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Arizona Technology Access Program (AzTAP)

AT NEWSLETTER: VOLUME 1, NO. 2


Assistive Technology

Plain & Simple

News from the Arizona Technology Access Program

Volume 1, No. 2 * Spring-Summer 2001

This edition of Plain & Simple is devoted to Assistive Technology in the Workplace

Assistive Technology At Work

In today’s American workplace, there are very few people who do not use some form of technology to accomplish their jobs. Computers, copiers, specialized software, fax machines, voice mail, pagers, cell phones, etc. are now considered routine equipment for most American businesses. Technology has fostered increased productivity! However, not all commercially available business technology is accessible to persons with disabilities. A computer with a standard keyboard and mouse is not likely to be useable by a person with limited hand function as a result of a spinal cord injury. A regular telephone is ineffective for someone who is deaf. A standard car from the company motor pool will be useless to the employee who has lost the use of his or her legs, but who must travel into the community on a regular basis.

Does it follow then, that individuals with these types of disabilities cannot take jobs that require them to operate computers, communicate by telephone or drive during the course of the routine workday? The answer is a resounding NO! A person with a disability may need assistive technology at work in order to be able to accomplish the essential functions of the job. According the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) an essential function is defined as “the fundamental job duties of the employment position the individual with a disability holds or desires”. Tasks such as computer use for word processing or data entry, driving to visit clients, and telephone contacts may be essential functions of specific jobs.

Under the ADA, employers have an obligation to provide reasonable accommodations to enable qualified employees or potential employees to carry out the essential functions of the job. In many instances, assistive technology is considered a reasonable accommodation. Assistive technology can help a person overcome limitations related to a disability by either enhancing the skills the person has or by compensating for absent or non functional skills. For example, video magnification products such as CCTVs enable a visually impaired individual to utilize his/her existing vision by enlarging words and pictures to a recognizable size. In a work situation, a bank loan officer with low vision could use such a device to independently read the data on a loan application form or credit report prior to making a decision about the applicant’s credit worthiness.

When enhancement is not possible, assistive technology can offer an alternative way to accomplish a task. By virtue of the disability, a person who is blind cannot see the contents of the computer screen. Compensation, in the form of specialized software programs with synthesized voice known as screen readers, reads aloud the text and descriptions of graphics on the screen. With an appropriate screen reader, the blind computer user who needs to carry out a significant amount of his job through email can have access to all text information relayed through the computer.

How does a person with a disability select assistive technology that will be appropriate for his or her employment situation? Sound decisions are based on analyzing the abilities and limitations, of the person who will be using the technology, the specific tasks (essential functions) necessary to perform the job, the environment(s) in which the work is carried out, and the tools that are customarily used as part of the job. By carefully reviewing these components, the need for accommodations and specific assistive technology can be more clearly and accurately

Assistive technology decisions should:

  1. be based on need, not solely on cost;
  2. involve the person who will be using the technology in the decision-making process;
  3. include the results of trial usage prior to purchase whenever possible; and,
  4. include checking the potential device for compatibility with existing technology systems.

People who feel that assistive technology may be of benefit to them at work have a number of resources to turn to for assistance. These resources may include AzTAP and the AzTAP supported Assistive Technology Resource Centers for equipment demonstrations, short terms trials, training and assessments. Funding to purchase work-related assistive devices may be available from the following sources: the employer, Rehabilitation Services Administration (Vocational Rehabilitation), Social Security PASS Plans, TWIIA Employment Networks and/or Worker Compensation Programs. For more information, call the AzTAP office at 1-800-477-9921.

It is important to understand that high cost and complexity do not necessarily make for superior assistive technology devices. To be useful in employment settings, the technology must match the individual’s specific needs, do the job for which it is intended, be compatible with the environments in which it will used, and be affordable to the person who needs it. People who feel that assistive technology may be of benefit to them at work have a number of resources to turn to for assistance. These resources may include AzTAP and the AzTAP supported Assistive Technology Resource Centers for equipment demonstrations, short terms trials, training and assessments. Funding to purchase work-related assistive devices may be available from the following sources: the employer, Rehabilitation Services Administration (Vocational Rehabilitation), Social Security PASS Plans, TWIIA Employment Networks and/or Worker Compensation Programs. For more information, call the AzTAP office at 1-800-477-9921.

