By Luke Hsieh, Community Access Center, Riverside When I first came across the Simple Speech website, I was a little apprehensive because it didn’t include the company’s physical address or telephone number. It only has a PayPal sign for credit card payment, the name of its CEO and a rather vague statement that the company…
By Shannon Ramsay, CFILC’s Information & Assistance Advocate How would you like to be able to harness the power of your own voice to help you stay organized at home, at school, or around the office? There are devices on the market today called voice labeling systems, which allow you to make customized labels by…
Written by Kim Cantrell, CFILC’s Director of Programs A treatment authorization request, otherwise known as a TAR, is a form needed to pre-approve funding for treatment, including Medi-Cal approved assistive technology (AT). The TAR is submitted for Medi-Cal approval before the order is placed and provides medical justification for the AT requested. In almost all…
By Kim Cantrell, CFILC’s Director of Programs Finding funding for AT can be tricky. If you aren’t able to fund the device you want right away, don’t despair. It’s just time to get creative and develop an AT Funding Strategy. You are much more likely to get the device you need if you have a…
Written by Allan Friedman, CFILC’s Technologies Manager Seeds have been planted and the sprouts of a new collaboration have begun to emerge. Last fall we convened a summit of organizations that have an interest in AT reuse. The group began to explore ways to work together for the common purpose of increasing access to used…
CFILC sponsored national Ed Roberts Day legislation The California Foundation for Independent Living centers applauds the overwhelming passage of legislation honoring pioneering disability rights advocate Ed Roberts in the House of Representatives. Authored by Rep. George Miller (D-Martinez), House Resolution 1759 declares the House’s support for a national “Ed Roberts Day” to be held on January 23rd. “Ed Roberts was…
Written by Allan Friedman, CFILC’s Technologies Manager Once on the cutting edge of assistive technology, the Teletypewriter (TTY), also known as a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD), is well on its way to the scrap heap of history. The advent of instant messaging, text messaging and video relay have left the analog technology of…
Are you a Californian who cares about assistive technology (AT) and/or disability issues? If so, the AT Network needs your input! Please take 10-15 minutes to complete an important survey about assistive technology and California’s AT Network project. The survey will be open through Monday, January 10. This survey is designed to be completed by…
Written by Rosemarie Punzalan, Communication Specialist and resident web accessibility expert, CFILC Whether you are a novice with little or no web development experience or new to accessibility, it doesn’t hurt to understand the basics of POUR Web Usability. POUR stands for Perceivable Operable Understandable Robust. Below are just some examples to give you a…
By Luke Hsieh, AT Advocate at the Community Access Center in Riverside Let’s get one thing straight—the Amazon Kindle is not the Apple iPad. For one thing, the functionality of the Kindle is not on par with the Apple iPad; it was designed for one purpose, assisted reading. Secondly, the durability of Kindle may arguably…