Introducing New Staff

I’m Tom McDonough, DATI’s new Funding & Policy Specialist. I joined DATI in late October 2001 and am eager to assist persons with disabilities in resolving assistive technology funding problems. Immediately prior to joining DATI, I taught elementary school for two years, first at Wilmington Friends School (5th grade) and then St. Paul Scho ol (4th grade) in Wilmington. While at Wilmington Friends, I also coached middle school football, wrestling, and baseball. However, the majority of my career (14 years) has been spent practicing law here in Delaware.

For 2 1/2 years, I represented clients in Special Education, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and other matters for the Disabilities Law Program (DLP) of Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. This position with the DLP also involved presentations to persons with disabilities about various legal and advocacy issues. Thereafter, I was an Assistant United States Attorney for nearly 10 years. I prosecuted violations of federal law such as money laundering, narcotics, bank robbery, public corruption, arson, firearms, and other crimes. My primary responsibility during much of my tenure in the United States Attorney’s Office was as Lead Task Force Attorney for the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. Shortly after graduating from law school, I also served as a Deputy Attorney General for the Delaware Department of Justice’s Civil Division handling prisoner litigation, labor arbitration, and contract review.

My legal and education background should enable me to help DATI’s clients as a Funding and Policy Specialist because it is consistent with DATI’s twin emphases of systems change and advocacy on behalf of individuals. (It should be noted that I am not practicing law in my position at DATI and none of my comments in this article or at any other time should be regarded as legal advice.) Our mission at DATI is to change the technology-related infrastructure in Delaware in those instances where it is cumbersome and presents barriers to technology access. In satisfaction of this objective, much of my time during the past 5 months at DATI has been devoted to revising our “Guide to Funding Resources for Assistive Technology in Delaware.” We envision this funding guide to be used as a “recipe” by case workers, persons with disabilities, and others so that the often complex process for accessing assistive technology through public and private funding sources can be simplified.

I have also provided information and referrals to persons with disabilities, and those acting on their behalf, who have called DATI for assistance. Many of these callers have experienced difficulty securing funding for home and vehicle modifications, computer technology, assistive listening devices, and other areas of assistive technology. Although DATI may not always have an easy solution, given the current tight budgets of many funding sources, we encourage such calls and stand ready to help you.