Andy Arias is on the move. He’s a Policy Advisor at US Department of Labor, a very active advocate in both the disability and the LGBTQ communities. Also, he’s known an actor whose credits can be found on IMDb, also known as Internet Movie Database. None of these roles would be possible for Andy without the…
A new self driving bus, named Olli, is in the works that does a lot more than taking people places. An accessible version of the bus, called “Accessible Olli” will be using IBM’s artificial intelligence powered Watson technology to communicate with passengers since there will be no driver or staff on it. For example, when…
Can a quadriplegic, someone paralyzed from the neck down, drive a car? Race car driver Sam Schmidt’s career came to an abrupt end when a crash in 2000 left him paralyzed. After 17 years though, project SAM (Semi Autonomous Motorcar), a car with various modifications, has helped Sam get back on the road. Here is…
Financial Loans for Assistive Technology Now Available in California! Finding money to pay for assistive technology can be a challenge for many people with disabilities and qualifying for a loan may seem like an impossible task due to limited income and credit history. Fortunately, on July 11th, CFILC launched a low-interest financial loan program for…
We had such an exciting and successful Ability Tools Reuse Conference! Thanks to everyone that made it out to Sacramento last week! At this national conference, we were fortunate to have folks from all over the United States join us to learn, share, collaborate, and strengthen the Reuse movement in California. Many participants were from…
by Mike Monticello, for Consumer Reports, March 2016. Original article in its entirety located here. Teresa Favuzzi is a good driver; it’s everyone else around her who is a maniac. Favuzzi’s partner is legally blind, so the 54-year-old independent-living director from Sacramento, Calif., is used to taking the wheel of the family car. She makes…
Written by Monique McGivney, Marketing Director for Ability Center Here at Ability Center, we get calls daily for people who want driving aids installed in their vehicle or to just buy a ramp to get their scooter/wheelchair into their vehicle. There are so many variations and things to think about when we think of adaptive…
The holidays are around the corner and, if you are like most of us, chances are you have procrastinated on at least some of your gift-buying! Well, don’t panic! Here are a few good AT gift lists we found on the internet to help get some last minute presents for the loved ones in your…
By Aimee Sterk, LMSW, MATP Staff, from Michigan Assistive Technology Program My relationship with my husband had it roots in cars. Stickshifts and Safetybelts was our dating theme song. We spent a lot of time in our cars–he lived 45 minutes away–and we liked to go on drives together. We very much appreciated his bench-seated…
This post was reprinted with permission from disABILITY WORK TOOLS Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Tax Incentives can help offset the cost of accommodating a worker’s disability. With assistive technology and accommodations workers can keep doing their jobs instead of quitting their trade and applying for social security disability payments. Workers and employers often do…