A deaf-blind woman uses a portable Screen/Braille communication device to make a request for items from a store clerk.

Practical Definition : Any technology that will provide one with the visual and/or auditory information that could normally be obtained through the use of one's vision or hearing senses. The ultimate goal is to receive adequate information to achieve functional independence in any endeavor chosen.

Legal Definitions : Assistive Technology (AT) Device : any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the self, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. (PL 100-407, PL 101-476) (including but not limited to: low vision aids, bold line paper, Braille writers, screen readers, Braille printers, communication devices, hearing aids, video phones, etc)

AzADB's Assistive Technologies (AT) Acquisition & Repair Assistance Project: The Arizona Association for the Deaf-Blind has established a fund and a process to try to ensure that our members who are deaf-blind are able to acquire or repair assistive technology that will help and enhance their daily lives both at home and while in the community. We assist members to utilize existing resources, find new ones or help them to raise the money themselves in order to obtain needed AT or to get repairs and upgrades. [See AzADB list of AT Acquisitions & Repair Assistance - bottom of page] [Donate to this project]

The general purpose of Assistive Technology is to overcome the access barriers that prevent one from having access to information for functional independence. Information access occurs through interacting/interfacing with: various forms of media, the environment, the general public and technical automation devices. It is designed for people who have limited or no access to the same information that the typically sighted and hearing people have. Assistive Technology is an attempt to provide more equal access to . Though many barriers still exist today and will for a long time to come where AT is concerned thus the greater need for the SSP.

Most of our members can't afford to buy their own Assistive Technology let alone the average computer or equipment that the AT was designed to provide access to !

Funding Sources for AT are available for individuals

• when it is part of a child's educational program
• when equipment is needed to gain or maintain employment through RSA/VR funds
• through RSA's Independent Living Services when it is available and deemed very necessary (very limited funding)
• through Assistive Technology Low-Interest Loan Programs
• through Private Organizations (not easily available)
• through medical insurance programs on very particular pieces of equipment that are deemed medically necessary.

Much of the equipment is expensive because it is designed for small and specialized markets. Bitterly, new technologies are being designed for the general public, which requires one to interact with visually exclusive touch screens rather than touch pads.

AzADB list of previous AT Acquisitions & Repair Assistance Projects:

• Hearing Aid repairs for several members
• Screen Reader Software upgrades for 5 of our members
• Screen Magnification Software upgrades for 2 of our members
• Electronic Obstacle Detection Devices for 7 members and 4 non-members who were high school students with Deaf-Blindness living I Arizona. In addition 1 was sent to a deaf-blind organization in Salvador, Brazil and another was sent to a group of deaf-blind actors living in Jerusalem, Israel.
• Hand-Held Video Magnifiers for 5 members and 5 non-members across the state of AZ
• Refreshable Braille Display repairs
• Braille Printer Repairs
• Personal Alarm Systems for 5 of our deaf-blind members
• Alerting System Upgrades for 2 of our members
• Perkins Braille Writers for 4 members - 2 new ones and 2 repairs
• Adapted Heating & Air Conditioning Thermostat with voice output for 1 member

A lady with combined-vision/hearing views a large-print-text on a flat screen monitor to access a Deaf-Blind-Sub-Committee meeting of the Governor's Council on Blindness through a CART reporter.

Part 2 AT Categories & Descriptions:

Categories of Assistive Technologies (AT) for the Deaf-Blind include but are not limited to:

Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) or Assistive Listening Systems (ALSs) essentially, are amplifiers that bring sound directly into the ear. They separate the sounds, particularly speech, that a person wants to hear from background noise. They improve what is known as the "speech to noise ratio". ALSs help address listening challenges in three ways: minimizing background noise; reducing the effect of distance between the sound source and person with hearing loss; and overriding poor acoustics such as echo. People use ALSs in places of entertainment, employment, and education, as well as for home/personal use. (National Association for the Deaf)

Assistive Technology for Cell Phones allow one to gain access to cell phones by providing large print magnification to the screen and/or voice output to the user. This output in many cases can be sent to an electronic Braille display. ($700 - $3000)

Augmentative Communication Devices are designed to address the needs of people unable to clearly communicate or express themselves using standard communication tools, such as spoken language, body language, sign language, handwriting and text-to-speech. When a person is unable to communicate using standard techniques, they may need an alternative or augmentative communication (ACC) system with the ability to fulfill their communication needs.

Braille Terminals or Refreshable Braille Displays are electro-mechanical devices (hardware) for displaying Braille characters, usually by means of raising dots through holes in a flat surface All displays have 8-dot refreshable Braille cells--refreshable because they change, or refresh, according to the part of the screen that has the computer's attention. These refreshable Braille cells are the costly part of the machinery; the more cells you have, the more expensive the display will be ($5000 - $11000 depending on the amount of Braille cells)

Communication Devices Specifically Developed for the Deaf-Blind These are typically two way-communication devices and systems that are texted-based. They usually are designed for face-to-face communication, for text-based messaging and TTY purposes. Some are an interface between printed text and Braille while others are an interface between printed text and large print output in conjunction with text to speech output.

