In This Edition:
- Live, Learn, Work and Play at the “New” Boston AT Regional Center!
- REquipment Seeks Program Partners
- FY17 Budget Update for Assistive Technology Services
- Register Now for EdCampAccess Boston!
- The Best Job! by MassMATCH Advisory Council Member Karen Janowski
- Thank You MassMATCH and Easter Seals! from The Children’s Center for Communication/Beverly School for the Deaf
- REquipment Wheelchair Windfall
- Get AT Stuff Highlights
- Upcoming Events (opens the MassMATCH Events page)
Live, Learn, Work And Play at the “New” Boston ATRC!
Open House is February 25th! 
The AT Regional Center (ATRC) in Boston, funded by MassMATCH and operated by Easter Seals, has a brand new look. Visitors can now explore the latest assistive technology in designated try-out areas designed to promote independence and enhance quality of life at every stage.
“We wanted the Center to better reflect our mission,” says longtime Boston ATRC Coordinator Catherine Bly. “The ATRC was created so that anyone can learn about tools that support individuals in living, learning, working, and playing. That vision guided how we reorganized the space.”
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| ATRC Staff: Cathy Bly and Flemmings Beaubrun | ATRC Entrance |
The work began last fall when ATRC-Boston staff started moving devices out of cabinets and into display areas organized by purpose. “Now visitors can more easily see what the equipment is designed for in a realistic way.”
The Learn Area, for example, is a place to get hands on with a variety of AT for education. Here visitors can try a smart pen to write notes synced to audio recordings and then upload to an email account or dropbox. Bly says they can also transcribe a Word document into braille and emboss it using braille translation software and an embosser.
The Play Area showcases an exciting range of new equipment, thanks to a grant from AbleGamers. These include different types of adapted switches including the L-shaped Chincheeka (which fits the chin and cheek area). The switch provides access to the Xbox 360 game, Child of Eden, where anyone can blast colored plasmic objects in a surreal tunnel galaxy.
“The goal isn’t to show every device that exists,” Bly emphasizes, “but to raise awareness of what is possible and get visitors to think and ask questions.”
The Work Area boasts Dragon Naturally Speaking for voice-controlled computer navigation and turning speech into text. There’s also a talking calculator, special grip pens and a foot mouse set up to control a cursor on a monitor. An electronic magnifier not only enlarges print but also reads it back in different languages and voices.
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| Flemmings Beaubrun demonstrates a head-mounted pointer for operating a computer keyboard at the Boston ATRC | Beaubrun selects an icon on a monitor using an adjustable hand stylus |
The Live Area has a TouchStream tablet for daily living management and tracking (it will remind, alert, and track the daily activities of loved ones at home, easing the concerns of caregivers and allowing for more independence). There’s also a hands-only automobile wheel and brake system to try, and a talking blood pressure cuff.
MassMATCH funds two AT Regional Centers: one in Boston and one serving western Massachusetts in Pittsfield (operated by United Cerebral Palsy-Berkshire). Both are open to the general public for hands-on opportunities with a range of assistive technology solutions in a no-pressure environment.
The open house will take place February 25th from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Easter Seals Technology Center – NPC Building 1st floor, 89 South Street, Boston. For more information email Cathy Bly or phone 617-226-2634.
Also check out the MassMATCH short-term device loan program’s online inventory!
REquipment Seeks New Program Partners
MassMATCH’s Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Reuse program is gearing up to serve more of Massachusetts
It’s official – REquipment is accepting proposals to expand services beyond Greater Boston and Central Massachusetts! The Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission RFR is now posted. The goal is expansion to the western, northeast and southeast/Cape/islands regions of Massachusetts.
REquipment will be adding two kinds of non-profit partners to expand its services: Drop-off sites and Reuse sites.
- Drop off sites will be responsible for intake and storage of REquipment DME donations and for providing outreach within the local community.
- Reuse sites will additionally clean and repair donated DME and deliver the refurbished items within a defined region.
For more information email Ann Shor, MRC’s Director of Assistive Technology and Independent Living Services. Email REquipment with questions about donating or acquiring DME.
FY17 Budget Update for Assistive Technology Services
All eyes are on MRC line item 4120-4000 for Independent Living
Last year the Massachusetts state legislature approved an increase of above $500,000 to Mass. Rehabilitation Commission account 4120-4000 in an earmark for assistive technology services. The new funds are supporting AT services including the expansion of REquipment, the MassMATCH DME Reuse program, statewide. The expansion means more Massachusetts seniors, persons with disabilities and families will have access to gently-used, refurbished durable medical equipment at no cost. (See REquipment Seeks Program Partners above.)
So far this budget season, the Governor’s Budget has been finalized. Traditionally, the Governor’s Budget does not include earmarks. For FY17, it recommends funding account 4120-4000 at $9,423,606. In comparison, FY16 spending for this account was $9,479,758, according to the Governor’s Budget.
