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Volume 15, No. 1, Winter 2007 |
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The BOLD Program Takes Off
Beth Mineo
DATI Director
In September 2005, the Tobin Foundation awarded funding to the Delaware Assistive Technology Initiative for the Borrow-to-Own Low-vision Devices program. The primary purpose of the program was to enable Delawareans with visual impairments to access relatively low cost ($100 and under) devices efficiently and without burdensome bureaucratic entanglements.
The guidelines require individuals to try a product before they apply for the device through the program. This requirement was established to ensure that clients are selecting devices that truly meet their needs. Since the BOLD Program was announced to the public in the Spring 2006 issue of The AT Messenger, we have distributed 29 pieces of equipment through the program. Utilization of the program is increasing steadily. Program utilization has been greatest in New Castle and Kent Counties, with 14 equipment recipients residing in New Castle County and 9 residing in Kent County. Only four individuals from Sussex County have acquired equipment through the program through mid-February.
The types of devices acquired range from magnifiers to mobility aids to a variety of "talking" products. The program has distributed 11 magnifiers of various types, three specialized watches, three talking alarm clocks, a talking caller ID system, four talking bathroom scales, a talking prescription bottle, a key finder, a check-writing guide, two talking calculators, a specialized telephone, and a folding mobility cane.
The program routinely solicits feedback from individuals who received equipment about their reasons for accessing the program and their satisfaction with program services. Among the participants to date, the vast majority (75%) intend to use their new devices to enhance community living; 9% indicated that the primary use was for education, and 17% indicated that the equipment will be used primarily for employment. One-third of the program participants indicated that they utilized the BOLD Program because they could not afford the technology any other way. Forty-two percent indicated that they did not qualify for any other program that made devices available to them. Finally, 100% of the participants indicated that they were "highly satisfied" with the level of services that they received. One individual added the following comment: "Thanks very much. This is a great service to people; it's really wonderful."
