Washington Assistive
Technology Alliance Newsletter, Fall 1995

Volume One, Number Six

Assistive Technology and Education

Karen Ozmun

Twenty-five percent of the calls to our project relate to children with disabilities within our public school system. In addition, a substantial percentage of our calls are from post-secondary education students or students who are planning for the transition from high school to college. Many of the callers are seeking information about their rights to assistive technology (AT) within an educational setting.

A student's right to AT and the legal standards to determine the school's obligation to provide AT vary significantly, depending on whether the student is in a K-12 public school or has already made the transition to post-secondary education (college or university, vocational training school, etc.). Generally, if a student is in the K-12 public school system, he or she is guaranteed access to education; if a student is in a post-secondary school system, the legal standard for access is based on the concept of reasonable accommodation.

K-12 Public Education & Assistive Technology

In K-12 public education, the courts have established, and continue to confirm, a student's right to Free Appropriate Public Education [FAPE]. The school district must do whatever is necessary to ensure that each student has access to education, regardless of the student's disability. AT devices, services, or modifications to the educational program may be required in order for the district to provide that access.

Currently, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) obligates schools to provide individualized education and related services in order to receive federal special education funding for students with disabilities who are enrolled in Special Education. To qualify for assistance under IDEA, the student must have a disability and require special education. An Individual Education Program (IEP) will be developed for each IDEA student. Any AT needed to ensure FAPE should be included in the IEP. If it is, then the school district is obligated to provide it.

Students with disabilities who do not require special education services are guaranteed access and reasonable accommodation under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Under Section 504 and ADA, the schools may be required to provide AT in the form of supplementary aids and services, as a means of reasonably accommodating a disability and/or ensuring equal access to services and programs.

Although the school is obligated to ensure FAPE, this does not necessarily mean that the school must bear 100% of the cost of appropriate AT. The courts have made clear the school's obligation to ensure access to education, including AT or modifications to the education program. However, they may coordinate or negotiate with other funding sources to share costs. If the device is paid for by the school district, the district maintains ownership of it. Districts cannot purchase a device for a student to keep.

Higher Education and Assistive Technology

The essential guarantees of access to K-12 education are not simply carried over into post-secondary education. Reasonable accommodation is required, but there is no guarantee of access.

This legal standard was set by the case Southeastern Community College v. Davis. The details of this case may help to explain this standard. Background: A "severely hearing impaired" woman wanted to participate in the college's registered nurse professional preparation program. A key part of the training program was surgical nursing. In the surgical setting, she was unable to receive communication via speech reading because of the surgical masks that individuals wore. The school was unable to devise a reasonable accommodation that would allow for critical communication. The Court agreed there was no reasonable accommodation available. Davis was not qualified to participate in the program.

Essentially, a person's disability may be considered when making a determination of whether or not he or she is qualified to participate in an educational program. Reasonable accommodation is always required. Some accommodations are not reasonable. The Davis case established that making significant changes to the education program, or "Herculean efforts," are not required and were not deemed reasonable accommodation. This is profoundly different from the standard set for K-12 education.

If you are familiar with the ADA and employment issues, this standard is similar in concept. If an individual with a disability is not able to perform the essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation, then the employer is not obligated to hire that individual. The individual is not qualified for the position. Essentially, you must qualify for the job of student in the program.

Summary

The "rules" on providing AT and ensuring access to educational programs can be quite different when you compare K-12 and post-secondary education. Whether you are a student, or the parent of a student with a disability, in a K-12 or post-secondary education system, it is important that you:

understand and exercise your rights;
know the resources available to you;
advocate for yourself or for your child;
use the appeals process, if necessary.

If you have any questions about these issues, or where to go for help, please call us at the AT Resource Center.

Statewide Discussion Forum and Mailing List

Dagmar Amtmann

One Hundred Postings and Counting

It has been over six months since the Assistive Technology Discussion Forum was established. The USENET newsgroup wash.assistive-tech is a forum that serves as a networking resource for consumers of assistive technology and their families, AT professionals, and other interested parties throughout Washington. Typical postings to the group include requests for help in tracking down devices or services, wanted / for sale ads, notices of upcoming events, and employment opportunities.

