Oklahoma ABLE Tech ANNUAL REPORT 2008 PDF

The Assistive Technology Program for the State of Oklahoma Connecting Oklahomans with Disabilities to Assistive Technology

Key Activities 2008

Oklahoma ABLE Tech Statistics

• 460 assistive technology (AT) devices loaned to Oklahomans in “try before you buy” short-term loan program
  
• 1057 AT demonstrations to Oklahomans
  
• The Alternative Financing Program provided $484,699 in AT device low interest bank loans assisting 86 Oklahomans with disabilities
  
• 104 AT devices exchanged from sellers to buyers for a savings of $218,297
  
• 417 computers recycled and donated to Oklahomans with disabilities for a savings of $333,600
  
• SoonerStart personnel demonstrated 545 AT devices to children 0-3 years old
  
• 447 individuals received information and referral on AT devices and services
  
• AT training events served over 1,069 people

Highlights

• ABLE Tech serves individuals of all ages and all disabilities in Oklahoma.
  
• ABLE Tech and its partners provide 8 AT loan and demonstration sites to give Oklahomans an opportunity to touch, try, and take home AT devices and improve independence in the community, schools, and workplace.
  
• ABLE Tech provided training on accessible information technology including web access, telecommunications, software accessibility, and procurement to 565 state agencies and postsecondary personnel.
  
• ABLE Tech provided training on AT devices and services to individuals, disability related organizations, and state agencies.
  
• “Fire Safety for Oklahomans with Disabilities” professionally installed 217 specialized smoke alarms in 131 households statewide.
  
• ABLE Tech’s partner, Sooner AMBUCS Share4Life Komputers, donated 417 recycled computers to individuals to improve independent living and vocational skills.
  
• The Special Education Resolution Center settled 87% of special education due process hearing requests, saving an estimated $330,000 to $2,100,000 in taxpayer dollars.
  
• The Oklahoma AgrAbility Project provides education, assistance and support to farmers, ranchers and their family members with disabilities or debilitating injuries that limit their abilities to perform farm tasks. ABLE Tech, through its partnership with Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Services,
  Langston University, and the Oklahoma Assistive Technology Foundation provided direct services to 21 farmers, or their family members, and closed 7 cases successfully while providing continued case management until the others complete services.

Demo and Loan Program Assisted Oklahomans

Type of Individual

Individual with Disability - 56%

Family Member - 32%

Education - 6%

Health & Rehab - 4%

Community Living - 2%

AT Category

Hearing - 26%

Vision - 21%

Mobility, Seating, Positioning - 18%

Speech Communication - 15%

Environmental - 8%

Computer - 7%

Daily Living - 5%

These programs are provided at no cost to Oklahomans.

Type of AT Purchased

Computers - $3,884

Vehicle mods - $236,737

Hearing equipment - $240,474

Personal mobility - $610

Vision equipment - $2,994

ABLE Tech Alternative Financing Program

Oklahoma ABLE Tech, in partnership with the Oklahoma Assistive Technology Foundation and BancFirst of Stillwater, provide low interest bank loans to Oklahomans with disabilities for the purchase of assistive technology.

Success Stories in Oklahoma

• Oklahoma ABLE Tech assisted a 74-year-old gentleman from Okfuskee County with his questions regarding assistive technology and his disability. Using a motorized scooter is now his source for mobility, but he felt “stranded” in his home without the ability to load the scooter into a vehicle. He discovered ABLE Tech’s services and inquired about devices that would help lift the scooter into a vehicle, as well as, aid in his research for funding. Using the Oklahoma Equipment Exchange program, he found a free scooter lift for his van which improved his life drastically. Now he drives everywhere and has been able to get in and out of the vehicle, visit restaurants, businesses and the zoo. Also, Sooner AMBUCS, in partnership with Oklahoma ABLE Tech’s reutilization program, allowed him to receive a free, refurbished computer to keep him connected to the world when he is at home.

• Oklahoma ABLE Tech’s Alternative Financing Program received a loan application from a 42-year-old single mom of four boys needing to purchase a modified van with a lift. One son has multiple disabilities. The mother has a degenerative disc disease and lifting her son in and out of her old vehicle was taking a toll. With the guaranteed loan from BancFirst of Stillwater, the family found the perfect modified van with a lift allowing mom to transport her son more places and participate in community activities. The family thanks ABLE Tech and BancFirst for helping them in their time of need.

