Assistive Technology Project Helps Find Solutions For People With Disabilities

"He can't pick up a pencil or pen and write, so the computer and the keyboard became his pencil and paper." Kirk Garrett, Sr. on his son Kirk Garrett., Jr.

Through the use of a specialized keyboard, Garrett’s extremely limited dexterity hasn’t been an issue in working on the computer and holding down a job. In fact, throughout his schooling, the use of a range of assistive devices and equipment has kept his disability from hampering him. “He can’t pick up a pencil or pen and write, so the computer and keyboard became his pencil and paper,” said his father, Kirk Garrett, Sr.

When Kirk, Jr. was in high school his parents’ interest in keeping up with technology that could benefit him led them to the Assistive Technology Project, a federally funded program dedicated to helping persons with disabilities. Though based in the Department of Pediatrics’ Center for Disability Resources, the project serves both adults and children through education and training on a broad scope of assistive and information technology for persons with disabilities.

 “We get a lot of calls from people saying something like, ‘Joey really needs a computer,” said Evelyn Evans, the project’s director. “Joey may need a computer and he may not. Until we meet with him and the people who work with him and see what his special needs are, we cannot determine that,” she said.  Serving individuals, school systems, agencies, and organizations throughout South Carolina, the Assistive Technology
Project helps people with disabilities to find the best solutions to specific needs presented by their disability. “It’s a lot of, ‘let’s try this to see what works for that person,’” said Mary Alice Bechtler, one of the staff’s three program coordinators.

Sometimes a need can be addressed by an easy modification such as a plate guard that keeps food from slipping off while eating. “We introduce technology from the simple to the complex,” said Evans. Other times an individual can benefit from the use of highly sophisticated voice-activated software that converts spoken words into typed words. In either instance, the Assistive Technology Project offers an expansive resource demonstration and equipment loan center stocked with all manner of devices, software, and equipment to aid persons with disabilities at work, school, and home.

Children, who are often accompanied to the resource center by school personnel and/or health care professionals along with their parents, can try out communication devices that allow them to press a button for the word or phrase they want to say. Toys are outfitted with special switches that accommodate for a range of physical limitations, so that a child can merely blow into a tube or turn his cheek against a pillow to make a penguin waddle or a fireman travel down a ladder.

A short-term loan program enables equipment to be tried out. Staff member and speech language pathologist Carol O’Day feels this can be particularly helpful when trying to determine the appropriate item for a youngster. “If it doesn’t suit the child and the child doesn’t use it, then it’s a waste of money,” she said. Janet Jenron, another program coordinator, added, “Sometimes a parent may want a $6,000 communication device, and then borrows a $200 one and find out it works great.”

In addition to what’s available in the center, the staff has amassed an extensive network of local and statewide resources. “If you’re looking for a type of technology to assist someone who is blind for example, we can hook you up with the right folks,” said Janet Jenron. She added, “If we don’t know what you need, we know someone who does.”

The Assistive Technology Project also works with public schools, consulting with teachers, therapists, and administrators on the best ways to help children with disabilities in the classroom.  Along with serving individuals, the staff members provide group-training sessions and work on a broader scale with professionals throughout South Carolina to address assistive technology issues. Their efforts have included collaborative work on web accessibility and on grant proposals that focus on assistive technology for rural and minority populations. “One of our big goals is to help state agencies understand web accessibility, and how, for example, a person who cannot hear, see, or use a keyboard can access the web,” said Evans. For the past 11 years, the project staff has teamed up with partners including the S.C. Department of Education, the S.C. Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, and the S.C. Association of Blind Athletes to host the South Carolina Assistive Technology Expo each spring.

A rainy March day didn’t put a damper on the crowd that turned out for this year’s Assistive Technology Expo in Greenville. In fact, over 700 people from South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia traveled to check out more than 50 free exhibits and to attend workshop sessions on topics ranging from jobsite accommodations to recreation and fitness opportunities. “There has been so much development just in the last five years that it can be hard to keep up with all the changes in technology. Expo is a great way to stay up to date on devices and software,” said Evans. Participants can talk directly to product vendors, and try out products such as a voice activated TV remote control or a keyboard configured for one-handed typing.

In addition to people with disabilities and their family members, the Assistive Technology Expo is attended by school and health care professionals, agency personnel and senior citizens who find they’ve come to need help with particular tasks. Both Kirk Garrett, Sr. and junior have become familiar faces at the expo. “My son always wants to see if there is something out there that we haven’t heard about,” said Garrett, Sr., who is firmly convinced of the expo’s value to people with disabilities. “Technology is not cheap. You don’t buy a wheelchair and then decide next month that it doesn’t work. Useful information is priceless at a place like this,” he said.

Garrett, Sr., who serves on the Assistive Technology Project’s Consumer Advisory Board, is also convinced of the impact that assistive technology has made in his son’s life. He recalls when Kirk, Jr. was enrolled in the online web design program. “His special keyboard leveled the playing field. While it took him a lot more steps to complete an assignment, no one else knew that. The technology was the equalizer that gave him the same empowerment as everyone else,” he said.  

For more information on the Assistive Technology Expo or other available resources, contact Sally Young at 935-5340.

Reprinted from Connections newsletter, February 2006

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