It is important to understand that high cost and complexity do not necessarily make for superior assistive technology devices. To be useful in employment settings, the technology must match the individual’s specific needs, do the job for which it is intended, be compatible with the environments in which it will used, and be affordable to the person who needs it.

Working Through A Disability

By Janie Magruder

The Arizona Republic

May 02, 2001

(Reprinted with permission from the Arizona Republic)

During her eight-hour workday, Jill Rickgauer answers the phone more than 500 times, routes incoming calls to the correct departments and accepts queries from co-workers at 80 extensions.

Average work for a far-from-average worker: Rickgauer, a switchboard receptionist for Jim Click Chrysler Jeep in Tucson, is blind. But her future appears bright, despite a slow start in the mid-1990s when “endless” interviews produced no job offers.

“Employers thought my story was outstanding and my enthusiasm and outlook good, but I was never able to convince them that, just because I had lost my vision, I hadn’t lost my mind.”

She’s among the estimated 11 million disabled American adults who are employed, according to the Americans With Disabilities 2000 survey conducted by the National Organization on Disability and Harris Poll. That’s about one-third of the total adult disabled population.

Keeping disabled people from the workplace is wrong and expensive, experts say. The American Association for People With Disabilities estimates that government and private agencies pay an estimated $232 billion annually to disabled individuals who could work, but don’t. An additional $194 billion is lost each year in money the disabled could be earning and taxes they could be paying.

Rickgauer, who worked for 25 years in career planning before losing her vision in 1992, credits her success to programs and people that gave her new skills, such as using a white cane; new tools, such as voice-activated software that lets her hear what she can’t see; and new opportunities.

She especially thanks Linkages, a non-profit liaison between rehabilitation agencies and Tucson businesses that since its founding by Jim Click in 1996 has helped 650 disabled people find jobs. Linkages is a free service that’s funded by the car dealer and has nearly 170 employer members.

“Corporate America has not done a good job of picking these people up and putting them on the payroll,” Click says. “Businesses will do it, but they’ve got to be asked, and they’ve got to be told how easy it is.”

Phil Pangrazio, executive director of Arizona Bridge to Independent Living in Phoenix, says the New Economy and advancements in technology have helped the disabled be more employable.

“There are far more opportunities today than there were 12 years ago,” says Pangrazio. “We’ve seen tremendous advancements, but we’re probably just still at the tip of the iceberg in terms of how many more innovations will be made.”

Screen readers for the blind and visually impaired convert text to synthesized speech, assistive listening devices amplify sound, and adaptations of computer keyboards and mice for those with mobility problems make computer work possible.

A shift from careers requiring physical ability to a more knowledge-based workforce has also boosted opportunities for people with disabilities, as has low unemployment.

“Employers are reaching out for all types of workers, and if a person with a disability can perform a job and be efficient, they’re going to be offered that opportunity to compete,” Pangrazio says. “But you have to be able to compete on equal ground.”

That’s all Diana Lawson wanted. The Laveen woman’s spinal cord was severed in a car accident in 1980 at age 34. Her marriage ended and she lost her Tempe jewelry business, but with encouragement from her family, Lawson began working at America West Airlines in 1989. For six years, she taught staff about serving disabled people, then was laid off.

Lawson found herself unemployed again, but with confidence that she could rebound.

“It’s all how you see yourself,” says Lawson, who landed a job at Bank One five months after leaving America West. “If you see yourself as a person who cannot succeed, you won’t succeed.”

Some employers are still in the dark about assistive technology and the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits employment discrimination.

“Often, the attitudes of the employers are more limiting than the disabilities of the workers,” says Randy Collins, an outreach and training coordinator for the Arizona Technology Access Program at Northern Arizona University’s Institute for Human Development. “They incorrectly assume technology will cost a lot of money and be a big pain . . . and it isn’t.”