• Through the SoonerStart Early Intervention Program, a toddler from Tulsa County was able to try many of the devices in the kits provided by Oklahoma ABLE Tech. The toddler was introduced to a mini light box, switches, switch toys, and a gait trainer. The toddler started reaching for and holding the toys. He now brings toys to his mouth, which also improved self-feeding skills. The AT used with this child allowed the parents to discover their child’s cognitive and social abilities. The family saw such a response with the mini light box and switches in the AT kit that they were motivated to get the toddler some devices to use in the home. They accessed the Oklahoma Library for the Blind to check out a mini light box as a long term loan.
  
  
• Through the partnership program with the Mary K. Chapman Center at the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma, ABLE Tech provides a variety of AT to assist individuals with communication needs. The AT Center provides demonstration and loans which proved to be very beneficial to a five-year-old from Tulsa County. An AT loan allowed him the opportunity to try out the device to determine if it would assist him in communicating with friends and teachers once he began attending public school. Due to medical issues since birth, this young child had experienced developmental disabilities resulting in delays in his ability to communicate. The DynaVox was exactly the tool he needed in his new school setting.
  
• The Oklahoma ABLE Tech assistive technology demo and loan program was recently able to assist an educator from the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education. This individual was looking for new educational products which would help students with learning disabilities, such as attention deficit disorder and/or hearing impairments. She requested a demonstration and borrowed the Mimio, which is an interactive whiteboard and teaching tool. Through the short term loan program the educator and the school system were able to learn more about a variety of assistive technologies and their benefits.

• A Lincoln County teacher of a six year old boy with autism called Oklahoma ABLE Tech to discuss technology choices that would help the student learn to communicate. Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. ABLE Tech staff discussed the devices available in the AT inventory. The teacher borrowed the “e-talk” communication device which is a portable, dynamic display, picture-based communication device that speaks aloud for the user. The e-talk helped the student put words together such as “to” and “play” and I want”. This was a huge leap in his communication skills because it encouraged him to speak. The school speech pathologist can now work better with the student when he communicates through the device.

Oklahoma ABLE Tech Contact Information

OSU Seretean Wellness Center Director - Robin Purdie
Assistant Director of Sponsored Programs - Linda Jaco
Oklahoma ABLE Tech Program Manager - Milissa Gofourth
Program Specialist and Web Coordinator - Brenda Dawes
Alternative Financing Program Coordinator - Shelby Sanders
Senior Administration Support Specialist - Diana Sargent
Assistive Technology Specialist - Sandra Stevenson
Graduate Assistant - Melinda Tebow
Oklahoma Special Education Resolution Center - Jo Anne Pool
Administrative Assistant - Shannon Esmeyer
Oklahoma AgrAbility Program

OSU Seretean Wellness Center
1514 W. Hall of Fame Stillwater, OK 74078
1-800-257-1705 or 405-744-9748 Fax 405-744-2487
INFO-line 1-888-885-5588 V/TTY

ABLE Tech Website - http://okabletech.okstate.edu
AT Equipment Exchange-  http://oec.okstate.edu

Oklahoma ABLE Tech Partners

Oklahoma ABLE Tech
Stillwater 1-888-885-5588

Oklahoma League for the Blind
Oklahoma City 405-232-4644

Mary K. Chapman Center for Communicative Disorders
Tulsa 918-631-2913

Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education 
405-743-5162

SoonerStart Early Intervention
Program 405-522-5167

Hearing Loss Association of Oklahoma City 
405-717-9820

Total Source for Hearing-loss and Access
Tulsa 918-823-8742

Total Health, Stillwater Medical Center
405-624-6592

Department of Rehabilitation Services, AT Lab for Blindness and Low Vision 
Oklahoma City 405-522-3442

AMBUCS Share4Life Komputers
405-360-1521

This program is funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) of the U.S. Department of Education, Grant #H224A50007. This publication does not necessarily reflect the position of the policy of RSA/ED, and no official endorsement of the material should be inferred.