Over 100 announcements, questions, and responses have been posted to the forum so far. A reporter writing an article wanted to hear good ideas for Christmas presents for disabled children, a person was looking for information on one-handed computer keyboards, a wheelchair user wondered whether one could drive a van by using a joystick, a list of sites where freeware/shareware is available was posted, the National Council on Disability was looking for accounts of problems people with disabilities experience with air travel, CompuServe was looking for information on how to improve services to disabled users, a high school student making a book-on-tape for disabled students was looking for resources. Please join us with your questions and comments. The more people participating in the discussion, the more useful the forum becomes for all us.

How to Participate in the Discussion Forum

An e-mail distribution list has been set up which enables anyone with e-mail access to participate in the forum. Subscribers to the list receive postings via e-mail, and can contribute articles simply by sending them to the list address wash-at@u.washington.edu. To subscribe, send a message to: listproc@u.washington.edu Leave the subject line blank. In the body of the message, write "subscribe wash-at ".

You don't necessarily have to have a computer and modem to participate in the discussion. Project staff will be happy to post inquiries, comments, etc. to the discussion forum for you. Responses to such postings will then be collected and sent to you by mail, fax, telephone, or computer disk, whichever you prefer. Your local library may also provide access to the Internet. Some freenets throughout Washington State provide free access as well. Give us a call if you are having difficulty with access and we will help find an agency in your area that may give you free access.

Assistive Technology on the World Wide Web

For quick information on assistive technology (AT) and links to other resources for people with disabilities, the Washington Assistive Technology Alliance (WATA) has a world wide web site at http://weber.u.washington.edu/~atrc/.

What to look for on the WATA homepage: [editor: indent and add bullets to each item] AT Discussion Forum Resource lists - where to go locally for AT products and services Connections to other local, national, & international on-line resources WATA newsletters and brochures General information about assistive technology and the WATA project

The WATA Web site is visited on average by 30 people a day and we hope that the number of visits will steadily climb. Please help us make the Web site user friendly and useful! We will gladly incorporate your suggestions to include new links to other Web sites or to develop other types of information to be posted on our Web page. Please call or e-mail us with your suggestions and feedback.

List of Internet Providers in Washington State

Resource Center staff is in a process of compiling a list of Internet service providers in Washington State. The list will include a description of any services/information offered by the Internet provider for people with disabilities. Contact the Resource Center if you know of any Internet provider that should be included, or to receive a copy of the list once it becomes available.

Assistive Technology Resource Center 206-685-4181 V and 616-1396 TTY in the Seattle area or 800-841-8345 V/TTY.

From the Director

Dave Hooks
WATA Director

As we move into our Fall season which often symbolizes a decreasing pace, the WATA team remains very active. Our board has undergone another change as Rod Bagley leaves us to focus on his school and vocational activities. Thanks, Rod and best wishes in your endeavors. We would like to welcome our newest board member, Janis Warden from Spokane. Janis brings a wealth of experience from her background in Occupational Therapy and Rehabilitation Medicine.

By the time our newsletter is published, we anticipate increasing the board size to nine from its current level of six members. We will have had our latest board meeting in Seattle at our Western Assistive Technology Center site on Oct. 28 and we also will have had our statewide planning meeting at which time we re-visited and sharpened our grant goals and objectives for our new contract year. At the Advisory Board meeting held July 15th in Spokane, the board developed four sub-committees: Education, Agency Focus, Advocacy/Legislative and Quality Control. The purpose was to allow the board to develop a closer relationship with the WATA staff, allowing the board and their individual and collective networks to truly perform the function of an advisory board. WATA is looking forward to the enhanced role the board will be able to assume.

As the Director, I remain active in working closely with the Department of Information Services (DIS) on the issues of accessibility in information technology and in public access to information. The proposed changes in DIS acquisition policy are written in a manner to ensure accessibility and to mandate compliance with the 508 law. 508 acceptance as an entity, however, has not been forthcoming. If 508 does not come to fruition within the information services departments, WATA will aggressively seek an alternative solution. I was privileged to present information to approximately fifty State information managers in September and also provided testimony on Assistive Technology issues at the September meeting of the Public Information Access Policy Task Force. For us at WATA, as a systems change project, constant and repetitive presentation of the needs of and rights of Washington residents to accessibility via assistive technology is a constant process. As always, the WATA board and staff welcome and need your input.

