Carolyn Phillips

Lindsey Bean Kampwerth

Liz Persaud

www.passitoncenter.org

AT Reuse is Making Environmental and Community Access

Possible

Pass It On Center

National Assistive Technology Device Reutilization Coordination and Technical

Assistance Center

www.passitoncenter.org

Objectives:

• Learn how assistive technology reuse is filling the funding gap for assistive technology (AT).

• Learn how the Pass It On Center promotes effective and appropriate reuse thru various technical assistance activities.

• Learn how existing AT reuse programs are working to promote environmental and community access.

ATIA Chicago AT Reuse Strandwww.passitoncenter.org

Learn about reuse.Pass It On Center offers resources to promote new programs and to help existing ones improve.

• PIOC web site• Indicators of Quality

with online tool• Online Knowledge

Base • Free webinars• Reuse Locations• Find AT • NEED AT*

4

ATIA Chicago AT Reuse Strandwww.passitoncenter.org

Behind every Reused Assistive Technology device

there is…

A Story to be Told,A Dream being Realized,

A Goal being Met. 

Paraquad: Independent Living Center

• Started in 2005• Staff

• OTR/L• 2 Repair Technicians• Billing coordinator• Cleaning & Warehouse assistant

• Repair supports Reuse

Paraquad, Inc

• FY2011 Distributed approximately 300 devices & served approximately 150 participants.

• Since 2005 Distributed approximately 2,500 devices & served approximately 1,000 participants

• 7/11-9/11 96% of participants stated they were using the device for community living.

Success Story- April

• April is a student at Truman University. She uses a Freedom Concepts bike to get around campus & from class to class.  At the end of last semester, she was hit by a car while on her bike. The driver was texting and driving and hit the back wheel of April’s bike & she went flying. She sustained a number of injuries & has recovered, but her bike is a different story. So far the driver is not being held responsible to fix her bike and the fall school semester will be starting soon. April needs a bike to get to her new classes and to take some finals from last semester that she couldn’t take because of the accident and her injuries. While at the CP summer camp in St. Louis, a PT that the reuse program works with on pediatric cases, referred her to our program. We had a Freedom Concepts bike donated to us that was similar to her old bike. She came to Paraquad along with a Freedom Concepts employee and had the bike fit to her, which turned out to be minimum adjustments. April was very happy to not have to wonder and stress about how she was going to get around campus anymore. It was a great match! They even stated that if she ever does get her bike fixed they will donate back the reuse bike.

Mr. Ahmed

• Iraq citizen, visiting the US for 2 week• Learning about American’s disability cultures• Saw an SCI M.D. Friday evening

• He had a lot of pain, had left flap surgery a year ago, beginnings of carpal tunnel that M.D. determined due to wheelchair

• Best wheelchair from Iraq=Standard Hospital chair in US

Considering Alvin

• Lives in Stone Mountian• Age: 62 years • Had a stroke a year ago• Effecting speech & left side of his body

• What barriers might Alvin face?

Considering Charlotte

• Lives in Coffee County, Georgia (very rural)• Age: 29 years • Has cerebral palsy – cognitive/organization• Limitations - lower extremities & arm

• What barriers might Charlotte face?

Considering Eddie

• Lives in Atlanta• Age: 59 years • Gun shot – high level spinal cord injury

• What barriers might Eddie face?

Considering Betty

• Lives in Macon• Age: 57 years • Blind

• What barriers might Betty face?

Solution - AlvinDisability Connections started working with Alvin to transition him into the community.

He applied for waivers and was approved for 8 hours.

Received a seating evaluation and was assessed for a power wheelchair.

While waiting to receive his new power wheelchair, he was able to borrow on a long term basis, a refurbished power wheelchair through the STAR Network.

He was assisted with a Macon Transit Authority Para public accessible point to point transit application.

• Alvin has a very hard time communicating in person and over the phone. In person, he uses a pen and pad method to converse. For phone conversations, he would try to communicate his needs verbally but became very frustrated because people were not able to understand him.

• His peer at DC talked with him about using the relay service to communicate over the phone. We assisted him to fill out an application through the GACHI for the GA Telephone Equipment Distribution program for a TTY.

