|
Vol. 5, No. 2 March/April 1997 |
Subscribe to AT Messenger Download PDF Viewer |
Len Frescoln Writes
Fifteen years ago, I sustained neurological injuries which left me legally blind with impaired mobility. The ensuing search for solutions was complicated by poor transportation access, my inability to read, and lack of coherent guidance. It often required prolonged trial and error and much help from family and friends to even create limited solutions to new found problems.
While the Americans with Disabilities Act has since eased transition for those with acquired disabilities, peer guidance remains important. As a member of the NCCo ATRC Advisory Board, and as a graduate of the excellent Partners in Policymaking program for disability advocacy, I hope to serve both personal and community needs. As an alumnus of the University of Delaware MBA program, I am also concerned with classroom adaptation issues, and with disincentives to re-employment.
The ATRC has helped me as a comprehensive source of information on assistive technology. Through the equipment lending program, it offers hands-on evaluation opportunities to perspective buyers of new technologies. The center also provides linkage among elements of a diverse community and provides workshops for the specialist and lay-participant alike.
The assistive technology that I have found useful ranges from the basic (e.g., hand-held lenses, knee pads) to the sophisticated (e.g., Closed Circuit Television, print reading technology). Had the equipment loan program existed years earlier, I might have avoided the purchase of expensive but poorly designed equipment.
Though many fine minds are engaged in development, sophisticated equipment is often rapidly obsolete, narrow of application and prohibitively expensive. Much computer adaptation technology is also years behind current applications development. While assistive technology cannot provide all the answers, the growing catalog of consumer choices is vastly preferable to the alternative.
People with disabilities and caregivers who wish to influence public policy, legislative agendas and budget allocations are urged to apply for the Partners in Policymaking program. For information on this program, contact your local ATRC.