Reader's Forum
Equal Access and Cellular Phones

Paula Bouwer

Cellular phones have become a big priority for hearing people. I have always dreamed of having the same opportunity as these people do when it comes to this hot selling device.

Last summer, while being unemployed, I spent a lot of time driving around looking for jobs. There were many times that I needed to make a direct phone call but had to drive half way across town to my apartment just to do this. Is this worth it for deaf people? I did not think so! In my mind, I kept thinking that there should be some way that the deaf community can have equal access and enjoy using a cellular phone.

After staring at my pager, which has been out of service for many years, I came up with a brilliant idea. To make it possible, all I would need is a heavy-weight cellular phone, portable TDD and an activated pager. Here is how it works: because I can not hear the phone ring, I have people page me (I traded my old beeping pager for a special TDD message receiver pager) and have them call me on that first. Then when the pager vibrates, I will call them back on the phone and portable TDD - but not when I am driving! I would pull over on the side of the road or any safe spot. One part about this system is that the deaf people would save more money than the hearing people would on their cellular phones because you would not be receiving incoming calls that you would be responsible to pay for. Most phones come with a plan that allows 30 free minutes per month - anything after that fee is per minute. I always keep my calls short and to the point and rarely exceed my thirty minutes. So I basically am only paying the monthly cellular service fee.

Now that I am successfully employed at Washington Vocational Services as a Vocational Consultant, my job requires me to drive North, South, East and West. I feel good and safer now that I have the same pleasure as hearing people do of using a cellular phone.

If any of you have any questions regarding this great assistive technology, I would be very happy to assist you!

Note: AT&T Wireless Services (formerly McCaw Cellular Communications) has information regarding the use of cellular phones and pagers with TTYs. To learn more about cellular phones, pagers, messaging software and other wireless technology for people with disabilities, please call Laura Ruby at AT&T Wireless Services 206-803-1522 V or 803-1526 TTY.

ALS Lending Library

Kathy Yorkston

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig's disease is a gradual but progressive deterioration of motor function that occurs in adulthood. In some individuals, speech and voice changes are the first symptoms. As the disease progresses, muscles of the arms, legs and breathing mechanism are affected. In the early stages of the disease, speech changes may include slowing of speaking rate and slight slurring of speech sound. Later, if the symptoms progress, natural speech may be so distorted that it is difficult to understand.

Because there is no cure for ALS, rehabilitation focuses on maintenance of function, often through assistive technology. The loss, or potential loss, of the ability to communicate is one of the most distressing aspects of ALS. Assistive technology is able to provide individuals with ALS a number of important areas of function. For individuals with poor hand function, devices that allow access to computers are a means of maintaining the ability to write. For individuals with weak respiratory muscles who may become fatigued when they speak, devices that amplify the voice may be helpful in maintaining use of natural speech. For individuals with speech that cannot be understood, devices that "speak a message" may substitute for natural speech.

Meeting the assistive technology needs of individuals with ALS is particularly challenging because the communication needs of these individuals are urgent and change over time and because funding for assistive technology cannot always be obtained in a timely fashion. The Assistive Technology Clinic, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington and the ALS Support Services Association attempted to address these challenges by creating a lending library of communication equipment. With initial funding through The Boeing Company, a library of communication devices is available, free of charge, to individuals with ALS in the state of Washington. A communication evaluation is required either by the referring speech-language pathologist or by a staff speech-language pathologist at the Assistive Technology Clinic. People may be referred to the library from a variety of sources, including the Muscular Dystrophy Association, local speech-language pathologists, family and friends.

Ideally, individuals with ALS visit the lending library as soon as they have questions about the use of assistive technology to compensate for speech or writing problems. These early, informational visits often take place long before the need for augmentative communication devices is urgent. Staff will discuss communication strategies and equipment that might be immediately appropriate and briefly review other equipment that might be considered later.

The library contains a variety of devices and systems. For example, there is a high demand for attention-getting devices such as simple buzzers or nursery monitors. The library also includes voice amplifiers and alphabet boards for supplementation of natural speech. Other devices include a number of hand-held typewriters and a number of multipurpose, multi-access computer-based augmentative communication systems. A number of these devices include speech output as a feature.

For more information, contact Kathleen Smith, M.S., CCC, Speech-Language Pathologist, Assistive Technology Clinic, Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington at 206/543-3134.

