Other State Financing
Activities:
Beyond Cash Loans
Diane Cordry Golden, CATADA
Marty Exline, Missouri
Sara Sack, Kansas
Carolyn Phillips, Georgia
David Scherer, South Dakota
July 2015
Financial Loans
Separate Federal Funding –
39 states/territories
Other Funding, Section 4 or state –
6 states (AK, CT, HI, IN, OH, TX)
No known program/ funding
11 states/territories (AS, CO, MS,
NC, NH, OR, PR, RI, SD, TN, WV)
Other SFA: Direct Provision
Last Resort Funding –
DE, GA, MO, ND, NV, OR
Telecommunication EDP –
DE, MO, CT, PA, RI
Funding Eligibility/Administration
KS, VT
Home Mods – NE
Individual Development Acct – WA
Other SFA: Savings
Cooperative Buying –
GA, MD, ME, OR
Fabrication – PR
Long-term Lease – SD
Other SFA Data
 Direct Provision SFA
13 states reporting
2385 recipients of AT
2976 AT devices provided
Value of $3,183,057
 Savings SFA
6 states reporting
3356 recipients of AT
5557 AT devices acquired with savings
Savings of $897,808
MoAT Telecommunications Access
Program
TAP for Telephone was operated by out-ofstate contractor before 1996.
MoAT approached PSC and introduced
legislation.
Included a demonstration requirement.
2000 – Introduced legislation to expand to
AT needed to access the Internet (TAP-I).
Assessment / Equipment / Training
More than 70,000 adapted phones and
12,000 adaptive computer devices have
been provided to Missourians with
disabilities totaling over $14 million.
MoAT Deaf-Blind Equipment
Distribution Program
21st Century CVAA
 MoAT certified by FCC in 2012 as
Missouri NDBEDP (iCanConnect)
administrator.
 Telecommunications assessments,
equipment & training for persons
who are deaf-blind.
Provided 128 Missourians who are
deaf-blind with $534,000 in
Assessments, Equipment, &
Training from MoAT to date.
Other MoAT State Financing
Activities
AT Reimbursement Program for Schools
 Funding through State Dept. of Education
 Up to $5,000 for AT in a students IEP.
 Works in conjunction with equipment loan/demo
programs.
2014-15 school year: Provided $426,000 for
225 students with disabilities in 84 districts.
Kids Assistive Technology (KAT)
 Funding through State Dept. of Health
 Last resort funding for children and families.
 Examples: Home & vehicle access, adaptive
recreational AT.
Provided 704 with $ 1,565,337 in AT to date.
ATK State Financing Activity
I-Pad Training
July 14, 2015
Washington, D.C.
Sara Sack, Ph.D.
Year I (2014) : Project Goal &
Implementation Plan (Budget $76,468)
• Teach 45 people with disabilities basic
technology skills for employment
– Develop a learning plan with a minimum of 2
learning goals for employment and one learning
goal for health management
– 4 six-hour workshops focused on use of digital
technology (iPads) with skills acquisition tests
– Completion of 6 e-technology tips (homework)
– Follow-up emails on employment activity
Assistive Technology for Kansans ~ 800-KAN DO IT ~ www.atk.ku.edu
Who Participated?
• Adults with disabilities age 19 – 64
– 19 PTSD and/or mental health issues
– 18 Spinal cord injury or orthotic disabilities
– 16 Traumatic Brain Injury
– 10 Intellectual disability
– 6 Health conditions (diabetes, Lupus, etc.)
– 6 Legally blind
Assistive Technology for Kansans ~ 800-KAN DO IT ~ www.atk.ku.edu
Course Content
• 4 workshops with comprehensive hands-on
skills-based training
• Participant specific requests:
– Scheduling appointments, setting reminders
– Managing contact lists
– Budgeting and finances
– Stress management
– Healthy eating/diet monitoring/exercise tracking
– Monitoring blood sugar, medication schedules
Assistive Technology for Kansans ~ 800-KAN DO IT ~ www.atk.ku.edu
Success! 45/45 completed all
requirements - 1 needed additional supports;
• Alice is employed as a
Spanish translator with the
Sedgwick County Health
Department. She started
work a few days after she
completed the iPad training
class. Sedgwick County only
accepts on-line applications she used the knowledge she
gained in class to find and
complete the on-line
application. She is working
20 to 30 hours per week and
has been on the job for
almost three months now.
Assistive Technology for Kansans ~ 800-KAN DO IT ~ www.atk.ku.edu
Success Stories Continue:
11/45 employed within 3 months of training;
• Davis has a traumatic brain
injury and is a licensed barber
but was not working due to
memory and organization
issues. Since attending the
iPad training workshops, he
learned to schedule
appointments and track
contacts with his iPad. He has
leased a booth at a local
beauty shop in Topeka and is
working again while continuing
his cognitive therapy.
