge Area Foundation Moves AT Access Forward LATAN has received a grant from the Baton Rouge Area Foundation to begin development of an assistive technology recycling database for Louisiana. The database, called the AT Exchange, will allow persons and agencies that have assistive technology to loan, sell or donate to list their devices in a database that will be accessible on the Internet and by calling LATANs statewide 800 number. People who are searching for assistive technology can view the devices listed and contact the person listing the device to arrive at an exchange or loan agreement. "The Baton Rouge Area Foundations support of the AT Exchange has made this program possible," says Julie Nesbit, LATAN President/CEO. "We believe the AT Exchange will move usable AT into the hands of people who need it and we hope everyone in Louisiana who has a device they no longer use will list the device on the AT Exchange database and that people who are looking for a device will visit the database often," says Nesbit. The AT Exchange is scheduled for start up in late summer. For updates on the programs status and to list a device for exchange, visit www.latan.org. People with Disabilities Have Voting Access Rights Voting Education Seminars Scheduled for 6th Congressional District LATAN will be conducting Voter Education Seminars for the 6th Congressional District as part of Louisianas Help America Vote Act (HAVA) activities. The seminars are targeting individuals with disabilities and persons experiencing limitations due to aging. The Help America Vote Act has already made great improvements in voter access to polling sites. All accommodations must be in place by January 1, 2006. Learn how Louisiana is addressing voting accessibility and your rights under HAVA. Voter Education Seminar Schedule May 17, 2005 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Ascension Parish Library Meeting Room 708 S. Irma Blvd., Gonzales May 23, 2005 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Denham Springs City Hall Conference Room 941 Government Dr., Denham Springs May 24, 2005 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. West Baton Rouge Parish Library Meeting Room 830 North Jefferson Ave., Port Allen May 25, 2005 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. - East Baton Rouge Parish Library Auditorium, 7711 Goodwood Blvd., Baton Rouge Join us to learn about voter accessibility improvements planned for Louisiana and your rights under the Help America Vote Act. Voter registration forms will be available at each seminar. New Assistive Technology Products and Where to Get Them Pointsmart Mouse Software Helps Children, Adults with Disabilities Using a computer mouse can be a difficult and embarrassing task for children and adults with disabilities affecting fine motor skills. But a new software application, available soon, promises to ease the frustration of using a mouse and provide greater computer access for people who suffer from cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury or other disabilities that make it very difficult to point and click. PointSmart, developed by Infogrip, helps stabilize erratic mouse movements by allowing users to adjust the sensitivity of those movements beyond standard speed and acceleration adjustments found on most personal computers. A final version of the product is expected to be on the market in March. PointSmart features a joystick mode that starts the mouse in one direction and allows it to continue without continuous control until the user chooses to change direction or select an object. For visually impaired users, PointSmart can display very large and easyto- read mouse pointers on the computer screen. In schools, PointSmart will allow children with disabilities that affect fine motor control to effectively access computers that their classmates use on a daily basis. In work environments, people with disabilities that affect fine motor control will be able to use a mouse without the frustration of missed targets or misplaced information. AutoAmbulator Available in Baton Rouge It's not a cure. But, it's new technology that could help paralysis patients regain at least some movement in their legs. And, possibly more. It's called the AutoAmbulator. Basically, it's a huge robotic treadmill. Available through HealthSouth Rehab, located at 8595 United Plaza, this device helps rehabilitate patients who experience difficulty walking. Whether an individual has been recently injured or has been unable to walk for years, the AutoAmbulator may be used to improve function. So far, it's being offered to patients recovering from a variety of conditions ranging from spinal cord injury to stroke and even West Nile. Sprint Offers Free Directory Assistance Sprint now offers up to 10 free directory assistance calls per month for wireless customers who are blind, visually impaired or physically disabled. As part of this offer, Sprint will also provide free voice command (SM) service. Sprint PCS voice command is a voice-activated dialing platform that helps customers with disabilities by reducing keypad use and reliance on handset display information. Voice command works hand-inhand with directory assistance; once youve requested a phone number, you have the option to save it in your voice command directory, so you dont have to call 411 again. For more details about this offer, or to obtain an application for this program, contact Sprint customer care at (888) 211- 4727. You can also find out more by visiting www.sprint.com/accessibility. Books Transform People . . . BookCrafter Transforms Books! A complete turnkey solution, BookCrafter enables users to convert printed books to accessible digital books as fast as pages can be fed through the systems included