Western Assistive Technology Center
Summer Outreach Activities

Charles Younger

During the last two months, we have been busy attending County Fairs, Native American Pow-Wows and a variety of other outreach activities. People are definitely interested in Assistive Technology and how to apply it in their lives. We attended or were represented at the Mason, Thurston, Pacific, Grays Harbor, Skagit, Clallam, Clark, Evergreen, Island, San Juan, Cowlitz, Skamania and Whatcom County Fairs. We even did the Puyallup! We attended the Colville, Quileute, Kitsap, Tulalip, Puyallup, Seafair and Snohomish Pow-Wows as well as the Spokane Falls Encampment and the Salmon Homecoming. Charles Younger and Darryl Gua were the primary Western AT Center representatives at these events.

One of the exciting outcomes of our efforts has been the development of contacts in local communities who are able to help us. These key contacts for county fair outreach allow us to be in so many places at once. Our sincere thanks to George Caldwell at Grays Harbor Community College; Claire Anable of DSHS; Naomi Mooney of A.A.R.P; Mara Reynolds at the Stevenson Library; The Progress Center in Longview: Morris Geisler and Cascade Disability Resources in Vancouver, WA; Jan Hayden of Electric Mobility Inc; Wendy Nash at the Whidbey Campus of Skagit Valley College; and Joanne Lawrence of DAHRT (Disabled Americans Have Rights Too!).

Special thanks go to Rich's Mobility for the loan of the wheelchair equipped van, and to John DeNooyer, who volunteered for us at both the San Juan and Mason County Fairs. Working with all of these people and organizations has shown us that there is a real pool of talent in local communities with a great desire to get involved.

The powwow outreach efforts benefited from volunteer assistance from Matt Ramsey at the Salmon Homecoming, and Spokane Encampment, and Bill White and Andrew Fitzgerald at the Seafair powwow; our thanks to them as well.

We found an enthusiastic reception to the presentation of disability issues within the Native American communities, and recognition of issues and individuals resulting from the broadcast of TV programming on these topics. Many persons expressed an interest in learning about access to assistive technology. We responded to questions such as how to obtain access to computer technology that would promote learning in a child with a disability. We received questions about the ADA, and how it applied to access on reservation for persons with disabilities (Indian Reservations are not covered by the ADA unless the tribal council formally adopts the legislation). One individual asked if there were group homes for persons with developmental disabilities with a Native American cultural focus. Employment issues were also a source of concern for Native American persons with disabilities.

Among the concerns raised by persons visiting our booths at County Fairs were questions about medical and financial benefits for those not able to qualify for Social Security. Most questions related to funding and purchasing equipment. Some people who really need a piece of equipment are just a few dollars above program cut-off lines, but still far below poverty level, and cannot afford to purchase the equipment privately. We also received questions relating to general disability and health issues. Other common questions related to children's needs, especially educational issues. The WATA projects brochures on Special Education were in demand.

Ice Cream Social at Western AT Center

The Western AT Center organized a get-together in August for professionals working in the many assistive technology fields in King, Snohomish, Pierce, and other counties. Approximately 40 people were able to attend. The storm clouds did not complement our hot weather theme, but it was a great idea to get together and learn more about activities in the AT field in the Puget Sound area.

Three speakers offered information on varied AT services.

Pam Hurst of Hearing, Speech, and Deafness Center in Seattle gave an informative presentation on types of assistive technology available for persons with hearing impairments, and some of the problems and limitations of existing technology.

John Elmer of Shoreline Community College in Shoreline gave a presentation on the Community Integration Program designed specifically for individuals with Cerebral Palsy. The program focuses on computer assistive technology, and providing training and support to persons to enable them to attend classes at the college.

Lynn Gottleib of Harborview Medical Center discussed an upcoming rehabilitation program for persons with spinal cord injury. The program will stress using computers in the hospital as a rehabilitation tool. Computers will be used to teach independent living skills, and to provide persons with training to maximize their chances of resuming a productive life. The program will target services to persons from minority communities.

Persons who are interested in being notified of future get-togethers should contact the Western AT Center to be added to the mailing list.

Come In and Try Out DragonDictate

The Western AT Center is providing assistance and computer time to persons wishing to learn DragonDictate, voice recognition software which helps persons use a computer who cannot use a keyboard. Persons wishing to try out the program should call Tom Baroch at 632-1212 to schedule an appointment.

