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Announcement News and Events

CT Centers for Independent Living – Tech Coach Program

Digital Divide coordinator, Miriam from UCP, showing a woman with a disability how to use a tablet and trackball mouse

Did you know the CT Centers for Independent Living (CIL) offer a Tech Coach Program?

The program is a supportive and empowering initiative designed to bridge the digital divide and enhance the tech skills of individuals with disabilities. We offer personalized coaching sessions led by experienced coaches who specialize in assistive technologies and accessibility features. The benefits of joining the program include:

  • Help you learn how to set up and use smart devices
  • Learn to navigate the internet and social media
  • Learn how to take online classes
  • On site or remote tech assistance with follow-up
  • No cost
  • Empowers individuals to combat the challenges of ever-growing tech advancements
  • Access telemedicine appointments with your doctor

Contact the CIL that covers your town for more:

  • Disabilites Network of Eastern CT, 860-823-1898, Videophone: 860-255-4190, www.dnec.org: New London and Windham County
  • Center for Disability Rights, 203-934-7077, Videophone:
    203-680-3967, www.cdr-ct.org: Greater New Haven County, some of Middlesex county including Shelton, Cromwell and Southington.
  • Independence Northwest, 203-729-3299, Videophone: 203-490-2372, www.independencenorthwest.org: Northwest, CT.
  • Access Independence, 203-502-7418, Videophone: 203-916-9012, www.accessinct.org, Fairfield county
  • Independence Unlimited, 860-523-5021, Videophone: 860-724-2742, www.independenceunlimited.org: Greater Hartford Area

Who can participate?

The Tech Coach Program serves All people with disabilities in Connecticut.

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Announcement News and Events

CTTAP Has a New Logo!

Connecticut Tech Act Project logo

The CT Tech Act Project was established in Connecticut in 1992 and for 31 years we have used our original logo and tagline ‘Achievement Through Technology’.

Old CTTAP logo from 1992 - 2023

But times change, trends change, and we know technology changes very quickly! This year the CT Tech Act Project Advisory Council decided it was time to modernize our look and feel. This included updating our logo to a more relevant look that better reflects our current mission, that is more versatile and adaptable and will endure for many years into the future.

Connecticut Tech Act Project logo

We maintained the color purple, but utilized a deeper, royal purple and have added orange to create a nice pop of color and contrast. The graphic elements to the left of the program title are intended to be active, dynamic and bold, reflecting our mission as Connecticut’s Assistive Technology program – the central place that individuals with disabilities, family members, educators, employers, and professionals turn to for Assistive Technology supports, programs, services and resources.

We are excited about this new look and to have also updated our website to reflect our new colors and logo. We also streamlined the information to give visitors to our website easier access to the information and resources they are looking for. You can visit our website at www.CTtechact.com. You will begin seeing our new logo throughout our website, social media and print materials. Rest assured we are the same small but mighty program with a great new look!

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New Program Alert: Bridging the Digital Divide

A collaboration between the Department of Aging & Disability Services (ADS) State Unit on Aging & the CT Tech Act Project (CTTAP). 

Bridging the Digital Divide Logo

This 2-year pilot program allows us to have a full-time Digital Divide Coordinator (DDC) at two of our community AT Partner agencies: the NEAT Center at Oak Hill & UCP of Eastern CT.

Our goal is to help bridge the digital divide by providing one-on-one or group services to adults with disabilities (18 and older) and aging adults (60 and older).

Services to individuals includes:

  • Increased access to technology & technology use
  • Providing tech support, troubleshooting, & teaching the use of built-in device accessibility features
  • Increasing access to the community, virtual programming & telehealth, reducing social isolation
  • Connecting Individuals to community resources for ongoing supports
  • Providing tablet technology (with or without hotspot) to individuals 60 & older, if eligible

Why connect with a DDC?

If you or an individual you work with has availability to technology, but struggles to use it and would benefit from some training & support, such as:

  • Connecting to their Wi-Fi
  • Learning to use social media to connect to family and friends
  • Learning to use virtual platforms like Zoom, Teams or virtual community services
  • Learning how to use built-in accessibility features in their devices – speech to text, magnification, text to speech, etc.
  • And more …

Services to Organizations includes:

  • Providing training to entities, such as staff at senior and community centers, libraries, and others who serve the same population, helping them provide access and tech support to their participants.

Why connect your agency to a DDC?

If your organization serves adults with disabilities or individuals 60 and older and you/your staff could benefit from training to be able to support your clients, such as:

  • Learning how to set up built-in accessibility features on your technology or your clients’ technology
  • Learning how to set your clients up with virtual platforms or your virtual services
  • Helping your clients use social media or other internet activities (i.e. online grocery shopping, accessing eBooks, connecting with friends & family etc.)

