The AT Messenger ....bringing technology to you Published by the Delaware Assistive Technology Initiative Vol. 2, Issue 4, Jul/Aug 1994 DATI Throughout the State... Kent County Easter Seal of Del-Mar Kent County Community School Carver Rd. Dover, DE 19901-2716 (302)739-6885; (302)739-6886 (TDD) The Macintosh is currently being used in early intervention programs across the country with children as young as six months of age. It is a powerful piece of technology which serves as an excellent tool in the classroom or therapy session. The graphics on the Macintosh maintain a child's attention to the screen. Auditory feedback, in the form of speech and music, is another feature which supports the use of the Macintosh as an educational tool. There are a number of ways in which a child can access the computer without using the standard keyboard or mouse. Among those options are a touch window attached to the monitor screen, switches, joystick, and adapted keyboards like the Mini keyboard and the Intellikeys. There is a wide variety of software available to promote development of simple concepts such as cause and effect, turn taking, and following directions. * Creature Chorus (Laureate Learning, $85.00), which promotes visual tracking, cause and effect, and beginning switch use, consists of a series of activities designed for single switch or touch window use. * Switch Intro (Jokus, $95.00) offers the child excellent visual and auditory feedback that builds auditory and visual association, as well as building language skills. Other software available includes Make It Happen and Switch it See it. The following software promotes the development of basic vocabulary (nouns, actions, and prepositions). * McGee (Broderbund, $20.00) is an animated exploration program in which the child controls the actions of a young boy in his home. Use with touch window for greater interaction or use a mouse to help build mouse skills. * My House (Laureate Learning, $175.00) promotes learning of object labels and their function in six different rooms of the house through the use of realistic graphics and clear, understandable speech. My House works well with a touch window, but also contains a single switch scanning mode. * Old MacDonald's Farm (UCLA Intervention, $35.00) is an excellent cause and effect tool that promotes animal identification, group interaction, and socialization. Old MacDonald's Farm may be purchased with an overlay for Intellikeys or Power Pad. * CircleTime Tales (Don Johnston, $95.00) combines familiar stories (i.e., Eensy Weensy Spider) with fun animation to develop emergent literacy skills while teaching colors, clothing, direction concepts, and counting. CircleTime works with a variety of input methods. A child's creativity can be explored through software such as the following. * Kid Pix (Broderbund, $54.00) is an exciting paint program that includes 28 brushes, 100 colorful rubber stamps, images and many special sound effects. Children may also include their own sound effects. With Kid Pix, art class can take on new meaning. * Muppets on Stage (Sunburst, $199 with Muppet Learning Keys) allows children to explore colors or numbers and letters while learning object identification skills. Although this program was designed to be used with the Muppet Learning Keys, it may be also used with the standard keyboard or Intellikeys. There is also quality software available for the Apple II series of computers. With the addition of a IIe emulator card and a 5-1/4" disk drive, this software will be able to be used on the Macintosh. The Assistive Technology Resource Center in Kent County has this software and much more available for preview. Software is also available for IBM and Apple II computers. UCLA Intervention Program published a resource guide on software for use with young children with disabilities. Please call the ATRC if you wish to preview software and the many forms of access or to obtain the UCLA publication. Sussex County Easter Seal of Del-Mar Easter Seal Rehabilitation Center 600 N. DuPont Highway, Suite 100 Georgetown, DE 19947 (302)856-7946 (voice or TDD) Do you love to embroider or cross stitch, but find that it's getting harder to work with both hands for any length of time? Our hands-free embroidery hoop might be the answer. Connected to an adjustable clamp which will fit the edge of a countertop or table, the hoop is attached to a gooseneck which allows accessible positioning. For maximum comfort, it can even be attached to a lap tray to use at your favorite easy chair. To help with the eye strain, try our floor standing Bright Eyes lamp which can be adjusted to the proper angle over your shoulder. The lap is glare-free and truly easy on the eyes. To complete the package, add our goose-neck magnifying glass. Placed directly in front of your embroidery work, this will help save your eyes and allow you to continue your craft well into the future. We will have all of these devices plus many others at the Pot Nets Health Fair on August 11th and the Rehoboth Senior Beach Day on September 23rd. Bring your needlework and give it a try-hope to see you there! New Castle County Delaware Elwyn 321 E. 11th St. Wilmington, DE 19801-3499 (302)657-5647; (302)658-8860 (TDD) When we show people our center, many folks see a device and assume that it serves a certain need for a particular type of disability. For example, TTYs or TDDs, telecommunication devices for the deaf, are thought to serve only deaf people. Yes, a TDD does do that, but it also helps people who have no voice, are hard of hearing, or whose speech or writing is so distorted that they cannot be understood. People with hearing or speech disabilities can be helped by TDDs, but also can benefit from portable communication devices as well. Someone with a communication problem might use a computer to "talk" to people at work or home, but then use a portable TTY or a portable device when they go to the hardware store or grocery store. Sometimes, the person's writing may be so poor that a small portable device that is able to print out a message is faster or easier to read. People with communication problems might want to have a portable device that can transfer