Eastern AT Resource Center
Information & Referral Resources

Glenn LeDuc

Since April 1, the WATA Eastern Resource Center has been providing information and referral services to persons within Washington State. We receive requests for these services from telephone calls, visits to the Center, referrals from other agencies, and from presentations. We have currently logged over 300 calls from a diverse range of individuals including assistive technology (AT) users, family members, professionals, and community-based service providers. Topics covered by these calls have included requests for information on AT devices and services, sources for evaluations, funding, computer hardware and software, and advocacy.

We have numerous resources at the Center that we employ to answer our information and referral requests. These resources include:

Assistive Technology Devices
At the Center we have a number of hardware and software based assistive technology devices available for persons visiting the Center to try out. Examples include adapted input devices that provide alternatives to using a standard keyboard and mouse; software that can be used for augmentative communication, word prediction, and screen enlargement; and other devices including switches, mounting devices, and keyguards.

Vendor Resources
There are many more assistive technology devices on the market than we are able to have available in our Center. In order to provide callers with information on a wider range of devices, we have developed a library of vendor resources. These resources include catalogs, brochures, and other informational handouts from assistive technology vendors nationwide and in Canada. Whenever possible, we have ordered extra copies of these resources so that they can be distributed to callers. If only one copy is available we can provide photocopies from the resources on the relevant pages.

Video Library
Video tapes are available for check-out and in-house viewing. Topics covered on the tapes include assistive technology devices, conferences on assistive technology, and presentations from other states' AT centers.

The Internet
There are many resources for information on disability issues and assistive technology available on the Internet. Access to the Internet has been used in communicating with parts of the WATA Statewide Network, researching questions from callers, and downloading software for use in the AT center.

WATA Statewide Resources
The other organizations that make up the WATA team are valuable resources that we use in answering our information and referral requests. The Statewide Assistive Technology Resource Center, located at the University of Washington in Seattle, provides us with resource lists covering a wide variety of assistive technology devices and services. Through the Statewide Assistive Technology Resource Center we also have access to a "Network of Consultants." These consultants represent a wide range of specialties in the assistive technology arena. Through them we are able to get timely, accurate assistance for our callers. Other members of the WATA alliance who provide valuable assistance include the Washington Protection and Advocacy System, the Western Assistive Technology Center, and the Department of Services for the Blind.

The WATA Eastern AT Resource Center welcomes your calls and visits. We are available from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. We can be reached by telephone at 509-328-9350 in the Spokane area or toll free at 800-214-8731. Our address is W. 606 Sharp Ave. Spokane, WA 99201.

Collaboration Eliminates Barriers

Glenn LeDuc

In our last newsletter, we reported on Powernet Inc., a local Internet access provider who had agreed to offer discounted Internet access to disabled individuals and organizations that provide services to them. Since then, there have been several individuals and organizations that have taken advantage of this offer.

With most persons, our involvement with the setup procedure has been minimal, mostly passing on information about the services being offered. We did have one opportunity to become more deeply involved in assisting an individual.

A gentleman, who is visually impaired, was interested in becoming active on the Internet. We shared with him the offer that Powernet had made and he wanted to utilize them as his Internet Provider. However, he was using Macintosh equipment and the Powernet staff had little experience with this operating system. Our staff at the WATA Eastern Resource Center, with assistance from the Easter Seal Society Computer Loan Program Staff were able to assist him in getting the proper software installed and configured, and answer some additional questions along the way. This assistance enabled him to become an active, productive Internet user.

This story illustrates success on two fronts. Most obviously, it shows the success of a individual in overcoming their disabling condition. In addition, it demonstrates that a collaboration between private and public organizations, in this case WATA, The Easter Seal Society, and Powernet Inc. can lead to truly helpful and productive outcomes for the persons we are serving.

Assistive Technology Literature Review

Brian Dudgeon

Service Delivery and Technology Access

Raskind, M. (1993).
Assistive technology and adults with learning disabilities: A blueprint for exploration and advancement. Learning Disability Quarterly 16(3):185-196.

