Submitted by: Ability Tools with Collaboration with YO! Disabled and Proud. Meet Emily Leach, A youth from Buena Park CA who transitioned from high school to the adult world. She found out about a youth program called, Youth Organizing! Disabled & Proud, through Dayle McIntosh Center’s YO! Volunteer Supervisor, Brittany Hepler. YO! connects, organizes and…
There are 29 independent living centers with 30 additional branch offices around the state. Each ILC has AT Advocates on staff. They are community based, information and referral specialists who can assist consumers with a variety of assistive technology issues. They work at Independent Living Centers in California. AT Advocates can: Provide information on assistive…
Written by: Emily Flynn, Ability Tools Information and Advocacy Specialist This last week I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Assistive Technology Industry Association Conference (ATIA) 2017 in Orlando Florida. This conference is a very large conference where special education staff, assistive technology specialist, medical professionals, rehabilitation counselors, and technology vendors all come…
Written by Yolanda Vargas; YO Disabled and Proud Youth Organizer Ed Roberts is known as the father of the Independent Living Movement. But, before he was the father of anything, he was just a college student trying to get around. As a quadriplegic attending college during the 60’s Ed was forced to rely on…
We are excited to announce the launch of a statewide pilot program called Voice Options, California Speech Technology Program. Voice Options offers iPads with speech applications to people with disabilities for demonstration, short and long-term loan via 10 demonstration centers throughout the state. The project is funded by the California Public Utilities Commission and administered by the…
Written by: Stephen March, Financial Lending Specialist Are you considering a financial resolution for 2017? According to a study done by Fidelity Investments, 36% of Americans are considering a financial resolution. The Top 5 financial Resolutions for 2017 courtesy of Forbes.com are to: Pay off debt Build an emergency fund Save for retirement…
Here at Ability Tools we would like to invite any and all persons interested in Assistive Technology to connect with us in 2017. There are many ways to connect with us, through our listservs, monthly e-bulletin newsletter, social media accounts and of course our weekly blog. Listservs to join: AT Announcements Listserv – Receive information…
Here at Ability tools and our parent organization California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC) we have used and worked with our fair share of assistive technology. And over all that time our staff has definitely found their favorites, here are some testimonials from staff about the AT they love! Kevin Hansen: DLL and Reuse…
written by: Emily Flynn Ability Tools recently had the pleasure to be a part of the Bay Area Abilities Expo in San Jose. We met so many wonderful people while working our AT showcase booth. This booth was filled with all sorts of different pieces of assistive technology where attendees had the opportunity to…
By: Nick Lum, CEO of Beeline Reader The transition from printed media to digital screens has opened the door to many new accessibility tools. Instead of just large-print books, new assistive technologies offer incredible customization and a wider range of benefits. One new approach, created by my startup BeeLine Reader, is a tool that enhances…