Ahead of the release of the House Ways and Means Committee’s budget bill, representatives from Health and Human Services agencies, consumers, advocates, and disability organizations have been meeting with lawmakers. A legislative roundtable was held at the Metrowest Center for Independent Living on February 5, and a Joint Ways and Means budget hearing took place on February 16 at Springfield Technical College, where multiple EOHHS state agencies—including the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission—were invited to speak.
Joe Bellil of Easter Seals attended both events. This year, Easter Seals has prioritized advocacy for the assistive technology services earmark ($1,286,590 in FY16), along with a proposed $250,000 increase to support operating expenses for the Massachusetts AT Loan Program (MATLP). MATLP offers alternative financing—low-interest cash loans—for individuals with disabilities to purchase assistive technology and related services. It is one of the longest-running alternative financing programs for assistive technology in the country.
Once the House Ways and Means Committee releases its budget, the Senate Ways and Means Committee will present its proposal. Any differences between the House and Senate bills will be resolved in a House/Senate Conference Committee. The governor then reviews and approves the final Conference Budget, which may include line-item vetoes and further legislative action.
Learn more and follow the Massachusetts budget cycle at this Mass.gov webpage.
Register for EdCampAccess Boston!
MassMATCH is pleased to once again sponsor this popular “unconference” for K-12 educators
EdCamp Access Boston returns on April 30, 2016, at Marshall Simonds Middle School in Burlington. Following the tradition of the broader EdCamp professional development movement, this event is a FREE opportunity for K–12 educators to learn directly from one another through an “unconference” format that they shape themselves.
EdCamp Access draws educators who are passionate about technology and supporting struggling learners. The day kicks off with a student panel sharing their personal experiences, and wraps up with an app smackdown—a collaborative sharing session—and prize giveaways, including software licenses. In between are participant-driven sessions, often informal discussions, proposed and led by whoever comes ready to contribute.
This is a non-commercial event that attracts leading assistive technology and education experts, along with tech developers—who participate not as vendors, but as equals. EdCamp Access Boston was co-founded three years ago by AT Specialist and MassMATCH AT Advisory Council member Karen Janowski and Patric Barbieri, Executive Director of the LABBB Educational Collaborative. This year’s organizers also include Beth Lloyd and Sean Sweeney.
Janowski encourages teachers to attend as a team if possible, so if you’re interested, gather your colleagues. Students and parents are also welcome, as is anyone interested in supporting learning. Registration is free, and attendance has grown significantly each year—so don’t wait to sign up!
Register and learn more at this EdCamp Access wiki page.
The Best Job
AT Specialist Karen Janowski looks forward to K-12 educators putting her out of business…
Have I ever mentioned how much I absolutely LOVE what I do? That having the opportunity to impact students through technology is the best job there is? That when implemented effectively, technology removes barriers to academic success and fosters independence? That regardless of what a student’s evaluation scores may indicate, we presume competence—and through technology, we can change lives?
I love my job.
Two IEP team meetings this week reminded me, once again, why.
In the first meeting, a phenomenal special education teacher shared the outcome of a recommendation I had included in the AT Evaluation she’d received just two days earlier. (Yes, she’s that good—she wanted to try the recommendation even before we had a chance to discuss it at the IEP meeting!) The student has difficulty with pencil control and forming letters and numbers, and often dictates his work to a scribe. For the first half of a math worksheet, he used a pencil, arranging random numbers in the correct order. The result was both illegible and incorrect. Then the teacher handed him the shared classroom iPad, where she had installed SnapType. He took a photo of the worksheet, cropped it, inserted text boxes, and completed the remaining problems. The result? Clear, legible—and CORRECT. By removing the challenge of forming numbers, his cognitive load was reduced, and he completed the assignment successfully. Even more impressively, he needed no prompts—something he typically requires to finish his work.
Technology made an immediate difference.
The second student I evaluated is a high schooler who scored poorly on cognitive assessments. But with assistive technology, test scores are not the focus. What matters is this: What do we want the student to accomplish that they currently cannot? And how can we use their strengths to support success and independence? This student is highly motivated by and exceptionally skilled with technology. He told me, “Technology has changed my life.” He’s so confident, he added, “I could definitely help my ELA teacher with technology—she doesn’t even use a website.” On top of that, he runs his own YouTube channel and posts videos he creates himself every day. So let’s leverage that confidence and proficiency to help him thrive in his role as a student. Thankfully, there’s a full-time AT Specialist at his school who understands the power of technology integration to support learning and achievement.
Technology changes everything.
Are you providing technology to your students with special needs—or are you withholding it, thinking remediation should take priority? I encourage you to reconsider. Accommodation, especially when supported by effective technology implementation, must go hand-in-hand with remediation. Help me work myself out of the job I love—because when that happens, AT Specialists won’t be needed anymore.
Until then, I’ll keep working to make sure every student has access to the technology they need.
