Oklahoma ABLE Tech - OK ABLE Tech Advisory Council

Able Tech

Larry Bishop

Policy Development Administrator, Department of Rehabilitation Services, 3535 NW 58th, Suite 500, Oklahoma City, OK 73112

Personal experience with Assistive Technology: DRS Telecommunications Equipment Program; minimal training in Duxbury and JAWS Reader.

Areas of expertise: DRS Policy & Procedures; Revenue development & grant writing; Legislative process; Rehabilitation Act.

Affiliated with: Oklahoma Rehabilitation Association, Association & Fundraising Professionals.

Sandie Foote

Agency: Oklahoma Parents Center, P.O. Box 5022, Edmond, OK 73083

Personal experience with Assistive Technology: Have coordinated with families and therapists to select, find funding for and order assistive technology.

Areas of expertise: Developmental disabilities, mental health, other disabilities, Autism/Aspbergers, Resource availability and how to access them, working w/ families who have children with special needs, IDEA / IEP, training experience, Voch. Rehab / WIA. Parent of a 19 y/o with Aspberger's Syndrome, and 15 y/o with Autism, Intellectual Disability and hearing loss.

Groups you have links to: OFN, DDSD, Family Support 360°, OASIS, Donna Nigh Foundation, SSI-DCP, Autism Network, OHCA, SoonerStart.

John Gajda

Tulsa ARC, Tulsa OK 74119

Areas of expertise: Computer hardware and software applications.

Group Linked to: Oklahoma People First; Advisory Committee on M.R. Services; Tulsa Area Alliance on Disabilities; Oklahoma Chapter of AAMR; UAP Policy Advisory Council; and Partners in Policymaking.

Theresa Hamrick

Theresa Hamrick, Integris Jim Thorpe Rehab, 4219 S Western Oklahoma City, OK 73109

Personal experience with Assistive Technology: Identify needs for various groups including communication devices, assistive listening devices and computer accessibility software.

Areas of expertise: Accessibility and ADAG. Groups you have links to: Stroke Support Group, Brain Injury Support Group.

Charles Israel

Oklahoma State Senate Staff, 2300 N Lincoln Blvd. Room 309, Oklahoma City OK 73105-4808

Personal experience with Assistive Technology: Use computers to interact with others in distant cities. Use ramps and lifts to get in and out of vehicles and buildings - and hand controls for vehicle and automatic door openers.

Areas of expertise: Computers; and teaching computer use - internet issues.

Toney A. Johnson

Personal experience: consumer and user of assistive technology. Recipient of alternative financing loan through BancFirst.

Areas of expertise..... computer knowledge and detailing cars

Charlie C. Jones

Stratford, OK

Personal experience with Assistive Technology: I have over 30 years experience with assistive technology. For example, I have had two different types of vans modified for me to drive from a wheelchair. I also regularly use Dragon NaturallySpeaking to interface with a computer as well as a number of other personal assistive devices.

Areas of expertise: My formal education includes a BBA in Management, an MBA, and a Juris Doctorate Degree. As a Professor of Business the past 21 years, I have focused my research efforts in employment law, especially the ADA.

Groups you have links to: Governor's Advisory Committee to the Office of Disability Concerns; Access Now (A Florida based nonprofit organization devoted mainly to enforcement of Title III of the ADA).

Jean Jones

Policy Development Unit Department of Rehabilitation Services, 3535 NW 58th, Suite 500, Oklahoma City, OK 73112

Personal experience with Assistive Technology: Low vision aids- magnifiers, large print, recorded books.

Areas of expertise: I & R for disability resources and issues; write and produce disability publications; legislative tracking and reporting on disability issues; and disability issue research and analysis.

Groups Links to: Disability organizations and programs in general; member OK Council of the Blind; American Council of the Blind; OAERBVI and AER (Blindness field professional orgs.); and APOSI (parents of blind children).

Sue Keller

Personal experience with Assistive Technology: Advocating for her child's assistive technology needs in the public school setting.

Areas of expertise: Parenting a child with Autism. Employed part-time at Deaconess Hospital in Oklahoma City as a registered nurse on an orthopedic/medical/surgical floor.

Affilitated with: Autism Society of Central Oklahoma (ASOCO).

