Written by Amy Norton, EASTCONN & Arlene Lugo, CTTAP Smart home technology devices make awesome holiday gifts, especially for individuals with disabilities or aging adults who might be looking for ways to enhance access to their home, improve their functioning, and make a real difference in increasing their independence! Here are some of the [...]
A collaboration between the Department of Aging & Disability Services (ADS) State Unit on Aging & the CT Tech Act Project (CTTAP). 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 [...]
Written by Pam Fields, ATECH With advancement in technology improving every day, assistive technology keeps getting better and better, providing more seamless integration into our lives. As direct-care givers, what’s the best, and easiest way we can use the new and emerging smart-home devices to assist in providing better care? Even if the current living [...]
Written by Jillian Day, www.508assist.org Your home should be your haven, designed, built, or modified to accommodate you – not the other way around. If you have a disability or decline in functioning, you may realize what a challenge it can be to find one that is a 100% match, unless you start from scratch [...]
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) [...]
By Joanne Lambert, M.S. CCC/SLP, EASTCONN There is so much technology available today to support users who have physical disabilities. For some, either being able to see the numbers on a thermostat or having the motor dexterity to manipulate the controls on a thermostat can be quite a challenge. As part of the Connect to [...]
By Stacey Fulton, OTR/ATP, EASTCONN As the CT Tech Act Project embraces new grant initiatives, the Stay Connected program has also been in full swing. Stay Connected is a statewide program operated out of the Connecticut Department of Aging and Disability Services in collaboration with the State Unit on Aging and the CT Tech Act [...]
By Kristopher Thompson, BAS, CAPS, Smart Technology Specialist, New England Assistive Technology (NEAT) Social isolation is a serious public health problem, and something I have been focused on during most of my time at NEAT. I have conducted many presentations that showcase how today’s smart technology can combat this problem, but 2020 opened my eyes [...]
Technology Can Help Ease Isolation During COVID-19 This fall, two Connecticut Department of Aging and Disability Services colleagues were joined by a Quinnipiac University professor to co-present highlights from “Stay Connected,” a statewide program that uses technology to help isolated individuals connect with family, friends and medical providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Connecticut’s “Stay Connected” [...]
by Kristopher Thompson, NEAT, Smart Technology Specialist A few weeks ago, Independence Northwest reached out to me with an urgent referral for the “Stay Connected” program. The referral was for a woman who, like many facing social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, lived alone and had mobility challenges that prevented her from getting out to [...]