Assistive Technology for Kansans ~ 800-KAN DO IT ~ www.atk.ku.edu
Success Stories Continue:
7 Full-time; 4 Part-time;
• Angela, a veteran of the Gulf
Wars, is starting an
agribusiness. She has
experience as a florist. She
is able to maintain financial
records through QuickBooks
on her iPad, research
organic growing strategies,
apply for a high tunnel grant
online, and begin planning
her social media promotion
of products. She is working
with the AT Access Site and
Kansas Rehabilitation
Services for start up funds of
her small business.
Assistive Technology for Kansans ~ 800-KAN DO IT ~ www.atk.ku.edu
Success Stories Continue:
8 interviewing.
• Terry is managing a handy
man business on Craig’s List
while continuing to seek
full-time employment. He is
doing everything from
cutting and hauling wood,
to cleaning gutters, building
fences, etc. Despite a
traumatic brain injury, he is
able to schedule
appointments, track to-dos
for jobs, and promote his
services using his device.
Assistive Technology for Kansans ~ 800-KAN DO IT ~ www.atk.ku.edu
Year 2 (2015) : New Project: Achieving
Employment and Health Goals with Digital
Technology (Budget $122,273)
• 75 people with disabilities– priority spaces for people with
mental health issues and/or Traumatic Brain Injury
– Develop technology skills needed to obtain and retain many jobs
(management of contacts and calendars, reminders/to-do’s;
online search skills; completing fillable PDFs; use of built-in
accessibility features; app selection to address specific needs –
monitoring health, stress reduction, etc.);
– Provide access to tools needed to obtain employment (online
job searches, applications, resume updating, email interview
invitations);
– Ongoing technical assistance with AT Specialists during job
search
– Peer mentoring and confidence building
Assistive Technology for Kansans ~ 800-KAN DO IT ~ www.atk.ku.edu
Additional Elements
• KU management will review follow up data on participants
–
–
–
–
–
–
# of participants who complete the training;
Types of apps selected;
AT Employment Objectives;
# of interviews and jobs obtained;
# of people moving from part-time to full-time positions
Return on investment based on cost of workshops and
individuals employed
• $1,688.28/participant with outcome of 45 individuals who have
mastered technology skills and have a tool to pursue and maintain
employment (Year 1)
• $6,951.64/participant with the outcome of 11 individuals employed
full or part-time (Year 1)
• Workshop materials will be posted on the ATK website
(www.atk.ku.edu )
Assistive Technology for Kansans ~ 800-KAN DO IT ~ www.atk.ku.edu
Exploring Georgia’s Postsecondary
Assistive Technology Cooperative
Carolyn Phillips, Director & PI of Tools for Life
Tools for Life's Website: www.gatfl.gatech.edu
For Handouts: http://www.gatfl.gatech.edu/tflwiki
AMAC Accessibility History
AMAC Accessibility Solutions and
Research Center (AMAC) was created in
2005, as an initiative of the Board of
Regents University System of Georgia, to
help post-secondary disability services
offices provide complete, timely, and
efficient accommodations to the
students with print disabilities that they
serve.
• AT Cooperative was born out of this
initiative. In 2014, Georgia’s AT Coop
served 2,569 students at a cost
savings of $310,667
AMAC Accessibility Services
•
•
AMAC Accessibility provides practical solutions and research for
real challenges faced daily by individuals with disabilities.
AMAC offers postsecondary education, corporate, governmental
and nonprofit membership services, including:
•
Assistive Technology Cooperative (State Financing)
•
Assistive Technology Solutions Lab (Demo & Device Lending)
•
Assistive Technology training and technical assistance
•
Accessible digital content conversion – E-Text
•
Braille
•
Captioning and transcription services
•
508 Compliance consultation
AMAC – Deluxe Membership
The Deluxe Membership is designed for institutions that have ongoing requests for alternative media and
assistive technology.
An annual fee of $1,500 provides access to a variety of assistive technology solutions, training, and technical
support (among others benefits).
Deluxe Member Discounts
– 30% off e-text within AMAC’s textbook library
– 25% off SAM annual license fee ($450 value)
– 10% off braille services
– 10% off captioned media
– Free braille tests
Assistive Technology Software
•
20+ software applications available including: Text-To-Speech, Magnification w/ Speech, Screen
Modification / Colorization, and Writing & Spelling software.
See list of all available software.