Now a supervisor at Bank One’s telephone banking center, Lawson says she’d like to help disabled people help themselves.

“There are so many opportunities for people who are disabled to work, ”she says. “You’re sitting all day anyway. It’s just using your mind.”

Reach the reporter at janie.magruder@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8998.

The Web Geanious

By Chris Geanious

THE WORLD WIDE WEB AT WORK

The World Wide Web offers a vast collection of resources for the disabled both for straight job searching and for specific information concerning Assistive Technology in the work place. This month I’m going to let the links do the talking and offer a collection of Web addresses of sites geared toward AT at Work. Please feel free to contact me if you have additional links or have questions concerning these choices.

  • JAN - The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is an international toll-free consulting service that provides information about job accommodations and the employability of people with functional limitations. (call-800-526-7234) http://janweb.icdi.wvu.edu/english/homeus.htm

  • AT - Making it Work for People on the Job. This is an article taken from the AT Quarterly. It is somewhat dated but touches on important issues and covers the possibilities of specific technologies in enabling people at work. http://www.empowermentzone.com/williams.txt

  • The Disabled Business persons Association (DBA) DBA is a national 501(C)(3) nonprofit, public charity and educational organization founded in 1991 to help people with disabilities entrepreneurs and professionals maximize their potential in the business world, and to encourage the participation and enhance the performance of the people with disabilities in the workforce. http://www.web-link.com/dba/dba.htm

  • Breaking New Ground Resource Center. Since its inception in 1979, the Breaking New Ground Resource has become internationally recognized as the primary source for information and resources on rehabilitation technology for persons working in agriculture.http://abe.www.ecn.purdue.edu/ABE/Extension/BNG/index

  • Rehabilitation Training Documents from NCRTM Catalog. A collection of documents on rehabilitation and AT available for download. http://www.nchrtm.okstate.edu/webfiles/catalog_documents.html

  • National Technical Institute for the Deaf. NTID has a page of job hunting resources which include many links to traditional job sites as well as disability related sites. http://www.rit.edu/~435www/jobindex/index.shtml

  • ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY ON THE JOB. Good general information concerning AT at Work with a list of resources. http://www.its.uidaho.edu/idatech/factsheets/atonjob8.htm

  • A Chat with Richard Marriott. The chairman of Host Marriott Corp discusses programs for hiring disabled people with Business Week Online. http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/sep1999/nf90922d.htm

This is a short list of places to start on the Internet. From these initial sources you will find a myriad of resources on Assistive Technology in the Work Place. Happy Surfing!

Dollar$ and $ense

By Ed Myers

THE TICKET TO WORK

Attempting to fund Assistive Technology in the work place can often be a very difficult and frustrating task if a person is not aware of several funding sources affecting employment of persons with disabilities. A new piece of legislation called the Ticket To Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 enables PWD’s to remain on Medicaid and or Medicare while being employed for a certain period of time.

The program will be phased in nationally over a three-year period beginning January 1, 2001, with the first Tickets issued early in 2001. Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability beneficiaries will receive a “Ticket” they may use to obtain vocational rehabilitation (VR), employment or other support services from an approved provider of their choice. The Ticket program is voluntary.

Effective October 1, 2000, States will have the option to provide Medicaid coverage to more people ages 16-64 with disabilities who work. States will have the option to permit working individuals with incomes above 250 percent of the federal poverty level to buy in to Medicaid. The law creates a new Medicaid buy-in demonstration project to provide medical assistance to workers with impairments who are not yet too disabled to work. The law also extends Medi care coverage for people with disabilities who return to work. It extends Part A premium-free coverage for 4 ½ years beyond the current limit for Social Security disability beneficiaries who return to work.  The Ticket to Work program has many additional benefits that cannot be mentioned in this article.

Another avenue of funding for assistive technology in the work place is vocational rehabilitation. Vocational Rehabilitation is required to provide assistive technology assessments and evaluations, and is required to provide assistive technology to maximize employability, economic self-sufficiency, independence and integration into the work place and the community.