Contacts:

Contact the CT Tech Act Project for more information by sending an email via our website or by calling 860-803-0588. You can contact a DDC directly at the following:

NEAT Center – serving northwest, northeast and north central CT: call 860-286-3119 or email William.Seaman@oakhillct.org 

UCP of Eastern CT – serving southwest, southeast and south central CT: call 860-288-9520 or email DDC@ucpect.org

The Connecticut Bridging the Digital Divide program is funded by the federal Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Community Living, Expanding the Public Health Workforce within the Disability Network.

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Announcement ICT Accessibility News and Events

Excellent Resources from the AT3 Center

by Arlene Lugo, Program Director, CTTAP

The National Assistive Technology Act Technical Assistance and Training Center, also known as AT3, offers a wide array of resources on the AT3 Center website.

If you haven’t had a chance to take a look around I encourage you to do so. I’d like to call out two of the newer and very helpful resources:

  1. Free, self-directed Digital Accessibility Courses – three courses are now available with more to come! The courses include: 
    • “Accessibility in Microsoft Word,” 
    • “Web Accessibility Testing: Basic” and 
    • “Accessible Web Design & Content Authoring”

2. Explore AT – “a clearinghouse for information and resources on many different assistive technologies. You can find useful resources arranged by activity and disability.” 

Hope you will take a look around!

 

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SCSU New Assistive Technology Certificate

This is one of the Assistive Technology Certificate badges

Written by Lauren Tucker, Ed.D.

sample badge awarded for participation in SCSU's Assistive Technology Graduate Certificate program

Southern Connecticut State University is excited to be offering an Assistive Technology Graduate Certificate (ATC) starting Fall 2022.  This 12-credit program focuses on assistive technology (AT) across the lifespan through four hybrid graduate courses with hands-on project-based learning experiences.

Also, this program is ideal for any professionals supporting students or adults with disabilities or aging individuals who would like to learn more about assistive technology. One course reviews assistive technology for reading, writing, math, and executive functioning tasks.

Another focuses on AT for access across multiple environments (school, community and home, for example). The AT Assessment course introduces the AT assessment process including various approaches, formats, report writing, and implementation. In addition, the final course is an on-campus assistive technology clinic, where AT evaluations and trainings are conducted with members of the community. Interested in what a typical class is like? Check out our Instagram account: @scsuassitivetech. The hybrid approach to learning focuses on-campus sessions on project-based learning through technology exploration, programming, and creation.

In addition to the graduate certificate, a series of five digital badges will be awarded as each course is completed. Digital badges can be utilized on email signatures, resumés, and profiles to demonstrate specific skill sets and expertise developed through the courses.

If you are interested in learning more, please contact Lauren Tucker (tuckerL7@southernct.edu).  You can also learn more on our website: https://catalog.southernct.edu/graduate/programs-and-degrees/assistive-technology-certificate.html.

 

 

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Thank You to the CT Tech Act Project AT Partners!

AT Awareness Day is also a day to give thanks and recognize Assistive Technology professionals. The CT Tech Act Project is extremely grateful to our community AT Partners whose staff do a fantastic job providing AT services to individuals with disabilities and aging adults in Connecticut! 

CREC: Assistive Technology Services

CREC Logo

Berkshire Bank 

Berkshire Bank Logo

Assistive Technology – EASTCONN

EASTCONN logo

Meriden ATECH

ATECH logo

NEAT Center at Oak Hill

NEAT Center at Oak Hill logo

SERC Library

SERC logo

SCSU Center for Educational and Assistive Technology

SCSU logo

UCP’s Assistive Technology Center 

 

#ATAwarenessDay

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National Assistive Technology Awareness Day is Wednesday, April 6, 2022!

The CT Tech Act Project and our AT partner agencies are celebrating National AT Awareness Day to bring attention to the important role Assistive Technology (AT) plays in the lives of individuals with disabilities and aging adults.

What is AT?

AT is any item or piece of equipment that is used to increase, maintain or improve the functional capabilities of older adults and individuals with disabilities. AT provides access to education and the workplace, allowing individuals to live well within their communities, enjoy recreational activities, and more. AT takes many forms – from low-tech devices like canes, walkers, ergonomic pens and magnifiers to high-tech items like smartphones, computers with speech-to-text software or magnification, adapted vehicles, or smart home technology.

How Can You Get Involved?

National AT Awareness Day is a great opportunity to share the importance of Assistive Technology for you, a family member, or someone you know with local lawmakers (https://www.cga.ct.gov/) and members of Congress (https://www.congress.gov/members). Thank them for supporting programs like the AT Act that make AT more accessible to all.

Consider sharing what AT means to you on social media using the hashtag #ATAwarenessDay.

How can you learn more about AT in Connecticut? 