messages to and from their computer. The Abovo PCD (Personal Communicating Device) made by Abovo in Chicopee, Massachusetts, is an example of a device with flexibility. The Abovo PCD is a portable electronic device for people needing assistance with speaking or writing. It can be used by those who wish to communicate by single finger typing. It has a remote display which shows the message being typed by persons 20 feet away. It also has printing and non-printing models and a computer wedge interface which allows everything typed on the PCD to be downloaded to personal computers. It can store up to 5 pages and can be used up to 8 hours before recharging. Alphabet and QWERTY keyboards are available, and the Abovo PCD can work with a headstick or wand. It has a multiple remote distribution unit for group conversations, meetings, and courtroom use. It also can connect to Multivoice so a person could type on the PCD and speak through Multivoice and DECtalk, a high quality synthesized speech. Rentals are available. The New Castle County ATRC now has an Abovo and we encourage you to contact us at 657-5647 for further information. So when you see a device, think of how it could help different people. We hope you all have a great summer and hope you will stop by for a tour if you have not visited us yet. In the Good Ole' Summertime... School's out, days are hot and long, and most of us have a little more time to enjoy some of life's leisurely pleasures. For individuals with disabilities and their families, there are many new resources about techniques and devices that allow recreational participation for everyone. Fishing Has No Boundaries, Inc.(FHNB) is a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to assisting individuals with disabilities in experiencing the great outdoors through the pleasures of fishing. It has developed special fishing equipment, dock loading systems, and boat adaptations, as well as provided physical and emotional support to further develop confidence and outdoor abilities. Its programs have also spawned new efforts to make public lands managed by federal agencies such as the Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Park Service more accessible to those with disabilities. For more information, contact: Fishing Has No Boundaries P.O. Box 175 Hayward, WI 54043 (715)634-3185 or (800)243-3462 Wilderness Inquiry 1313 Fifth St. SE, Box 84 Minneapolis, MN 55414 (612)379-3858 or (800)728-0719 Picnics and family gatherings are another favorite summer activity for many of us. The Breaking New Ground Resource Center at Purdue University has come up with a diagram showing construction details and materials needed to make a picnic table that is wheelchair accessible. The Breaking New Ground Resource Center also has a wonderfully informative newsletter for farmers and ranchers with disabilities. Each issue features new operating techniques or modifications that can be used to make existing farm equipment accessible, information on new legislation for rural individuals with disabilities, and resources for more information and devices for farmers or ranchers with disabilities. Contact their center at the address below to get picnic table plans or to be placed on their regular mailing list: Breaking New Ground Resource Center Purdue University 1146 Agricultural Engineering Building W. Lafayette, IN 47907-1146 (317)494-5088 or (800)825-4264 (V/TDD) (317)496-1115 (FAX) Systems Change and The Next Generation At its most basic level, our school system serves to shape and build the minds of our children to prepare them for running this country in the next generation. The school system, then, seems a likely place to effect positive change in our society for people with disabilities. The Parent Information Center in Delaware has taken on this mission through its Disability Awareness Program (DAP). DAP travels to public schools throughout the state with a day-long series of presentations featuring information and experiences presented about and by people with disabilities. Cathy Sczubelek, the program coordinator, schedules a number of DAP Days over the course of the school-year. One DAP Day was held at the Sussex Central Middle School in Millsboro on April 22. DATI staff gave a presentation on the importance of assistive technology for people with disabilities. The half-hour session was repeated three times, reaching over 600 junior high students and staff. Linda Heller, Director of the New Castle County Assistive Technology Resource Center, showed a video production depicting people with disabilities using a wide variety of assistive devices in many different settings. She also demonstrated the use of several devices she brought, ranging from a talking calculator to a remote switch-activated toy to a comb with a foot long angled handle. Bob Piech, DATI's Consumer Activities Coordinator, showed how he adapted a pocket sized cellular telephone for personal use and discussed the liberating experiences his adapted driving equipment has made possible. Learning From Each Other AT users have a wealth of knowledge and experience, and sharing it with others multiplies its value. Thus, the DATI is offering a service to help AT users connect with and support each other in their ever-changing involvement with devices and related services. The service, called the Peer Support Network, will be coordinated by our Consumer Activities Coordinator, Bob Piech. A flyer about the Peer Support Network is being circulated statewide. People interested in participating should complete the form and return it to the DATI Central Site. This information will be compiled and provided to the people who respond, allowing them to identify others with AT backgrounds whom they may want to contact. There will be an ongoing effort to expand this list of people. If you are interested in learning more about this network or receiving one of these flyers directly, you can call Bob at the DATI Central Site at (302)651-6791 (voice) or (302)651-6794 (TDD). Copies of the flyer are also available at the Assistive Technology Resource Centers in each county (contact information can be found on pages 1-3 of this newsletter). FINANCING ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY: More on AT-Related Services for Children Ron Sibert, Funding Specialist, DATI The two primary assistive technology funding sources for children, the Medicaid Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT), and Public School Special Education programs, were discussed in a previous issue of the AT Messenger. However, children with disabilities and their families sometimes have difficulty accessing or qualifying for these programs because of age, family income level, type of disability, the nature of their needs, policy barriers, etc. Still, persistence, creativity, and the right information often work wonders. There are other options, so don't give up! The 1993 article discussed Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This law calls for the consideration of AT in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) of school-age children with disabilities in special education. Still, several questions may have come to mind such as: "What about younger kids?" or "What about the children with disabilities who do not qualify for special education services?" There are ways for preschoolers to access AT as well. Part H of the IDEA authorizes federal money for states to provide early intervention services for infants and toddlers (birth to age 3). Delaware has a Part H program which coordinates a full array of early intervention services, and can help locate funding for or actually purchase assistive devices and services. In fact, the final regulations to the 1991 Part H amendments, passed in July of last year, contain a definition of assistive technology devices and services. The regulations also say that the need for AT must be determined on a case-by-case basis along with the development of the required Individualized Family Services Plan (IFSP). Generally, the Part H program is the "payor of last resort," meaning that staff must exhaust all other funding options using Part H dollars to purchase equipment or services. Even so, the program must take whatever steps necessary to assure that the services and/or equipment identified in the IFSP are provided "without delay." Delaware's Birth to Three Program is administered by the Management Services Division of the Delaware Department of Health & Social Services. The Contact numbers are: 995-8617 in New Castle County, and 422-1335 for services in Kent and Sussex Counties. A similar program for children in the 3 through 5 age group is administered by the Delaware Department of Public Instruction and is called "Early Choices." The New Castle County program number is 323-5370; for Kent, dial 739-4707; and for Sussex, call 856-5909. Next, school-age children and youth with disabilities who do not qualify for special education services are still entitled to assistive technology in school under two additional laws. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires schools to furnish such students with whatever aids are necessary for them to receive an appropriate public education at no cost to the student's family. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 is a nondiscrimination statute. Under Title II of the Act, public entities must provide program access in an integrated setting (unless separate programs are necessary to ensure equal benefits or services). In the context of public education, the ADA requires schools to make their programs and services accessible to children with disabilities. The school may employ assistive technology or a variety of other means to make the necessary accommodations. Finally, no discussion of assistive technology funding for school-age youngsters with disabilities would be complete without some mention of the Medicaid EPSDT program. It is a substantial AT funding resource, and also helps support various Special Education and Early Intervention program services. However, many families have incomes that are above Medicaid eligibility levels. The Medicaid Option for Disabled Children helps some severely disabled children to qualify for Medicaid benefits as "families of one" (independent of parental income). Nonetheless, there are still many children who cannot qualify for Medicaid benefits. In 1935, the Delaware State Legislature approved a significant sum of money to meet special needs of children with disabilities. When the legislation was passed it was called the "Crippled Children's Fund." Unfortunately, this title is still on the books and was recently mentioned in the media as such. Fortunately, however, the program is now called the Children with Special Needs Program. The program features a higher income cut-off, and is offered to persons aged 0-21. In addition, their families must be unable to receive services through Medicaid or private insurance, and they must be Delaware residents. For more information, contact the State Public Health Division at 739-4739. In 1990, State funds were made available to provide special services and equipment to children with extraordinary needs that would enable them to be educated in public schools. The program is called Unique Alternatives. In order to be considered, the child's disability must be severe enough to warrant placement in a private program. Contact the Exceptional Children Team of the State Department of Public Instruction at 739-4667. The AT Messenger is published bi-monthly by the Delaware Assistive Technology Initiative. Delaware Assistive Technology Initiative Applied Science & Engineering Laboratories University of Delaware/A.I. duPont Institute P.O. Box 269, 1600 Rockland Rd. Wilmington, DE 19899 Phone: (302)651-6790 TDD: (302)651-6794 FAX: (302)651-6793 Beth Mineo, Director Ron Sibert, Funding Specialist Bob Piech, Consumer Activities Coordinator Sonja Simowitz, Staff Assistant DATI is funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research of the U.S. Department of Education, Grant #H224A10005. This publication does not necessarily reflect the position or policy of NIDRR/ED, and no official endorsement of the materials should be inferred. The University of Delaware is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, age, national origin, marital status or disability in conformity with applicable laws.