Google Impact Challege:Disabilities

Posted on May 28, 2015 by MassMATCH Staff

Google.org is looking for your biggest and best ideas for how technology can expand opportunity and independence for people with disabilities.  Google is committing USD 20 million in grant funding toward this goal, some of which may be awarded to organizations identified through this call for ideas.  Ideas will be evaluated on a rolling basis, so you are encouraged to submit whenever you are ready.  Ideas will be accepted until September 30, 2015 at 2:00 pm, Pacific Daylight Time.  For more information visit the link: g.co/OpenCallDisabilities.

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AT&T and New York University’s ABILITY Lab launch the ConnectAbility Challenge

Posted on May 12, 2015 by MassMATCH Staff

 

AT&T has partnered with NYU and RESNA to design a technology contest titled “Connect Ability Challenge”.  AT&T will be awarding prizes to individual developers and small business that deliver software or apps to the Challenge review board before June 24, 2015.

The ConnectAbility Challenge is a three-month global competition for developers, engineers and makers to win more than $100,000 in prizes to design software, wearable devices and other technology solutions aimed at enhancing the lives of people with disabilities at work, home and play.

The competition directs developers to solve challenges facing people living withdisabilities in for four functional categories:

People with sensory disabilities

People in need of mobility solutions

People in need of social and emotional solutions

People with communicative and cognitive disabilities

Throughout the competition, developers will have the opportunity to interact directly with volunteers with diverse disabilities who will share the challenges they face and help guide competitors to find solutions. AT&T produced short videos available on the ConnectAbility website featuring four volunteers from New York:

Xian Horn— a teacher, speaker and writer from Manhattan who has cerebral palsy, whichimpacts her mobility.

Gus Chalkias—an assistive technology specialist, career counselor and college student from Queens who is blind.

Paul Kolter—a student, blogger, lecturer and advocate from Philadelphia who hasautism. He communicates using computer-assisted technology and struggles with anxiety and impulse control.

Jason DaSilva—a filmmaker from Brooklyn who has Multiple Sclerosis. DaSilva uses a powered wheelchair and has limited upper- and lower-limb use.

AT&T is joining the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America(RESNA) to facilitate team formation workshops in several markets across the country. These  workshops are designed to give aspiring teams context for creating assistive technology solutions, live feedback from persons with disabilities and direction on competing in the contest.

The participants’ final projects will be judged by a panel of experts from the engineering, technology and disability communities and winners will be announced on July 26th. Deadline for submissions is 5 PM Eastern June 24th.

For More Information Visit

http://connectability.challengepost.com/ #ConnectAbility© 2015

The prize money will be given in honor of the ADA 25th Anniversary.

To learn more about the Challenge, visit http://connectability.challengepost.com/ .  All the rules and guidelines are listed on the website.

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Supporting Medicaid Funding for Power Wheelchairs for Young Children

Posted on April 29, 2015 by MassMATCH Staff

 “Power Wheelchairs for Young Children – Supporting Medicaid Funding for Children as Young as Two Years Old” This two-page document was recently published at http://www.nls.org/files/Disability%20Law%20Hotlines/Did%20You%20Know/DY%20Know%20-%20Power%20Wheelchairs%20for%20Young%20Children.pdf.  It summarizes findings from a number of recent studies that support the use of power wheelchairs for young children, including a RESNA position paper with an extensive bibliography of source material.  It also includes summaries of two recent Medicaid fair hearing decisions that awarded funding for power wheelchairs for very young children, with one awarding funding for a girl who was two and one half years old.  As noted, these hearing decisions are available through the National AT Advocacy Project by contacting Marge Gustas (mgustas@nls.org).  Those with an interest in this topic may wish to attend our session at the NDRN conference, “Meeting the AT Needs of Infants, Toddlers, and Very Young Children:  Looking to Medicaid and IDEA for Funding” (see conference details below).

You may also want to check out the Winter 2008 edition of the AT Advocate newsletter, “MEDICAID, AT AND KIDS – How Medicaid’s EPSDT Program Expands the Availability of Assistive Technology for Children Under 21 in All States,” available at http://www.nls.org/files/AT%20Advocate%20Newsletters/Advocatewinter08.pdf

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Mobility and Seating Clinic April 22nd

Posted on April 10, 2015 by MassMATCH Staff

Need to make adjustments to your wheelchair? Or do you have pressure sores? Come to the Mobility and Adaptive Seating Clinic at Stavros CIL in Amherst! Take advantage of seat mapping and get the adjustments you need to get comfortable!