Visit the CT Tech Act Project website at www.CTtechact.com or follow us at www.facebook.com/CTtechact or on Twitter @Cttechact.

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Announcement News and Events

Emergency Broadband Benefit becomes a Permanent Program!

Great news for households who need broadband access in their homes! In the new Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed into law on Nov. 15, 2021, the Emergency Broadband Benefit became a permanent program – now called the Affordable Connectivity Program. Households who meet the 200% of poverty level may receive a $30.00 per month subsidy towards the cost of their broadband.

For full details, the following link provides a great explanation: How the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will Make Broadband More Affordable | Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

And the following will take you the FCC’s page that explains eligibility and the two step process to enroll into the program: Emergency Broadband Benefit | Federal Communications Commission (fcc.gov).

Please encourage anyone you know who may benefit from this program to apply.

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Announcement News and Events

Center for Educational and Assistive Technology Partnering to Expand

The Center for Educational and Assistive Technology (CEAT) at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) is excited to partner with the Special Education Department and the Assistive Technology Program to increase community partnerships. Bogdan Zamfir, the Director of CEAT, is working with Dr. Lauren Tucker, assistant professor in the Special Education Department and Director of the Assistive Technology Program, to offer assistive technology services and trainings across the state. Through a partnership with the Connecticut Tech Act Project, the CEAT already offers a technology loan program for teachers in Connecticut, loaning out iPads and computers with assistive technology. Now, they are excited to also provide individual and group assistive technology trainings, consultations, and more.

In addition to building capacity around assistive technology in schools, the CEAT is interested in supporting the use of widely accessible built-in features for employment and higher education access.

At SCSU, the CEAT also has a lab with a wide variety of assistive technology available for interactive demonstrations and many of the assistive technology courses at SCSU provide hands-on experience for practicing teachers. To support SCSU undergraduate and graduate students, the CEAT loans computers, iPads and LiveScribe pens, trains students on note-taking strategies with the tool, and offers computers with a variety of assistive technology, such as speech-to-text, text-to-speech, graphic organizers, screen readers, and screen magnification.

Last school year, the Special Education Department at SCSU offered two free, mini-professional development sessions. The first focused on Assistive Technology Tips for Virtual Learning and the second provided examples of using Google Keep for Reading and Writing. These recordings can be accessed on the Assistive Technology Program website: https://bit.ly/SouthernAT. The CEAT is excited to customize trainings for individuals or organizations to build the assistive technology capacity across the state.

If you are interested in learning more about collaborating with the CEAT at SCSU, please contact Bogdan Zamfir, zamfirb1@southernct.edu.

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Announcement News and Events

The Connect to Tech Project Kicks Off!

By Nicole Natale, MS, CCC-SLP, ATP, Senior Education Specialist, CREC Resource Group

The CT Tech Act Project was awarded a grant as part of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center 2020 High Impact Innovative Assistive Technology (HIIAT) grants program. As a result, the CT Tech Act and three assistive technology (AT) partner agencies, Capitol Region Education Council (CREC), EASTCONN, the New England Assistive Technology (NEAT) Center at Oak Hill, as well as two local hospitals – Gaylord Hospital and Hartford Healthcare – are providing access to AT services and devices for patients with spinal cord injuries or other conditions that cause paralysis. These services are provided through virtual AT demonstrations, as well as AT device-lending so that individuals and their families can experience how AT can enhance independence and quality of life.

So far, the AT partners have received 15 referrals. CREC has completed two of them and the experience has been very positive! Both individuals wanted to increase their independence when arriving home by connecting with loved ones and doctors and by accessing environmental controls independently. Both patients are interested in borrowing an Amazon Echo Show from the CREC lending library in order to call emergency contacts, spouses and family members/friends and to connect with healthcare professionals. Patients will also use Alexa for appointment reminders, and things like taking medicines on time. These individuals will be accessing the Echo Show with voice recognition, due to their limitations with both fine- and gross-motor skills. One of our patients will also be trialing Philips Hue Smart Light Bulbs, which allows users to employ voice commands to turn on lights and operate an August Smart Lock. The August Smart Lock is Alexa-enabled, enabling our patient to lock and unlock his door, using either voice commands or the Alexa mobile app, all of which supports increased independence.

Once patients have participated in a demonstration, they have the option to purchase the AT tools or access an AT lending library to trial the device to ensure its effectiveness and confirm that it’s an appropriate match for their needs. The goal of this project is to reach at least 100 patients by the end of the year and we are well on our way!

Who We Are

The Connecticut Tech Act Project (CTTAP) operates out of the CT Department of Aging and Disability Services. We help people with disabilities, family members, employers, educators and other professionals with access to Assistive Technology devices and services.

© CT Tech Act Project 2023. All rights reserved.

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