Anita Eckard

Oklahoma State Dept. of Education Special Education Services
2500 N Lincoln Blvd. Oliver Hodge Bldg. Oklahoma City, OK 73105-4599

Ellen Kimbrell

Personal experience with Assistive Technology: TTY machine for my deaf son - along with other adaptive equipment for hearing impaired person. TDD training for the classroom in my son's deaf education.

Areas of expertise: Deaf and Hearing Impaired. Sign Language. Behavior Planning IDEA 97. Groups you have links to: Oklahoma Parent Network

Frieda Kliewer

Executive Director, Sandra Beasley Independent Living Center Enid, OK

Bachelor's degree from NWOSU; Master's Degree in Behavioral Science, counseling psychology from NWOSU
Ms. Kliewer has a 35 year history in the medical/mental/disability field. Included in that 35 years, 20 of those years involved work in the field of disability

Personal experience with Assistive Technology: Ms. Kliewer identifies needs for various groups including communication devices, assistive listening devices and computer accessibility software. She has a guardian daughter that is deaf. A great deal of research has been done to assist her and others with deafness or hard of hearing and obtaining the latest assistive technology (AT).

Areas of expertise: Accessibility and ADA.

Groups you have links to: MS Support Group, Deaf Club, Brain injury group support at SBILC, Certified counselor with American Cancer Society.

Marisa New

OTR, MPH, Oklahoma State Department of Health, Arthritis Prevention & Education Program, 1000 NE 10th St. Room 508, Oklahoma City, OK 73117-1299 Web: www.health.state.ok.us/program/apep

Personal Experience with Assistive Technology: Occupational therapist with 13 yrs. experience. Ms. New has treated patients in a variety of settings including acute care, intermediate care, long term care, home health and the rehabilitation hospital. She has taught people how to become safe and independent in their ability to perform activities of daily living. Strategies used, incorporate the teaching & training of assistive technology, self-care (low tech) and then expanding to include the activities of work, play and leisure (using possibly higher tech). Included in the occupational therapy graduate/bachelor's/associate degree coursework is a focus on assistive technology, activity analysis, and media techniques.

Areas of expertise: Ms. New has received specialized training to treat adults that have suffered neurological impairments following a stroke or head injury. She has treated mainly adults with a special focus on older adults who have had orthopedic, spinal cord, and neurological trauma. She has a master's degree in Public Health in the area of health administration and policy. Neurodevelopmental Treatment Certification (NDT) on Adult Hemiplegia, 1990. Advanced NDT Course - NDT Approach to Upper Extremity Function, 1992.

Associations: College of Allied Health

Mike O'Brien

Director, Department of Rehabilitation Services Oklahoma City, OK

Deborah Pinnell
DDSD, Tulsa, OK

Personal experience with Assistive Technology: As a physical therapist, I have prescribed AT for consumers with developmental disabilities ranging from standard to highly customized wheelchairs, bathing equipment and positioning equipment . I monitor the services of 35 PT's and 15 PTA providers in Area II.

Areas of Expertise: Customized Seating, Architectural Modifications, Alternative Positioning, and Training Professionals in these areas.

Groups Linked to: Tulsa Parks Department, AT Vendors including: van lift providers, YMCA Executie Board, Tulsa Alliance of Churches

Phyllis Taylor
Stillwater, OK

Agency: Stillwater Group Homes, Inc. 904 West 11th Street, Stillwater, OK 74074
Personal experience with Assistive Technology: Personal use of eye glasses, magnifiers, computer accessibility, hearing aids, amplified telephone, large print In my job, I have assisted others in using hearing aids, fire alarms for the deaf, walkers, manual wheelchairs, one-handed wheelchairs, electric scooters, Trixie lifts, Hoyer lifts, augmentative communication devices, bath and shower chairs, canes, Canadian crutches, adaptive eating utensils, adaptive cups and plates, talking calculators, watches, and clocks, lift vans, feeding tubes etc.

Areas of expertise: My particular area of expertise is working with people who have developmental disabilities. Because many people also have secondary disabilities, I have also had the opportunity of working with people with physical, visual, hearing, and communication disabilities. I also personally have a visual impairment and a mild hearing impairment.

Groups you have links to: Stillwater Group Homes, Inc., Oklahoma AIM

This page last updated October 2008