When? April 22nd from 9:30am – 2:30pm

Where? 210 Old Farm Road, Amherst, MA

How? Call Tory Dixon at 413-256-0473 ext. 200 by April 13th to register or for more information. See you then!

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Congressional Complex Rehab Technology Letter- Has Your Representative Signed On?

Posted on March 25, 2015 by MassMATCH Staff

Letter from Don Donald E. Clayback Executive Director | NCART Office

Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) Stakeholders and Friends,

We are starting to hear from some offices that they will be signing on to the House of Representative’s letter to prevent the application of Competitive Bid pricing to complex rehab wheelchair accessories. That’s good news and is a direct result of them hearing from people in their district.  The initial Representative additions are (by state):  NY- Joe Crowley (D); PA- GT Thompson (R); RI- Jim Langevin (D); and WI- Jim Sensenbrenner (R).  Thank you to those who have already sent an email or made a call. We know everyone is busy, but we need MORE activity.  Our collective challenge is we only have this week to secure more signatures.  So your emails/calls TODAY are critical.  And we KNOW they will produce results! Please take ten minutes to reach out to your Representative at http://cqrcengage.com/access2crt/CBpricing.  This page provides a copy of the letter, the Position Paper, the Call To Action, and other related information.  You can email your Representative with your request.  It also provides your Representative’s direct office telephone number and talking points for follow up. This is an extremely serious threat to CRT access.  We need as many Representatives as possible to sign on to this letter by Friday at noon. Without Congressional intervention, pricing for Complex Rehab wheelchair accessories will be reduced by 20% to 50% come January 1st. Thanks for finding the time today.  Let us know if you have any questions or need additional information.

Don Donald E. Clayback Executive Director | NCART Office 716-839-9728 | Cell 716-913-4754 dclayback@ncart.us<mailto:dclayback@ncart.us> | www.ncart.us<http://www.ncart.us/>

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Survey Seeking Feedback on MassMATCH Program Website

Posted on March 23, 2015 by MassMATCH Staff

The MassMATCH Program is seeking feedback on the usability and usefulness of the MassMATCH.org website. Please take a moment to complete this brief survey.

Your feedback is very important to us. If you are not familiar with the MassMATCH website, please click on the live link above to familiarize yourself with the site before completing this survey.

This survey is completely voluntary, and your answers will be kept confidential. Please try to complete every question, and look for the “next” or “done” prompt at the bottom of the page.  The link is provided below:

www.surveymonkey.com

Please note – the previous email contained the incorrect survey link.  Please use the link in this email.  We apologize for any inconvenience. Please call 617-204-3851 or email info@massmatch.org if you require any technical assistance or accommodations to complete this survey. Thank you!

Kobena Bonney

MassMATCH Program Coordinator

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Is That $1 or $5? Ask This Money Reader for People Who Are Blind

Posted on March 13, 2015 by MassMATCH Staff

“This device is my No. 1 choice,” Cotton says of the iBill, especially when it comes to sorting money as fast as possible without fumbling around after a transaction at the grocery store or the gas station. The other choices include folding bills with different creases to tell them apart or firing up a smartphone app.

There are actually a bunch of apps that can do what iBill can, made convenient by the iPhone’s voiceover functions. In particular, EyeNote was also developed by the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing to help identify bills. Another app, called LookTel, offers recognition for a multitude of countries’ currencies and VisionHunt distinguishes different kinds of bills and offers many tools for the blind.

But, “a lot of blind folks can’t afford an iPhone,” says Shawn Callaway, president of the National Federation of the Blind of Washington, D.C. Over 9 million people with vision loss in the U.S. have a family income of less than $35,000 according to the CDC’s 2012 National Health Interview Survey.

“People have been very appreciative that we are providing these to them at no charge,” says Len Olijar, deputy director at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. He believes it’s been received so well because it was already commercially available. “It wasn’t something new that was being developed specifically for [the Bureau],” he says. “It was tried and proven tech already in the marketplace.”

However, even though iBill can identify your money, it doesn’t mean it’ll tell you if it’s counterfeit or even how much you have. As Cotton says: “The rest of the mathematics is left up to you.”

Reminder: MassMATCH makes no endorsement, representation, or warranty expressed or implied for any product, device, or information set forth in this email or on its Web site. MassMATCH has not examined, reviewed, or tested any product or device here referred to.

