Today, March 27th, is National Assistive Technology Awareness Day. In March of 2019, the United States Senate unanimously adopted a resolution declaring the day, as “assistive technology devices and services are not luxury items but necessities for millions of people with disabilities and older adults, without which they would be unable to live in their communities, access education, and obtain, retain, and advance gainful, competitive integrated employment.”
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) funds Assistive Technology Act programs in all of the US states and territories to help older adults and people with disabilities discover, try, reutilize, and finance assistive technology. According to ACL, in FY18:
- Over 72,000 individuals participated in assistive technology device demonstrations to find the right device for their community living needs.
- Nearly 50,000 AT devices were provided on short-term loan to individuals with disabilities, service providers, and agencies.
- More than 70,000 AT devices were reutilized, allowing consumers to save more than $28 million by obtaining a lightly used or refurbished AT device.
- 96% percent of consumers who received financing loans from an AT program said they would not be able to purchase or obtain the AT without this financing.
