Volume 14, No. 2, Spring 2006	Previous Issues Subscribe to AT Messenger Download PDF Viewer
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Special Issue Emphasizes Expanded Services and Supports

Beth Mineo, Ph.D. DATI Director

We are using this issue of The AT Messenger as a way of updating our readers on a whole host of expanded services and supports being offered by DATI. As you know, the Delaware Assistive Technology Initiative is our state program authorized under the federal Assistive Technology Act. The mission of the DATI is to enable people with disabilities to learn, work, play, and participate in community life more safely and independently with the help of assistive technology (AT). We accomplish this mission by providing information-and-referral both in person and via telephone, email, and our acclaimed website. At our Assistive Technology Resource Centers in each county, we offer equipment demonstrations and short-term equipment loans to help consumers become aware of technology options and their suitability for individual needs. We offer a variety of resources to help individuals acquire needed devices and services, including an on-staff Funding and Policy Specialist, an online Guide to Funding Resources for AT in Delaware, numerous fact sheets and other publications, and an AT Exchange program. We also expect our new AT loan programs to be operational very shortly. In addition, we work closely with state agencies and organizations to raise AT awareness, increase AT-related capacity, and improve education, employment, accessible telecommunications, and community living through access to AT and accessible products and environments.

One of the most exciting new developments is the significant expansion of the DATI equipment inventory, thanks to a number of collaborations supported by local agencies and organizations. You can read about several of these initiatives in this issue, and you can find a comprehensive listing of all new equipment, organized by category. All of this equipment is also included in our online inventory. This wonderful feature of our website, which can be accessed at www.dati.org in the Equipment Demo/Loan section, allows you to search the inventory by product name or equipment category. Equipment listings include a brief description of the device, manufacturer contact information, and the ability to reserve the equipment for demonstration and/or short-term loan from any of the DATI Assistive Technology Resource Centers. Eventually, the inventory module of the website will also include pictures of all of the products in the DATI centers, but it is taking us a while to gather and upload all of those pictures!

And an update on the operation of our AT Resource Centers... For many years, these centers were operated under subcontracts from DATI to other community organizations. In Fall 2005, the operation of the AT Centers was integrated with other DATI activities to streamline services and eliminate customer confusion about who we are and what we do. The same friendly, highly-qualified staff who have been meeting your AT needs for many years remain in the Centers; the only difference is that they are now University of Delaware employees! In fact, DATI’s AT team—Eden Melmed, Marvin Williams, Dan Fendler, and I—will be teaching a course this summer on Universal Design for Learning as a part of the University of Delaware’s Summer Institute in Educational and Assistive Technology.

It has been our privilege to have served as Delaware’s State AT Program for the past 15 years. As always, the DATI stands ready to help people connect with the AT they need to live safely and independently. Please contact us if you have a need for technology, consultation, training, or another AT-related service—if we do not have the service or support that meets your needs, we will help you find one.

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