scanner. The Accessible Books read themselves out loud, become large type books, books in Braille, Audio Books, DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) format and more. BookCrafter opens books to millions who cannot read due to vision and print disabilities. BookCrafter goes beyond present technologies while costing far less. BookCrafter is remarkably easy to use. Push a single button and the BookCrafters scanner and software automatically scan and convert both sides of a page, up to hundreds an hour. For more information, Contact: Larry Tingley, COO Colligo Corp. by phone at 360-647-3404. CALENDAR OF EVENTS Please see LATAN's website for additional dates and events: www.latan.org May 4-6, 2005, 2005: 2005 Solutions for Assistive Technology Conference & Training Marriott Hotel, Baton Rouge, LA. Visit www.adaptive-sol.com or call 225-387-0428 June 9-11, 2005: Collaborative Assistive Technology Conference of the Rockies Westin Hotel, Westminster, Colorado/ 303-315-1280 or visit www.uchsc.edu/atp June 13-14, 2005: 8th Annual Assistive Technology Summer Institute: Training in the Saguaros, Wigwam Resort and Golf Club, Litchfield, AZ www.afb.org/Community.asp?EventID=508 or call (602) 728-9532 June 23-27, 2005: RESNAs 28th International Conference on Technology & Disability Atlanta, GA www.resna.org/Conference/2005Conference/2005conf.php or call 703/524-6686 June 27-30, 2005: Instructional Technology and Education of the Deaf (International Symposium), Rochester, NY. June 30 - July 3, 2005: 20th International SHHH Convention Washington, D.C. 25th Anniversary of Self-Help for Hard-of-Hearing People, the nations largest organization for people with hearing loss. For more information, visit: http://www.hearingloss.org/html/conv2005.html. July 11-13, 2005: Telecommunications for the Deaf Conference, New Orleans, LA. The 16th Biennial TDI International Conference. At the exhibits, open to the public during the Conference, attendees will view state-of-theart technologies with great potential to expand opportunities, and increase accessibility. For more information: http://www.tdi-online.org/neworleansconference/tdi/16intro.htm. August 4-14, 2006: TRAC Creative Music & Jazz Camp A summer residential program for blind & visually impaired teen musicians, New Orleans, LA Applications are available at www.unotrac.org/jazzcamp.htm or call 504-280-5700 January 18-21, 2006: Orlando, FL. ATIA 2006 Conference, Showcasing Excellence in Assistive Technology. Visit February 1-4, 2006: St Petersburg, FL. ICADI, International Conference on Aging, Disability, and Independence. Visit www.icadi.phhp.ufl.edu for more information. February 1-4, 2006: International Conference on Aging, Disability and Independence Hilton in St. Petersburg, Florida. This conference will focus on issues including assistive technologies, home and workplace modifications, injury prevention, high technology, universal design and transportation options. Louisiana Assistive Technology Reimbursement Program For Special Education Students The Louisiana Department of Education, Division of Special Populations, has an allotment of $500,000 of IDEA Part B funds to provide reimbursement for eligible assistive technology (AT) expenditures to meet individual student needs under IDEA. Eligible assistive technology includes adaptive devices and systems identified as necessary for delivery of an appropriate program for IDEA students. The assistive technology must be identified in a studentfs IEP as part of his/her special education services, related services, or supplementary aid and services. Examples include but are not limited to: *Electronic enlarging devices/software and Braille and tactile graphic embossers *Reading systems with scanner, screen reading software and computer *Personal assistive listening systems, hearing aids, and sound filed assistive listening systems *Speech-to-text and sign language systems *Augmentative communication devices *Alternative keyboards, pointing devices, and speech recognition computer access *Electronic note takers (Braille Lite, Type N Speak, Alpha Smart, etc.) *Mounts or mounting systems required for access to the student's device/technology All reimbursement requests for purchases made by the district between January 1, 2005 and May 30, 2005 should be submitted by June 1, 2005. Requests received will be date stamped upon receipt and processed on a first come, first serve basis. G.R.E.A.T. possibilities is published quarterly and mailed to any one requesting it. We hope the newsletter will be a forum for information exchange among all people interested in assistive technology. LATAN welcomes any and all input from others. Please address correspondence, with permission to print or request not to print, to the Editor, Clara Pourciau. Please copy and share the contents of this newsletter. We ask only that you credit the author, or if none is indicated, "Louisiana Assistive Technology Access Network," as the source of the information. Individuals requiring an alternate format of G.R.E.A.T. possibilities and individuals requesting address changes, additions, or deletions to the LATAN mailing list should contact LATAN, PO Box 14115, Baton Rouge, LA 70898, 225-925-9500 or 800-270-6185. You can also communicate electronically with us by fax at 225-925-9560, email at rspence@latan.org, or visit our website at: www.latan.org. LATAN receives funds from the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 through the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, U.S. Department of Education, Grant #H224A10028. This publication does not necessarily reflect the position or policy of any of these federal agencies, and no official endorsement of the material should be inferred. Julie Nesbit, President and CEO |
|||