• He first borrowed the Assistive Device of a TTY from us and tried utilizing it, typing in his conversation to a 711 GA Relay service operator who then relays verbally on the phone to anyone he chooses. He has been using one ever since.

Solution - Alvin

Solution - CharlotteCharlotte needed a seating evaluation as well as researched Assistive Technology (AT) to assist with Aids for Daily Living (ADL’s) budgeting, and mobility.  Disability Connections (DC) worked with Charlotte to transition her into the community. DC worked with her to apply for SOURCE for attendant care. We also collaborated with the Georgia Advocacy Office (GAO) to assist Charlotte with getting a seating evaluation and power wheelchair. She was in need of a hospital bed, Hoyer lift and transportation.

• Due to the lack of public transportation in Coffee County, DC worked with SOURCE to coordinate an assessment for services on the same day she was to look at housing. This was done because her transportation would have been paid for through Medicaid as the SOURCE assessment is considered a healthcare appointment and Medicaid can provide transportation under these circumstances. She also was assisted with an application for Macon Para-transit public point to point transportation.

• Charlotte needed an attendant to travel with her, therefore, DC as her nursing home transition coordinator provided financial assistance from Medicaid funds for attendant care services while she was in Macon. With Medicaid transportation and the Macon Para-transit system, she was able to look at an apartment, visit with someone who had already transitioned picking up tips and be assessed for SOURCE. Before transitioning out of the nursing home, Charlotte received a seating evaluation and was assessed for a power wheelchair.

Solution - Charlotte

• Charlotte was approved for 10 hours a day of attendant care and chose an apartment in Macon, GA. While waiting to receive her new power wheelchair, she was able to borrow on a long term basis, a reused power wheelchair through the STAR Network.

• DC also worked with her to be referred to Macon Housing Authority for a Section 8 Voucher for rental financial assistance for disability accessible apartments.

• Charlotte wanted to try out different AT devices to assist her in daily activities but didn’t really know what to ask for or what was available. DC worked with her to research possible devices for her to use thru their Lending Library.

• She needed assistance with budgeting and DC worked with her on various budgeting software (Quicken, Excel) for the computer and template household budgets. She was able to complete 20 volunteer hours and received a reused computer through Reboot. Charlotte also worked with DC to set up direct bill pay from her bank account for her bills.

Solution - Charlotte

SOLUTION - Eddie

Eddie did not know what he needed to transition so his nursing home transition coordinator, Peer Supporters, and Assistive Technology Practitioners researched suggested different items for him to try out. Prior to Eddie’s transition out of the nursing facility, an environmental control unit, (ECU) called the Imperium 2000 was loaned to him from DC’s Tools for Life Assistive Technology (AT) loan program to give him experience controlling his environment independently.

It gave him the ability to operate his television and a fan initially. Since he was in the process of transitioning and with the assistance of the Georgia Advocacy Office, he pursued getting an evaluation for seating and mobility at Shepherd Center.

• Prior to the appointment with Shepherd Center, Eddie’s nursing home transition coordinator Peer Supporter had a back up Sip and Puff Power chair that he loaned to Eddie.

• The Peer Supporter, Edwin McWilliams, is a user of sip and puff power system, and worked with Eddie for many weeks to teach him how to operate his chair and ECU using sip and puff switches.

• All of the technology became even more urgent and crucial due to the Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP) approval only allowing him to have about 12 hours of attendant care a day.

Solution - Eddie

• Disability Connections assisted Eddie to get out of the nursing facility to be able to look at various apartments, researched opportunities to room with others and he eventually approved living in a project based wheelchair entrance accessible apartment living alone with no roommates.

• He did receive more hours initially for the first week to allow him to get situated and the technology installed:

Solution - Eddie

• The following was attained to assist with the twelve hours without attendant care:• Medicaid provided a new power sip and puff wheelchair.

Nursing home transition funds were used for the ECU port on his wheelchair to be able to interface with the ECU from his wheelchair (which is in addition to the switches from his bed)

• In addition, through a grant obtained by DC from a local power cooperative and the Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Trust Fund he was able to get a used van with a lift to go to church on Sunday, because there is no Sunday public transportation.

