Massachusetts Assistive Technology Community Blog

Wheeled Mobility Repairs

Posted on May 11, 2012 by MassMATCH Staff

It seems at least once a week I get a call or hear a story about someone who uses a wheelchair or scooter that is facing weeks for a repair. The most recent one was a man over 60 who lives in his own apartment and his wheelchair needed a motor repaired. He has spent the last 2 weeks in bed because he doesn’t have a back up chair and is facing several more weeks in bed because it will take that long to get his prior authorization for the repair approved, have the company order the part and then schedule to come back to make the repair. Meanwhile his health has begun to deteriorate due to his staying in bed.

If you are a wheeled mobility user or someone in your family is what do you do when the wheelchair needs to be repaired? How many of you have stayed in bed or not left the house for fear your back up chair will break down?

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Making Information Accessible to Everyone

Posted on May 9, 2012 by MassMATCH Staff

Global Accessibility Awareness Day is a great time to learn how new technologies can help make information accessible to everyone. As e-readers and e-books become more common, these technologies have the potential to open doors for people with disabilities. This is especially important in schools and colleges, where technologies can enable students with print-related disabilities to easily read the same materials as their peers. For example, students who are blind can listen to text using the e-reader’s built-in capabilities. Students with reading disabilities can make use of this same feature.

Unfortunately, many digital materials are not accessible. This lack of accessibility can make it difficult for students with disabilities to fully participate in educational programs. To address this problem, schools can turn to some new resources published by CAST, a Massachusetts organization internationally recognized for its expertise in this area.

CAST is suggesting that schools assert their power as purchasers to ensure that e-book developers design their materials for all users. When schools include accessibility as a decision factor in purchasing, developers will have no choice but to listen and take action. As a result, schools will have a greater variety of high quality materials to choose from, and students with disabilities will benefit. As an added bonus, many students without disabilities will also benefit from the supportive features included in accessible materials.

Posted in Assistive Technology, Education and AT | Tagged book accessibility, literacy, Universal Design | Leave a comment

May 9th is Global Accessibility Awareness Day!

Posted on May 7, 2012 by MassMATCH Staff

Raising mainstream awareness about digital accessibility issues and individuals with different disabilities

To participate in Boston:

Join Mark Sadecki and Brian Charlson as well as many other area accessibility experts for an informational presentation on what accessibility is, who it benefits and how everyone can participate in improving access to information in the digital world. Live demonstrations of screen readers and magnifiers will be conducted as will a brief tutorial on how you can test your own web site for accessibility. See and hear what happens when a web site has been built to be accessible, and when it has not.

Wednesday, May 9th
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
The Carroll Center for the Blind
Rachel E. Rosenbaum Technology Center
770 Centre Street
Newton, MA
Learn more and register at this Carroll Web page.

Also, learn how to make eLearning and other online campus content and ICTs accessible to all students. Join Christopher Dobson at Harper College’s Center for Innovative Instruction for an introductory webinar session targeted to college and university faculty, staff and others working to support the use of technology in education on campus. The webinar is Wednesday, May 9th from 3pm to 4pm. Learn more about the webinar.

Posted in Classes and webinars, Events, Web Accessibility | Leave a comment

Videos on how AT is benefiting senior citizens

Posted on March 26, 2012 by PaulRemy

At the March MassMatch Advisory Council meeting it was suggested to make short videos of how AT is benefiting senior citizens. I think this is an excellent idea. However, many seniors might not have access to the Internet. In addition to YouTube, I am thinking that MassMatch might want to consider working with cities/towns’ Council on Aging and/or Commission on Disability to produce such videos. They could be aired on cities and towns’ public access TV channels.
Paul

Posted in Assistive Technology, Uncategorized | Tagged AT | Leave a comment

Assistive Tech Expo and Conference–Register Early!

Posted on March 6, 2012 by MassMATCH Staff

Don’t miss the MassMATCH AT Expo and Conference!

May 2, 2012
Coco Key Hotel and Water Resort
Danvers, MA

Early Bird Registration Deadline for Attendees: March 30th

Hear what past attendees have to say:

“Much better than anything else I’ve been to this year”

“This conference was extremely informative.
The Expo was great – tons of useful info”

Please contact Rufina
at rkennedy@eastersealsma.org
for more information

Early Bird Registration Deadline for Exhibitors: March 16th

What past exhibitors have to say:

“It’s good that people are able to mingle as much as they do, and nice that you allow the exhibitors to attend sessions! That’s very different.”

“The Easter Seals conference is very well organized. You also set up exhibitor times with the exhibitors and attendees in mind.”

“Excellent vendor participation, very organized and well run. I’m impressed!”

“We made excellent contacts and learned a great deal”

Please contact Paula at pbrown@eastersealsma.org
for more information

Learn more about the Conference sessions

Posted in Assistive Technology, Events | Leave a comment

2 Free Assistive Technology Demos at Boston AT Regional Center (Easter Seals)

Posted on March 5, 2012 by MassMATCH Staff

Free Mini Demos

March 15 Thursday 11:00-12:00 – Proloquo2Go
This demonstration is for people who have heard about this popular communication app but who haven’t had a chance to see it in action. We will demonstrate basic features such as settings, programming and backing up your user.

April 26 Thursday 11:00-12:00 – Book Accessibility
This demonstration is for those who need alternative access to books. This is an overview of the various book libraries and devices on the market today for listening, reading and obtaining books in an accessible format. Popular and specialized sources such as your public library, Bookshare, NLS, Google and Amazon Books, will be discussed. Devices that are commonly used for playing accessible books will be shown.