Finally, the Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act may require your employer to provide you with reasonable accommodations in the work place so that you can perform the essential functions of your job.

If you need further information about the ticket to work program contact your local social security or vocational rehabilitation office.

Reaching Out

By Randy Collins

UP-TO-DATE TELE-COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

Often, too often, people with disabilities are not aware of the technology that will enable them to get a job, keep a job or to get a promotion.  Employers aren’t expected to be current on the latest assistive technology for all disabilities. The more disabled consumers know about AT the more they can help their employer or prospective employer accommodate their needs. In most cases assistive technology is not a big ticket item.  A small adaptation can often create the environmentfor maximum productivity and everyone wins.

As a hard of hearing person who speaks to groups of people about assistive technology I like to remind people that disabilities do not come with instruction manuals. It would certainly be helpful not only for the person with the disability but a manual would also be helpful for that person’s family and friends. The reality is we all must search to find the best technology available for our specific needs. It would be given to us automatically. But it doesn’t stop there as often we must try to find a way to pay for the technology once we find it. 

For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind and speech impaired up to date tele-communications technology is available and it’s (here comes my favorite word) free. That’s a fact. If you qualify the equipment is available to you at no charge through the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing (ACDHH) - 1400 West Washington Room 126, Phoenix, AZ 85007 (602) 542-3323 TTY / V (602) 542-3383 TTY (800) 352-8161 (520 area only). How do you qualify? A note from your doctor, audiologist or VR counselor stating that you are deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind or speech impaired with a completed application (you can get the application from ACDHH) and then you can select the telecommunication device you need. 

What’s available? Here is just a sampling:

Crystaltone Plus amplified telephone - This one is my favorite. It allows you to increase the volume of conversation that you hear on the phone up to 50 decibels. I have a 60 decibel loss and this phone works great. I can hear very clearly. It also have built in speakerphone for hands-free use. The Crystaltone Plus has a Super Loud Ringer that adjusts up to 100 decibels (that’s loud). You can adjust the pitch of the ring to make it a sound that you will most easily hear. It also has a built in ring light flasher so you can see the phone ringing. But my favorite feature is an Outgoing Volume Control. This feature is great for people who have very soft voices and for people who cannot talk loud. It increases the strength of your voice. But it’s great for hard of hearing people also. Why? Well anytime a hard of hearing person is calling home from a phone that doesn’t have volume control it’s very difficult to hear.  With this feature the person with the Crystaltone Plus simply increase the volume of their voice through the Outgoing Volume Control and immediately the speaker’s voice is much louder for the hard of hearing person on the other end.

Superprint TTY – This TTY has a built-in printer, a 32k memory, a programmable greeting and auto-answer and Turbo-Code key board.

Anti-Stutter Phone from Casa Futura Technologies – Through research it has been determined that delayed auditory feedback and frequency-shifted auditory feedback reduces stuttering by 75 to 85%. This telephone offers tremendous freedom to someone who stutters. 

These are only 3 of about 25 telecommunications devices that are or will soon be available to Arizonans who qualify. If you want to know more you can call me (602) 728-9533 or you can contact ACDHH as mentioned above.

What’s New to View at the RRC’s

UCP of Central Arizona

By Tamara Varga

UCP of Central Arizona is home to one of the four Regional Resource Centers (RRCs) funded by AzTAP that provide direct assist the AT Program offers workshops with nationally recognized speakers throughout the state of Arizona and houses a comprehensive demonstration lab that is open to the public.

The UCP AT Program has developed the Augmentative Mobility Lab (AML), which focuses on the use of assistive technology to support alternate access to powered mobility. Services specialize in seating and access needs for individuals who have difficulty accessing a typical joystick for controlling a powered wheelchair. The staff at UCP work closely as a team to evaluate seating, positioning, and access needs for the successful integration of powered mobility within all areas of an individual’s life including school, home, work and the community. The AML staff has received specialized trainings in the area of powered mobility at the local, state & national level.