Solution - Eddie

• An Imperium was eventually purchased to replace the loaner through nursing home transition funds, Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Trust Fund which included an Open Sesame door opener that integrated with the ECU. Permission from the Housing Authority had to be attained to modify the door to accommodate the door opener.

• Now he is able to enter and exit his apartment independently, control his television, stereo system, fan, lights and most importantly, the telephone through his ECU (the Imperium and the Imperium Mobile Link). He also has an emergency alert system as a backup (through Medicaid).

• Video (Liz has this video on her laptop)

Solution - Eddie

Solution – Betty

Disability Connections (DC) worked with Betty and the host home to build a ramp and make modifications to the bathroom so that she could transition from the nursing home.

She also was assisted with an application for Macon Para-transit public point to point transportation.

Betty lived in the host home for almost a year, when it was apparent that the host situation would not be long term.

• DC’s nursing home transition coordinator Peer Supporter worked with Betty to be referred to Macon Housing Authority for a Section 8 Voucher for rental financial assistance and shared a listing of disability accessible apartments.

• She transitioned into her specifically chosen wheelchair accessible apartment with wheelchair accessible bathroom.

Solution - Betty

• Betty was unsure if she would be able to live in her own apartment with only 10 hours a day of attendant care. She used 5 hours in the morning and 5 hours at night. She was alone 4 hours during the day and 10 hours over night. Betty wanted to find someone to stay with her during the day and overnight.

• After several months of trying to contact volunteers to stay with her during the time the waiver didn’t cover and having no luck, Betty decided that she would try to stay by herself during the hours an attendant was not there. She was concerned about how she would be able to stay alone and still be able to use the telephone, TV, clock and radio. She did not know what devices to try.

Solution - Betty

• Through DC’s Tools for Life Assistive Technology program, DC’s nursing home transition coordinator Peer Supporter and Assistive Technology worked with her in researching/purchasing/obtaining a speaker phone, talking clock with talking alarm, large button radio, a larger remote control for her TV and a life alert emergency system.

• Betty also used a signature stamp to sign her important documents and worked out direct bill pay with her bank for her monthly bills.

• Betty has been living in her own home now for almost 8 years. She has been very successful because of the use of AT during the hours in which she does not have an attendant. Without AT and a wheelchair accessible apartment, Betty would not have been able to successfully transition from an institution (especially with the few hours of care she was awarded through her waiver).

•

Solution - Betty

ATIA Chicago AT Reuse Strandwww.passitoncenter.org

The Story Behind Assistive Technology Reuse

…what it really Means.

Family Vacation to Disney World

Being able to borrow this wheelchair during a family vacation made life easier for me and those who had to care for me

…making it on Deck!Thank You MDA!

Our first van that I could stay in my wheelchair and not transfer was this

classy Chevy conversion van.

It wasn’t accessible so my dad used a wooden ramp and I would roll up to the back door, stop to bend my neck down, then roll into place inside the

van.

We eventually received a donated lift from FODAC which made my

parent’s lives easier and my social life more enjoyable

…High School Graduation!

Thank You FODAC!

I love being in water! There’s nothing like feeling your body move and stretch at ease. I used to swim at MDA Summer Camp, but when that adventure ended so did my courage to venture out in the water.

My brothers moved into a house that had a pool but I was hesitant to get in with no equipment. Shortly after, I learned about some unique pieces of AT that FODAC was receiving, which eventually changed my life.

After 12 years I was so happy to be moving in the water again…

…swimming with the Love of My Life!

Thank You FODAC!

AT Reuse has the Power to Change Lives!

Questions

Speaker Contact:

Carolyn Phillips

Director

Carolyn@passitoncenter.org

Lindsey Bean Kampwerth

Consultant

Lindsey@passitoncenter.org

Liz Persaud

Training & Development Coordinator

Liz@passitoncenter.org

www.passitoncenter.org

Disclaimer  This work is supported under a five-year cooperative agreement # H235V060016 awarded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, and is administered by the Pass It On Center, Tools for Life Program . However, the contents of this publication do not necessarily represent the policy or opinions of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsements of this document by the Federal government.