Happy New Year Everybody! Did you know that we publish a new blog post about assistive technology (AT) devices and services each and every week -usually on Tuesdays- and that you can sign up with your email address to get it delivered directly to your inbox? Enter your email today so that you don’t miss…
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…
Did you know that November is National Family Caregivers Month? Did you know that there are over 40 million U.S. caregivers who provide an estimated $470 billion of unpaid service annually? Fortunately, this month the Family Caregiver Alliance initiated a really neat campaign to honor these millions of caregivers. Join them in their campaign “I…
Recently, Ability Tools, a program of California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC), assisted with the disaster relief efforts related to the Northern Valley Fires. Deployed to the Napa county shelter as part of the state’s Functional Assessment Service Team, Ability Tools collaborated with state partners to quickly assess the needs of fire survivors with…
With the advent of the 3D printer, many AT “challenges” have arisen around the globe, inviting people with disabilities, engineers, and interested members of the public to create assistive technology solutions for people with disabilities. This is exciting to see, and, as one of our staff members who was able to participate in an AT…
The telephone may be an accepted part of life in the 21st century, but not for an estimated three million Californians. Most of us take using the telephone for granted. But if you have difficulty hearing, seeing, speaking, moving, or remembering, what seems to be a simple telephone call can be challenging to many—preventing communication…
Have you heard about Magic Wheelchair? This autumn, an outstanding costume design for a young man that uses a wheelchair has been all over social media. Have you seen it? The cool news is that this is not just an amazing Halloween costume, it actually was created by a nonprofit called Magic Wheelchair, whose…
by the California Department of Rehabilitation Traumatic brain injury, TBI for short, is a forceful impact to the head that disrupts the normal functioning of the brain, resulting in an array of physical, mental, emotional and intellectual symptoms and disabilities. TBIs occur more frequently than you might anticipate. According to the Centers for Disease Control,…
by Kim Lathrop, Administrative Assistant, CFILC As an individual with extreme physical limitations (I was born without arms or legs) I have become more than acquainted with assistive technology and special mechanisms made with the intentions of making my life easier. I say ‘intentions’ because the people who are behind the creating/making process are usually…
By Emily Flynn, Program Coordinator for Ability Tools This month, I had the pleasure of interviewing Patrick Tran for our “Get to Know Your AT Advocate!” blog series. Patrick has been an AT Advocate at Service Center for Independent Life for two years. He was recently voted “AT Advocate of the Year” by his peers…