 

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AT Training to Support Individuals with Autism at NEAT

Posted on March 9, 2015 by MassMATCH Staff

April 27, 2015  |  9 AM – 3 PM  

Nicole Feeney, an Assitive Technology Specialist at the NEAT Center at Oak Hill, will discuss and demonstrate various assisitive technology tools that can help support individuals with Autism in various settings.

Workshop objectives include:

  • Participants will learn about various assistive technology tools that can help support students and individuals with Autism in a variety of environments including home, school, work and in the community.
  • There will be demonstrations of powerful apps, as well as accessibility options, for Android, Chrome and iPad devices.
  • Participants will gain insight on the power of low-tech tools for individuals with Autism.
  • There will be discussions on how to determine the most efficient tools and ideas for how to implement them successfully.
  • Assistive technology supports demonstrated will include items for enhancing social learning, sensory supports, leisure time, academic and functional skills, personal safety, visual supports and schedules, adapted books as well as social stories.
  • Contact hours offered for professionals in the field of Special Education.
  • Opportunities to meet with Exhibitors and Service Providers to gather important information about products, resources and supports available to individuals with Autism and their families.

Fee:  $35.00

Click Here to Register  

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Adventure Days at the Perkins School for the Blind

Posted on March 5, 2015 by MassMATCH Staff

Introducing Adventure Days at Perkins School for the Blind and in partnership with the Massachusetts Association of Parents of the Visually Impaired (MAPVI)!

Perkins and MAPVI are inviting families to visit the Perkins campus and experience different aspects of the Perkins programs while also getting to socialize and meet other families, all in a kid-friendly environment!

Everyone is welcome! This event is free and open to the public as well as any kids currently enrolled in any Perkins program. Kids of all ages and their siblings are welcome to attend.

Our second Adventure Day will be on Saturday, March 14th from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. We’ll meet in the Lower School auditorium for snacks and learn about sensory play and sensory integration! Interested families are invited to tour the Perkins campus after the fair.

Please click here to register!
 

What’s a Hands-On Sensory Fair?
This event will be led by Kathy Heydt (Assistant Education Director of the Lower School), Greta Mangini (Occupational Therapist in the Lower School) and Lindsey Moss (Physical Therapist in the Lower School). They will introduce families to the concept of sensory motor integration (SMI) and how we can use play techniques at home to help our children calm down or maintain a level of alertness. We’ll also learn how to avoid over- or under-stimulating our kids.

There will be multiple stations set up throughout the Lower School on the first floor where families and children can experience sensory play first hand. The stations will be based on vestibular, proprioceptive and tactile play. We’ll have the opportunity to play in the SMI room and Lower School gym, too!

10am to 10:15am: Snacks and visiting
10:15am to 10:30am: Introduction to Sensory Integration with Kathy Heydt
10:30am to 11:30am: Families can explore multiple games and play stations throughout the Lower School at their own pace with guidance from Greta and Lindsey
11:30am to 12pm: Tours of the campus for interested families

Please click here to register!
 

We’re planning more Adventure Days to come! Save these dates:

  • May 9th
  • July 11th

 

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The Carroll Center Seeking Cell Phone Testers

Posted on February 26, 2015 by MassMATCH Staff
In this study of a new cell phone, we are seeking feedback from individuals who are totally blind or functionally blind – meaning that you must rely solely on the non-visual use of a screen reading software such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, or TalkBack in order to interact with devices and web content.  Some familiarity with a touch screen device such as a smart phone or tablet is essential, but you must be able to use that device without use of your vision in any way to qualify for participation in this study.

When it’s Happening

We will select a total of 12 qualified individuals for this study.  Each person must be willing to attend a 90-minute testing session scheduled between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. during a 3-day period from March 10 to 13, 2015.  User testing sessions will be held at the Carroll Center for the Blind in Newton, MA; you are responsible for your own transportation to and from the center.

Compensation

Each selected individual who completes their scheduled 90-minute testing session will receive $120 for their participation in this study.

If You Are Interested

Please send an email to David Kingsbury at david.kingsbury@carroll.org that includes the following information:

  1. Your first and last name
  2. Your telephone number and best time to reach you
  3. Which screen reading software do you currently use for web browsing?
  4. Which smart phone or touch screen device are you familiar with?
  5. Confirm that you do not use any vision to interact with your device

All interested individuals who wish to be considered for this study must respond by email, but you may call David with any questions at 781-974-2001.
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