Assistive Technology - TEAMability

Programs

Removing Barriers to Independence

Assistive Technology (AT) consists of both devices and services. An AT device is any item, piece of equipment, software program, or product system that is used to maintain or improve the functional capabilities of persons with disabilities. Assistive technology helps people who have difficulty speaking, typing, writing, remembering, pointing, seeing, hearing, learning, walking, and many other things. Different disabilities require different assistive technology devices. AT can be:

No tech – objects such as pencil grips, magnifiers, canes, braille;
Low tech – closed caption TV, word processors, calculators, alternative keyboards;
High Tech – hearing aids, augmentative communication devices, electric wheelchairs.

One in three people globally need assistive technologies.

Assistive Technology Services

Assistive Technology services provide assistance to persons with disabilities in the selection, acquisition and use of AT devices. AT services consist of:

An evaluation of the individual’s s need, including a functional evaluation in the individual’s customary environments;
The trialing, purchasing, or leasing of an assistive technology device;
The selection, design, fitting, adapting, and repairing, of an assistive technology device;
The needed training or technical assistance for the AT user, family members/caregivers, educators and service providers.

Our therapists and educators are well versed in locating funding sources for AT devices. They have established relationships with AT vendors and assist individuals needing AT in the acquisition of the recommended devices.

TEAMability is committed to providing individuals with disabilities access to the tools they need to actively and independently participate in life’s activities.

TEAMability is a Demonstration Center for the Texas Technology Access Program.

The TEAMability Approach

TEAMability’s approach to assistive technology is aligned with our holistic transdisciplinary model. A team consisting of the appropriate therapists and educators, and including the individual’s caregivers, outlines the individual’s personal and physical characteristics, describes the environments in which the individual needs to function and identifies the tasks that are difficult or impossible for the individual to accomplish without assistance. Potential AT tools having appropriate features are recommended. Recommended devices are acquired through loan or lease, trial periods for use are begun and data collected. Data is reviewed and the success of the device is assessed by the team. Recommendations for additional trials, purchase of the device, or recommendations for a different device are made by the team. This assistive technology assessment is built on the evidence-based SETT Framework (1999, Joy Zabala).

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