A focus of the UCP AT Program is determining what type of assistive technology device and/or service would assist a person in obtaining or maintaining employment. The demonstration/assessment lab has an extensive variety of keyboards, alternative mice/trackballs, adjustable tables, chairs and more that are geared directly toward employment related concerns. For more information about the programs at UCP or the AT Program call, write or email Tamara E. Varga, M.S., CCC-SLP, Coordinator of the UCP AT Program.

UCP of Central Arizona

Assistive Technology Program

321 W. Hatcher, Suite 102

Phoenix, AZ 85021

(602) 943-5472

(602) 943-4936 Fax

atprogram@yahoo.com

www.ucpofaz.com

What’s Happening

June

6/11-15/01  CSUN Assistive Technology Applications Certificate Program (ATACP)

        Contact: Kirk Behnke at kirk.behnke@csun.edu

        Phoenix, Arizona

6/28-29/01  Access to Success; Statewide Employment Conference

        Contact: Linda Lund-Wyatt

        (602) 542-6049

July

7/5/01-7/6/01  Assistive Technology Summer Institute

        Contact: Jill Pleasant, AzTAP

        (602) 728-9534

        Northern Arizona University

        Flagstaff, AZ

7/31/01  Assistive Technology Advisory Board Meeting

1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

        Contact: Pamela Alcala, AzTAP

        (520) 523-5879

        Crowne Plaza North Phoenix @ Metrocenter

        2532 W. Peoria

        Phoenix, Arizona

October

10/30/01  Assistive Technology Advisory Board Meeting

1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

        Contact: Pamela Alcala, AzTAP

        (520) 523-5879

        Crowne Plaza North Phoenix @ Metrocenter

        2532 W. Peoria

        Phoenix, Arizona

For more disability-related events, please check the Institute for Human Development website at www.nau.edu/ihd

In the Spotlight

IHD Assistive Technology Center

AzTAP and the Institute for Human Development are pleased to announce the opening of the newest regional resource center in Arizona. The IHD Assistive Technology Center is located on the campus of Northern Arizona University, at the Institute for Human Development.

This new resouce center, managed by Janis Doneski-Nicol, will be providing assistive technology services to consumers, service providers, and other interested individuals.

Services provided include:

  • Assistance with Self-Advocacy

  • Equipment Loans

  • Demonstration and Training
  • User Support Groups
  • Information and Referral (I&R)
  • Assistance with AT Selection
  • Outreach to Underserved Groups
  • Outreach to Surrounding Communities

    • Technical Suport/Troubleshooting

    IHD Assistive Technology Center

    Contact: Janis Doneski-Nicol

    Institute for Human Development

    Northern Arizona University

    Box 5630

    Flagstaff, AZ 86011

    (520) 523-5878 Voice

    (520) 523-9127 Fax

    E-Mail: jd24@dana.ucc.nau.edu

      

    A Simple Thought

    Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.

    -William Jennings Bryan

    Assistive Technology Plain & Simple is published quarterly by the Arizona Technology Access Program (AzTAP). This document was developed by the Arizona Technology Access Program. Funding is provided by the U.S. Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) Grant #H224A40002. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of NIDRR, or the U.S. Department of Education, and do not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

    Arizona Technology Access Program

    Institute for Human Development

    Northern Arizona University

    2715 N. 3rd Street, Suite 104

    Phoenix, Arizona 85004

    Phone: (602) 728-9534 or (800) 477-9921;

    TTY: (602) 728-9536; FAX:  (602) 728-9535

    Website: www.nau.edu/ihd/aztap

    Jill Sherman-Pleasant, Director (602) 728-9532

    Randy Collins, Outreach/Training Coordinator (602) 728-9533

    Edward Myers, Funding and Policy Coordinator (602) 728-4699

    Chris Geanious, Systems Analyst (520) 523-7050

    Pamela Alcala, Administrative Assistant (520) 523-5879

    Zaida Lopez, Secretary (602) 728-9534

    Melvin Selestewa, Administrative Clerk (520) 523-5282

    NAU is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution.  This document is available in alternative formats by calling (602) 728-9534, and on the world wide web at www.nau.edu/ihd/aztap.

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