Karen Janowski is an assistive and educational technology consultant and a member of the MassMATCH AT Advisory Council. This article first appeared at her blog TeachingEveryStudent. Meet her in person at EdCamp Access Boston!
Thank You MassMATCH and Easter Seals!
From The Children’s Center for Communication/Beverly School for the Deaf (CCCBSD)
CCCBSD serves a varied population of students, each with their own unique challenges and opportunities. Students attending CCCBSD may experience autism, cerebral palsy, developmental or cognitive delays as well as hearing loss. Our goal is to ensure our students have access to all facets of academics, life skills, social skills and most importantly, communication. The technology supports provided by MassMATCH and Easter Seals are helping to ensure our students’ success!
Over the past two years, CCCBSD has developed a wonderful relationship with the MassMATCH Assistive Technology Regional Center-Boston, operated by Easter Seals. The MassMATCH Short-Term Device Loan program allows us to borrow low and high-cost assistive technology devices at no cost, the very technologies that can make a dramatic difference in the lives of our students. The program enables CCCBSD students and staff to borrow devices for up to four weeks at a time to trial at school and home. It allows our students and staff to make informed decisions about possible purchases or recommendations for future needs.
MassMATCH also provides a Long-Term Device Loan Program which loans devices valued at less than $500 for as long as the device is needed by a Massachusetts resident with a disability. There is no cost to the borrower if they meet the financial need to qualify.
Both of these programs are making a real difference for CCCBSD students. To date we have borrowed a PowerLink and a Headmouse for trialing by our students. Our plan is to continue to broaden our horizons by supporting additional functional life skills in our transitional programs. Future device loans will likely include flashing doorbells and additional testing with the PowerLink to increase student independence.
Thank you MassMATCH and Easter Seals! We are very grateful for your support and look forward to continuing our relationship with your program and helpful staff.
Sincerely,
Janice Coughlin
Assistive Technology Specialist
Childrens’ Center for Communication/ Beverly School for the Deaf
REquipment Wheelchair Windfall!
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Last month, REquipment—the MassMATCH program that accepts donations of gently used durable medical equipment (DME)—received an unexpected wheelchair windfall. The Hartford, a Connecticut-based insurance company, reached out to REquipment with an offer to donate 16 brand-new manual wheelchairs they planned to assemble themselves.
The project was part of a team-building activity selected for the company’s national sales meeting in Boston. Sales representatives, divided into small teams, competed in trivia challenges to “win” parts needed to build a wheelchair together. REquipment Program Director Randi Sargent and Reuse Technician Jim Smith attended the event to accept the donation, thank the staff, and share information about REquipment’s services. Also present was two-sport standout and para-athlete Alana Nichols.
The end result: 16 brand-new wheelchairs added to the REquipment inventory—each inspected by a technician—and a great experience for everyone involved.
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| Teams competing to build wheelchairs | Randi Sargent with Alana Nichols and Dawn Brenner of The Hartford | Wheelchairs ready for donation |
Interested in having your company build wheelchairs for donation, team building and good karma? Check out www.bestcorporateevents.com/program/build-a-wheelchair
REquipment Inventory Highlights
REquipment refurbishes a wide variety of DME free of charge for use by individuals and families in Greater Boston and Central Massachusetts. As of this writing, items available at the REquipment inventory includes:
- 1 adapted stroller — the Mighty L by Kid Kart (for a teen or small adult)
- Invacare half-length electric bed rails (for an adult)
- 4 mechanical/sling lifts, including a Drive Medical for bariatric use
- 1 Shower Buddy shower chair system (for an adult)
- 1 stander with tray by Prospect Designs (for a child)
- 6 power wheelchairs, including a bariatric-sized Pronto Sure Step M91
- 20 manual wheelchairs, including a 6 brand new by Medline (for an adult) thanks to The Hartford’s generosity!
Have equipment to donate? Learn more at this REquipment webpage.
GetATStuff Highlights
The Assistive Technology Exchange in New England and New York is the “Craig’s List” for AT. Currently there are dozens of items posted for sale or free.
As of this writing, GetATStuff highlights include:
- 2 Vision-related items, including a portable video magnifier (ONYX Deskset XL) in North Providence, RI for $2,000 OBO.
- 3 Hearing-related item: including a portable amplifier for telephone for FREE in Salem, MA.
- 47 Mobility, Seating, and Positioning related items, including a Free brand new never used Transfer Board in Boston.
- 47 Daily Living related items, including a Free electric hospital bed with rails in Watertown, MA.
- 6 Environmental Adaptation related items including a raised toilet seat in West Charleston, VT for $20 OBO.
- 6 Transportation and Vehicle Modification related items, including a 2013 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite wheelchair van for $50,000 in Brockton, MA.
- 3 Computer-related items, including a Footime Foot Mouse with programmable pedal for $95 OBO in North Providence, RI.
Go to GetATStuff to search items by category or geography or to list what you need.
Learn about additional AT reuse sites.