•
Distributed directly to student computers through AMAC’s secure Student Download Center
•
Available for download and use on institutional computers overseen by the disability service office
Web-Based Management Software
•
Student access to our Student Download Center, where students can download books and software
Some of the AT in AT Cooperative
Top Downloaders of AT
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
Georgia Southern University
Kennesaw State University
University of Alabama at Birmingham – Not in AT Act Federal Data
Georgia Northwestern Technical College
University of West Georgia
Chattahoochee Technical College
Georgia State University
Dalton State College
Georgia Institute of Technology
Emory
Valdosta State University
Mercer University
Savannah State University
Grand Rapids Community College – Not in AT Act Federal Data
Supporting Smoother Transitions
•
•
•
•
•
AT Cooperative Software in IEPs
Focused Transition Goals
Better Planning – More Success
Access to Accessible Books + AT = Success…
Research
AMAC’s First in the World Proposal
Project: Center for Accessible Materials Innovation (CAMI)
Purpose: To expand access to digital content for all
students with disabilities, especially those at minorityserving institutions (MSIs), thereby improving retention
and graduation rates
Duration: Oct. 1, 2014 – Sept. 30, 2018
Amount: $3.8 million
Our Tech Partner: Institute Diversity
Co-Principal Investigators:
Dr. Christopher Lee, Director/Dept. Head, AMAC
Dr. Julie Ancis, Associate VP/ Institute Diversity
Project Director: Bob Martinengo
The TFL Team
Carolyn Phillips
Director, Tools for Life
Carolyn.Phillips@gatfl.gatech.edu
Daphne Brookins
AT Funding & Resource Specialist
Daphne.Brookins@gatfl.gatech.edu
Ben Jacobs
Accommodations Specialist
Ben.Jacobs@gatfl.gatech.edu
Liz Persaud
Training and Outreach Coordinator
Liz.Persaud@gatfl.gatech.edu
Martha Rust
AT Specialist
Martha.Rust@gatfl.gatech.edu
Rachel Wilson
Tech Match Specialist
Rachel.Wilson@gatfl.gatech.edu
Disclaimer
This presentation is produced by Tools for Life which is a result of the Assistive Technology Act of 1998, as amended in 2004. It is a program of the Georgia Institute
of Technology, College of Architecture [COA], AMAC and is funded by grant #H224C030009 of the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), Department of
Education. The contents of this presentation were developed under a grant from the Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent
the policy of the Department of Education, Georgia Tech, COA or AMAC and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal government.
DakotaLink
Assistive Technology Program for
the State of South Dakota
CCTV - Long Term Lease/Loan Program
An Alternative State Financing Activity
 The South Dakota Services to the Blind and Visually Impaired (SBVI)
Closed Circuit Television (CCTV)Lease/Loan Program began in 2004
utilizing funds established in a trust to the State of South Dakota.
 This program is a partnership between SBVI and DakotaLink, managed
by DakotaLink.

Applications for the CCTV program originate in the SBVI Independent
Living Elderly/Blind program.

Approved applications are sent to DakotaLink where they are matched
to current inventory or placed upon a waiting list.
South Dakota CCTV - Long Term Lease/Loan Program
Financial eligibility requirements
The Financial Eligibility document reviews three main categories of income:
•
Annual Income – they cannot receive more than 185% of the poverty guidelines
for annual income; If the individual has medical debt (including prescription drug
debt) or has to pay for child care services for a child for whom they are legal
guardians, these costs are deducted from their annual income category.
•
Income Producing Property – any income realized from resources such as rental
properties or land leased, rented or contracted on shares after a blanket $75,000
deduction and the deduction of any money owed on the income producing
property,.
•
Cash, Bonds and Securities – They cannot have more than $3,500 in any or all of
these categories.
•
If the applicant has financial resources exceeding these guidelines they are
responsible for leasing the CCTV for $30.00 per month. If they fall within the
guidelines a CCTV is loaned to them. Each person pays a $50.00 deposit on the
CCTV received but if they have limited resources, they can pay this deposit in
increments of $10.00 a month until the deposit is covered.
South Dakota CCTV - Long Term Lease/Loan Program
 there are currently 230 CCTV units distributed throughout South Dakota
 DakotaLink Staff and SBVI Rehabilitation teachers deliver the units and
provide training.
 DakotaLink collects the monthly lease payments, tracks annual renewals, and
manages the program database providing monthly reports to SBVI.
 Now in its 11th year the repair history has been relatively low and only one unit
has been lost. (to a program participant leaving the State)


Monies raised by the monthly leases is used to purchase additional units and
supports upgrading older units.
500 individuals whose vision deteriorated have returned their CCTV to the
program and recycled to new applicants translating into hundreds of
thousands of dollars savings to those who may have purchased a unit only to
find later they could no longer use the machine.