All Mini Demonstrations will be held at:
89 South Street, Boston MA 02111
unless otherwise indicated.

Please RSVP at atrc@eastersealsma.org or call 617-226-2634
Any special accommodations must be received 3 weeks in advance of the event.

Posted in Assistive Technology, Events | Tagged Apple apps, blind, book accessibility, literacy | 1 Comment

Six Successful Years of Mass. A.T. Loan Program from MRC Commissioner, Charles Carr

Posted on February 23, 2012 by MassMATCH Staff

In December the Massachusetts Assistive Technology Loan Program commemorated six years of successfully securing more than $8.6 million in low-interest loans to state residents with disabilities and their families so they can buy equipment and services that help them live, learn, work and play more independently.

The program has made a vast difference in the lives of people like Roger (name changed for privacy). Roger was born into adversity. His mother had advanced ovarian cancer while she was pregnant, a condition neither were expected to survive. Roger was born two months premature in 1951, a time when ‘preemies’ were promptly incubated with high concentrations of oxygen. Today, it is well known that this treatment causes permanent blindness in newborns.

Growing up blind in the 50s and 60s, Roger defied the era’s expectations, earning a master’s degree in human services and nurturing an abiding passion for audio editing. (His parents owned a movie theater while he was growing up, which Roger says sparked this interest). Roger’s work history is long and varied, from his early work in the movie house, to positions in the social services arena, to owning and operating his own sound studio. It’s a history with numerous ups and downs, from taking highly-paid positions in high-tech to experiencing hard times that included losing his business, overcoming an aggressive cancer, and more recently, experiencing sudden and permanent hearing loss.

It was this last challenge that brought Roger to the Massachusetts Assistive Technology Loan Program.
Click here to read the full article on the EOHHS blog page…

Posted in Assistive Technology, Employment and AT, Success Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged Assistive Technology, blind, hearing aids | Leave a comment

Suggestions for website

Posted on February 17, 2012 by PaulRemy

Dear fellow Advisory Council members:

I want to thank everyone for making me a member of the Advisory Council. I am looking forward to working with all of you to encourage more people with disabilities to use assistive technology.

I want to create my own website about energy efficient accessible homes and how AT is helping people with disabilities. It is important, in my view, to have eco-friendly accessible homes because the cost of energy seems to be continually increasing. People with disabilities who are low fixed income will benefit living in sustainable housing by lowering fuel cost. Energy efficient devices such as automatic thermostats can also be considered as AT.
In 2004-2005, I was involved in the UMass Dartmouth Solar Decathlon. Fifteen other universities and colleges competed in the international competition. Each school designed and built a solar sustainable home, which was brought to the National Mall in Washington DC. ADAPT worked with the University of Colorado to make their solar home handicapped accessible. Besides winning the competition, the UC team learned about the needs of people with disabilities.
UMass Lowell teamed up with the Massachusetts School of Arts and Design to compete in the 2011. The Solar Decathlon occurs every two years. In December, the Department of Energy, which sponsors the event, selected the schools for the 2013 Decathlon. Unfortunately, no universities/colleges from Massachusetts were selected. If a school from Massachusetts is picked for the 1215 Decathlon, I think MassMatch should be involved in some way.
Both sustainable accessible housing and AT are going to be more essential within the foreseeable future especially when baby boombers get older and the cost of electricity and heating fuel increase. It dawned on me several months ago that sustainable technology is much more mainstream than AT. To make AT known in mainstream like sustainable living, in my opinion, all sectors of society need to be more involved. I realize that schools such as MIT, Northeastern University, BU, and UMass Dartmouth are working on various parts of both of these technologies.
I envision that my website will involved all of these entities as will as MatchMatch and agencies/vendors that are involved with AT. Another goal for the website is to educate people with disabilities about environmental issues.

Please let me know if you have suggestions for the website.

Best,
Paul

Posted in Assistive Technology, Home Modification, Success Stories, Uncategorized, Universal Design | Tagged Assistive Technology, complex rehab technology, Universal Design | Leave a comment

Hearing on the Promise of Accessible Technology: Challenges and Opportunities in Education

Posted on February 3, 2012 by MassMATCH Staff

U.S. Senate HELP Committee Hearing Next Tuesday

The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions is holding a hearing next week that may interest you.

When: Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 2:30-4:00pm

Where: Dirksen Senate Building Room G-50

(or Online: www.help.senate.gov)

The hearing will focus on the importance of accessible technology and how this issue is impacting K-12 and higher education.

Witnesses include:

Panel I with Eve Hill, Senior Counselor to the Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, Department of Justice.

Panel II with Mark Riccobono, Executive Director, Jernigan Institute, National Federation of the Blind; Dr. John B. Quick, Superintendent, Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation in Columbus, Indiana; Mark Turner, Director, Center for Accessible Media, Accessible Technology Initiative, California State University

We hope to see you there.

If you are unable to attend, the hearing will be broad cast live online at www.help.senate.gov.

Real time captioning and sign language interpreters will be provided at the hearing.

Andy Imparato
Disability Policy Director
U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

Tom Harkin, Chairman.

Posted in Assistive Technology, Events, Uncategorized | Tagged education, public hearings | Leave a comment

Massachusetts Assistive Technology Community Blog | MassMATCH