While use of assistive technology by persons with disability has received greater emphasis, little attention has been directed toward technology to help persons with learning disabilities (LD) compensate for their difficulties. This claim prompted the review and writing of this paper that provides a survey of assistive technologies currently available to help persons with LD compensate for their difficulties in reading, writing, spelling, oral language, math, organization, attention, and memory. This article is particularly important to those with LD, as well as teachers and other advocates who promote functional performance of persons with such disability at home, in school, on the job, and in other community settings.

Specific technologies reviewed included uses of computer software products such as word processing, spell checking/thesaurus, proofreading, outlining, and abbreviation expanders. Uses of speech recognition, speech synthesis, screen reading, and optical character recognition systems are described. To augment organization and memory, the article outlines uses of personal data managers, free-form databases, and variable speech control tape recorders. Other compensatory uses of technology include listening aids, talking calculators, and a variety of consumer ready products. Promoting awareness of technologies that are available, as well as suggesting research and development of devices designed to meet the specific needs of the people with learning disability is advocated.

Also note: Special issue on Technology for Persons with Learning Disabilities: Learning Disability Quarterly, [Spring 1995,18(2)] includes 10 articles addressing use of assistive and remedial/instructional technology. Articles represent papers given at a 1993 international symposium on technology for persons with learning disabilities.

Gitlin, L.N. (1995).
Why older people accept or reject assistive technology.
Generations, 19(1): 41-46.

Described in this article are reasons for use or non-use of technology, as a complex interaction of personal, environmental, and cultural factors. Older adults are characterized as the largest users of assistive technology (AT), but studies about specific groups of older adults reflect wide variations in uses of AT. This article reviews the user's perspective on use of AT, and is recommended to allied health service providers as well as family members who work with or provide care to older adults with disability.

The average number of assistive devices in homes of older adults ranges from 2 to 13.7 devices per household, with use rates from 35 to 82 percent. Abandonment of suggested technology appears to occur early. In follow-up studies, actual use of devices in the first month after receipt was likely to result in use later on. Viewing devices as tools for independence, as well as having a willingness to experiment with different strategies to compensate for functional losses are regarded as positive signs of device utilization. A variety of other factors appear to be associated with using and abandoning assistive devices, and include both functional, attitudinal and product quality features. Of particular note is that age, gender, and functional level appear to be unrelated to acceptance of devices and frequency of use. The influence of education, income, socioeconomic status, and race on use of assistive technologies remains unclear.

Also note: Special issue on Technology and Aging: Developing and Marketing products for Older adults, Generations, [Spring 1995, 19(1)] includes several articles addressing uses of assistive technology, as well product development strategies that may best address older adults as consumers.

Communication

Jinks, A., Sinteff, B. (1994).
Consumer response to AAC devices: Acquisition, training, use, and satisfaction. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 10(3):184-190.

The outcomes of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) equipment recommendations by speech-language pathologists as part of a rehabilitation team is reported. Assistive technology program evaluations are being increasingly advocated to improve clinical effectiveness, efficiency and consumer satisfaction. This article, which is of most interest to AT service providers, models a review of consumer feedback based on six years of technology team experience. Seventy-six former patients who had been evaluated for AAC needs at the Rehabilitation Institute of Pittsburgh responded to a mailed questionnaire (included in the article) regarding their experiences with timelines of device acquisition, funding source, amount of training, frequency of use, and satisfaction with the device. Patients ranged in age from 3 to 79 years, and represented diagnostic groups such as cerebral palsy, head injury, stroke/neurologic diseases, and other disorders.

Of those who responded, 71% had obtained specific AAC equipment. Approximately half of the patients received recommended devices within 6 months of evaluation and 91% had received devices by 18 months after evaluation. Third-party payers funded part or all of 81% of obtained devices, the remainder being paid directly by the patient or family. Some training in use of the device or system was received by 87% of consumers. Therapists in an educational setting provided the bulk of assistive technology training. Suppliers provided 8% of training. Uses of devices and extent of training did not correlate. Only 7 of the 45 patients responding to the survey reported rare use or no use of the AAC equipment. Two out of three patients reported satisfaction with devices. Those with cerebral palsy reported greater satisfaction, while the least satisfied patients were those with head injury. Also reported is patient's satisfaction with specific AAC products or device systems. Authors describe benefits of a regional AAC evaluation and service delivery systems, and urge evaluation strategies that provide feedback to service providers and payers.

