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…
Here at Ability Tools, we are always looking for good deals on Assistive Technology (AT) products to tell our readers about. During the holiday season it is a great time to find sales on those more expensive AT products, as sales are widespread and most stores participate in the giving spirit by giving consumers at…
On December 2nd, the National Institutes of Health announced that it will fund the development of three exciting new robots! These robots, actually called co-robots, are designed to work cooperatively with people with disabilities and are part of the National Robotics Initiative. Funding for these NIH projects will total approximately $2.2 million over the next…
by Chi Hung Luke Hsieh, Assistive Technology Advocate at Community Access Center Due to my moderately severe speech disability, I have been paying close attention to the development of Augmented Assistive Communication (AAC) devices/apps and Text to Speech Technology or Voice Engines. Those who have paying attention to my previous articles over the years…
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 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…