AT Advocates 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. Ability Tools wouldn’t be the program it is without these advocates and all their hard work. With the New Year approaching we asked our advocates to tell…
Written by: Megan Cowdell, Program Coordinator, CFILC Here at Ability Tools and our parent organization, The California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC), we have used and worked with our fair share of assistive technology. In this second annual blog you will find testimonials from some of our staff on their favorite AT devices this…
Felix Reges, a 10-year-old boy, is able to see clearly for the very first time with the help of wearable technology. His parents and teachers say, “It’s opened up a whole new world for him.” NuEyes Changing Felix’s Life The Sunrise Valley Elementary School 4th grader has had severely impaired vision his entire life, but…
Written by: Robin Wearley, PA-C. MSc Emergencies happen. Having a plan during an evacuation is key for survival. Every second counts. Airlines currently have no good plan for evacuating passengers who use wheelchairs. As a flight attendant it has always concerned me when a wheelchair traveler was brought onboard the airplane on an aisle chair.…
Written by: Emily Flynn and Megan Cowdell, Program Coordinators at The California Foundation for Independent Living Centers About #GivingTuesday Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving. Since…
Written by: Kim Lathrop, Information & Advocacy Specialist, California Foundation for Independent Living Centers It’s that time of year again where we spend the holidays with those who are near and dear to our hearts. For those who have family members far away or who want to skip town and go on an adventure, making…
Written by: Jason Biddle, The Helping Home The first part of this series detailed suggestions for making food preparation easier for wheelchair users. You can read more about that here. Part two listed kitchen modifications that help with cooking. If you haven’t checked out part two you can view it here. This third and final…
Written by: Jason Biddle, The Helping Home Part one of this three-part series outlined some modifications that help with preparing food in the kitchen. If you haven’t read part one yet, be sure to click here and check it out. In this second part, we explore solutions that help wheelchair users with cooking tasks in…
Written by: Jason Biddle, The Helping Home Thanks to the concept of Universal Design first introduced in the 1960’s and the adoption of the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines in 1992, designing with accessibility in mind has become increasingly prevalent throughout the United States. Unfortunately, much of the country’s existing housing stock still lacks the accessibility design elements…
Written by: Brett Bunge, Community Inclusion Support Specialist, The Arc of Spokane Those of us who use manual wheelchairs are often forced to accept certain environmental limitations. Whether it’s broken pavement on a sidewalk, missing curb cuts, steep hills, or simply rough terrain, necessity forces wheelchair users to become experts at navigation. On the flip…