WIN Kiosks

Have you had a chance to use one of the new Washington Information Network (WIN) kiosks that you can find in some of our shopping malls? Did you find it easy to use and accessible? We'd like to hear from you.

Disability Mall On-Line

If you have access to the Internet, check out the fledgling Disability Mall offered via the Evan Kemp Associates, Inc. World Wide Web page. The Mall offers information on different products, complete with pictures and descriptions. You will also find the "Disability information tip of the month," several disability related articles, and the opportunity to get a complimentary subscription to "One Step Ahead" newsletter. Point your browser to .

Western Assistive Technology Center
Good Shepherd Center
4649 Sunnyside Ave N
Suite 100, Seattle, WA 98103
Seattle: (206) 632-1212
Toll free: 1-800-859-8352
(206) 461-4570 (FAX)
wccd@u.washington.edu (Internet)

Eastern Assistive Technology
Resource Center
Easter Seal Society of Washington
West 606 Sharp
Spokane, WA 99201
Spokane: (509) 326-8292 V/TTY
(800) 214-8731 V/TTY
(509) 326-2261 FAX
ewaratrc@poweramp.net (Internet)

Protection and Advocacy for AT

Washington Protection and Advocacy System
1401 East Jefferson, Suite 506
Seattle, WA 98122
(206) 324-1521 V/TTY in Seattle
(800) 562-2702 V/TTY outside Seattle
wpas@halcyon.com (Internet)

Calendar of Events

1995 Washington Health Legislative Conference, December 6, 1995

This conference will be held at the Tacoma Sheraton Hotel and will be an unique opportunity to focus public debate on health system changes and issues that the Washington State Legislature will face during its 1996 session. This forum will provide information and varying perspectives on key topics to help policymakers develop informed decisions, and to help interested groups and individuals participate meaningfully in the debates, and in those decisions. For more information, call 206-543-3670. Pre-registration is required.

The Duncan Seminar, March 8-9, 1996

"Adaptive Technology: Choices, Priorities & Opportunities" will be held at Children's Hospital & Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, and will bring together professionals, consumers, families and vendors. This course will focus on principles and problem-solving approaches in the field of AT, including academic, vocational, social and recreational issues. For more information, call Children's Continuing Medical Education at 206-526-2501.

Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, March 19-23, 1996

This comprehensive, international conference on technology, where all ages, disabilities, and levels of education and training are covered will be held at the Los Angeles Airport Hilton and Marriott Hotels. Keynote speaker: Dr. Judy Montgomery, President of ASHA. Special features include focusing on The Electronic Highway, and Alternative and Augmentative Communication.

PAVE Workshop on Community Liaison Training, April 12-13, 1996

Eastern Washington Area This workshop by PAVE's Parent to Parent Training Project will assist parents in preparing for IEP meetings. PAVE's Community Liaisons are parents who volunteer their time, experience and knowledge to help other parents. For more information, call 1-800-5-PARENT (V/TTY) or write to Washington PAVE, 6316 S. 12th St., Tacoma, Washington 98465-1900.

Pacific Northwest Technology Conference and Expo, April 24-27, 1996

The fourth annual Conference and Expo will be held at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, Washington. To request a Call to Present or Call to Exhibit packet, contact:WTAC Convention Services Northwest, 8511 15th Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98115 206-526-1240 voice/FAX. electhiway@aol.com
wta@applelink.apple.com

WATA Newsletter is supported by a grant from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research H224A3006, U.S. Department of Education, to the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Olympia, WA. Project director: David Hooks. The newsletter is published quarterly to provide students, professionals, and consumers with information about current issues in assistive technology. The opinions expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views of the Washington Assistive Technology Alliance.

Editorial Board of Advisors:

    Jeanne Munro, Director, Washington DVR
    David Hooks, PhD, Director, WATA
    Edie McBride, MSW, Associate Director, WATA

UW Statewide Resource Center:

    Kurt Johnson, PhD, Project Director
    Dagmar Amtmann, MA, Project Manager
    Karen Ozmun, Information Specialist
    Brian Dudgeon, MS/OTR, Training Faculty
    Kathryn Yorkston, PhD, Training Faculty

About Us | Contact Us | ©2008 University of Washington
The contents of this website were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education (RSA #H224A060046 and RSA #H224A070046). However, the contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal government.

Washington Assistive Technology Alliance Newsletter, Fall 1995