Electronic Low-Vision Video Magnification Devices once referred to as CCTVs comes in 2 forms portable and desktop. Desk tops can either stand alone or work in conjunction with computers, large screen TV, etc. Many are designed to magnify to very large amounts for both near and distance viewing tasks. Portable magnifiers can range from hand-held devices to portable-desktop devices. Hand-held devices are typically designed for near-viewing tasks only. ($400 - $5000)

Electronic Note Takers, PDA's & Lap Tops Stand-alone products designed specifically for people who are blind, visually impaired and deaf-blind, including personal digital assistants (PDAs) and electronic note takers. They provide portable access to electronic books, TTY phones, wireless email, numbers and help to perform other tasks such as notetaking, e-mail, word processing, task and time management activities, GPS and so forth. ($2,400 - $7,900)

Electronic Obstacle Detection Devices These are typically hand-held devices that are mostly used in conjunction with a cane to detect obstacles in front of the area it is pointing at. Some devices can be adjusted for various distances while others are only set for one. Typically the closer one gets to an object the faster the vibration or the stronger the sound.

Equipment for Daily Living Purposes There is a variety of equipment out there that can help one to identify money, color of clothing, contents of packages that are bar-coded, insulin levels, blood pressure, etc. ($50 - $2000)

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) Systems provide persons who are deaf-blind with the capacity to scan printed text and then have it spoken in synthetic speech and/or produced in Braille. There are three essential elements to OCR technology-scanning, recognition, and reading text. Some systems work in conjunction with computers and others stand-alone and are even portable such as the KNFB Reader . ($700 - $3000 per system)

Screen Magnification - This software provides the user with easy to read "smooth" fonts as well as a magnification ranging typically from 1.5X to 32X. In addition, this software gives the operator control over which colors are to be used and control over which areas of the screen are to be magnified. The magnified area automatically follows the cursor or mouse pointer. ($500. Per package)

Screen Readers - These are software application s that attempt to identify and interpret what is being displayed on the computer screen and then presented to the user with text-to-speech , sound icons , or through a Braille output device . It can be used in combination with other AT, such as screen magnifiers ($900. per package)

Signaling and Alerting Devices are pieces of equipment which allow the deaf-blind user to know that the phone or doorbell is ringing, the smoke alarm is going off and the baby is crying, etc. Two such multi-use devices are the VibraCall System and Silent Calls Good Vibration System ($700)

Video Phones - As video-conferencing technology improves, the deaf and hard-of-hearing are enjoying new levels of communication with distant friends and loved ones. Inexpensive videophones are good enough to permit signing, the most comfortable language for many deaf people, as well as the ability to hear the voice and see the lips of the speaker at the same time. Images can be enlarged by zoom features and by using large screens in conjunction with ALS (Assistive Listening Systems).

Way-Finding Technologies or GPS can enable a deaf-blind person to preplan travel routes without leaving the house. With GPS a traveler can explore the surrounding area by searching for a specific business or other points of interest. Whatever means of travel is used-car, bus, train, or shoe leather-deaf-blind travelers may be reasonably well informed. Unfortunately, as with all technology, there are a few drawbacks. As advanced as GPS technology is, a traveler must realize that no machinery can function 100 percent of the time. GPS systems do not provide pinpoint information as to the location of a specific place. Due to government constraints it will be accurate within 50 to 200 feet. To provide the most accurate information to a traveler, it must be able to receive a signal from a minimum of four satellites. Inclement weather or tall buildings can interfere with signal reception. Another disadvantage of GPS is its dependence on battery power. Even though using a battery enables a GPS system to have portability, a battery can fail without warning. GPS-ready products typically use digital commercial mapping from a third party, and maps become obsolete if not updated periodically.

A deaf-blind woman uses a Cart Reporter and a 80 column Braille display to access a meeting of the Governor's Council on Blindness.

Assistive Technology Services: any service that directly assists an individual with a disability in the selection acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device. Such services include:

• the evaluation of the needs of an individual with a disability, including a functional evaluation of the individual in the individual's customary environment;
• purchasing, leasing, or otherwise providing for the acquisition of assistive technology devices by individuals with disabilities;
• selection, designing, fitting, customizing, adapting, applying, maintaining, repairing, or replacing of assistive technology devices;
• coordinating and using other therapies, interventions, or services with assistive technology devices, such as those associated with existing education and rehabilitation plans and programs;
• training or technical assistance for an individual with disabilities, or, where appropriate, the family of an individual with disabilities; and
• training or technical assistance for professionals (including individuals providing education and rehabilitation services), employers, or other individuals who provide services to, employ, or are otherwise substantially involved in the major life functions of individuals with disabilities.