Vol. 4 No. 5 Sept/Oct 1996	Previous Issues Subscribe to AT Messenger Download PDF Viewer
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Assistive Technology:
More Power To You

An outstanding agenda awaits attendees at DATI’s Annual Conference this year. We begin the morning with the keynote address, delivered by the Honorable Jane Maroney, known and respected for her support of consumer-responsive laws, policies, and practices. She will discuss the impact of current legislative initiatives on access to assistive technology and other supports for people with disabilities. For the remainder of the day, attendees have their choice of three concurrent sessions in each time slot. We have designed this year’s conference so that each time slot includes one session with an educational focus, one session with a health care focus, and one session with an employment focus. Our presenters this year are outstanding; details of their sessions can be found on page 2. Topics include communication, reading, lifting and handling, funding, assistive listening, worksite modification, and daily living, offering something for everyone! We are again featuring the always-popular “Tales from the Trenches,” personal accounts of the search for the right assistive technology and the impact it has made on individual’s lives.

When you join us for this event on Wednesday, September 25, at the Sheraton Conference Center in Dover, you will be astounded at what your $25 registration fee gets you—early morning refreshments, all conference presentations, lunch, and access to a record-breaking lineup of exhibits. You’ll find a registration form in the middle of this newsletter; please copy and share it with others who don’t yet receive the AT Messenger!

As with most good things, this is a time-limited offer, so send in your registration today.

Schedule of Events
8:30-9:00 a.m.	Registration & Exhibits
9:00-10:00 a.m.	Opening & Keynote
10:00-10:30 a.m.	Break for Exhibits
10:30-Noon	Breakout Sessions 1-3
Noon-1:00 p.m.	Lunch
1:00-2:30 p.m.	Breakout Sessions 4-6
2:30-3:00 p.m.	Break for Exhibits
3:00-4:30 p.m.	Breakout Sessions 7-9

Session Descriptions

1) Matching Client Skills and Needs with Devices using the Guide to AAC Devices
Dick Lytton, AIDI Augmentative Communication & Technology Clinic & Denise Peischl, University of Delaware,
Applied Science & Engineering Labs
Using a case study of an AAC evaluation, this presentation will demonstrate how to use the organization and information of the Guide to match devices with clients’ skills and needs. Handouts will include excerpts from the Guide and a specific evaluation format.

2) Lifting & Transfers: A Review of Techniques & Body Mechanics
Nancy Chipman Ranalli & Pam Reuther, Easter Seals Rehab Center
The workshop will include a review of proper body mechanics as well as an overview of lifting and transferring techniques for a variety of situations.

3) Obtaining AT through the Vocational Rehabilitation System
Brian Hartman, Disabilities Law Program; a representative of Delaware’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation; and
Terry Gallagher, Client Assistance Program
This session will address the legal and practical aspects of obtaining assistive technology through the vocational rehabilitation system. Advocate, consumer, and agency perspectives will be shared in a panel format followed by a question and answer period.

4) Assistive Technology and Reading
Maureen Schweitzer & Ed Salisbury, DATI ATRCs; Charles Mac Arthur, University of Delaware; Annie Norman, DE Division of Libraries; Kathleen Persinger, Delmar High School
We don’t all learn in the same manner. This presentation will discuss some non-traditional instructional methods used with individuals with reading difficulties. Panel members will offer approaches to students who have difficulty with print materials due to learning, visual or physical disabilities. Low-tech and high-tech options will be discussed and demonstrated in this session.

5) Funding for Assistive Technology Through Public and Private Insurance
Ronald Sibert, DATI
This session will include discussions of criteria for AT coverage through public and private insurance, their similarities and differences, the prescription/claims filing process, and strategies for avoiding or reversing denials.

6) Tales From the Trenches: An AT Users Panel
Phyllis Guinivan, Facilitator
Panel of assistive technology users will share their experiences in finding, acquiring, and using devices in their everyday lives.

7) Assistive Listening Devices
Jim Tyler, Delaware Hearing Consultants
This session will include an explanation of the basic types of ALDs (FM, infrared, magnetic induction, and telephone and alerting systems), discuss their application in various communication situations, and provide information on the latest product developments.

8) Daily Living and Home Control
Patty Hove and Mike Meyreles, DATI ATRC and Linda Bruner, consumer
An overview of low-tech to high-tech equipment available for use in the home, and a consumer’s experiences with enabling technologies in her home.

9) Worksite Modifications: Entering and Re-entering the Workplace
Mike Marotta, Cerebral Palsy of Monmouth & Ocean Counties, Inc.
This presentation will focus on how job accommodations can be used to enable an individual with a disability to obtain a job or retain a job after acquiring a disability. The ADA will be discussed, as well as the concepts of reasonable accommodation and undue hardship. Costs for job accommodations will be reviewed and potential funding sources for these accommodations will be examined.