State Leadership Activities

Training

The Advisory Council asked UATP to provide and/or coordinate AT training in rural Utah. They also asked that we continue to provide preservice educator and education related services training through the AT Lab located at Utah State University. Competency-based training developed, presented and/or coordinated by UATP staff will focus on AT assessment and evaluation, AT funding, AT maintenance and repair and how to use various technologies. The specific topics will be determined based on the location of training and composition of training participants.

Beginning in 2006, UATP may have an opportunity to provide training to staff of the One Stop employment centers in Utah. UATP participated in a pilot training program in 2004. The pilot training was recorded and edited into a brief AT training module for new One Stop employees. It is anticipated that this module will be expanded during year one or year two of this plan.

Technical Assistance

The Advisory Council advised UATP to remain current on new/emerging technologies and to become proficient on how to use, maintain/repair, and program and/or adapt existing AT. UATP has been advised to provide technical assistance to existing device demonstration, device lending, device reutilization and AT provider programs statewide in an effort to help them improve their expertise in providing consumer-responsive AT services. We do this in several ways: (a) we serve on AT provider boards, councils and committees statewide; (b) we attend education, employment and community integration leadership conferences and share information on how to improve AT services for the benefit of consumers; (c) we maintain a dynamic website and toll free telephone number so that providers and consumers can contact us to receive pertinent, needed information; (d) we conduct individual consultations and make invited presentations to consumer groups, provider groups and others interested in improving AT policies and procedures so that consumers can get the AT they need; and, (e) most importantly, we serve as the administrator of the Utah AT Council which enables AT providers in Utah to meet on a regular basis to share ideas, information, and consult on difficult cases.

How Funds Will Be Used

Training Activities:

1. UATP will develop and implement four training academies (AT for early intervention, education, employment, aging) during year one. Training academy participants will be recruited from various settings including teachers, vocational rehabilitation staff, adult disability service programs, early intervention programs, health care facilities, institutions of higher education and businesses. The academies will be held in various parts of the state to ensure statewide coverage. Emphasis will be placed on AT issues related to transition from one domain to the next (e.g., early intervention to special education, special education to post-secondary settings, and so on).
2. We will provide AT training for approximately 60 university students in special education and communicative disorder courses of study (Topics: assessment, evaluation, fabrication, maintenance and repair). A large percentage of these students will teach/work in schools, health care facilities, and in private practice in Utah. Utah has a remarkably high teacher retention rate for those trained in Utah universities.

Technical Assistance Activities:

3. Provide funding for AT providers/consumers (including our own staff) to receive training and updated AT information at state/national AT conference and training sessions.
4. Participate on boards, councils and committees related to disability and AT issues in Utah. This includes accepting invitations to participate in leadership conferences and symposia in Utah focused on improving outcomes for individuals with disabilities. These represent an excellent opportunity to infuse AT solutions into the greater list of supports and services to assist consumers in achieving desirable outcomes in education, employment, and community integration.
5. Respond to invitations to consult with individuals with disabilities and disability groups desirous to improve AT services for consumers.

Public Awareness Activities

UATP will continue to participate (planning and presentations) in selected annual meetings and conferences that address disability and technology needs of individuals with disabilities of all ages. Conferences will include the statewide Family Links Conference (for early intervention, education and transition age children and families), Utah Transition Conference (for early intervention and secondary transition educators and families) and the Quality of Life Conference (for adults with disabilities, their families and service providers). Other meeting and conference opportunities will likely arise. The appropriateness of UATP participation in these activities will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. If UATP is unable to participate in these activities and the event is deemed appropriate by UATP staff, efforts will be made to support, on our behalf, participation of our colleagues from AUN, UCAT, CCCD, or the CIL network.

How Funds Will Be Used

Activities:

• Popular media outreach
  • Each year, prepare 4-6 press releases and/or feature articles/stories for newspapers, magazines, newsletters, radio, TV, and related publications to make the public aware of the benefits of AT and how to acquire it in local communities across Utah.
• Educate consumers and professionals at disability-related conferences in Utah regarding new/emerging AT, device acquisition options (reutilization, device loan), information resources, and assessment/ evaluation of AT needs to ensure “best fit” match between consumers and acquired AT
  • Family Links (spring conference) and Quality of Life (autumn conference)
  • Develop criteria for evaluating the appropriateness of UATP pariticipation at other conferences
  • Provide UATP presentation materials online for asynchronous access by AT providers, consumers and family members
• Maintenance of UATP website to help consumers locate resources necessary for appropriate AT access and acquisition. This will include links to local, state and national resources.
  Local/ State Resources
  National AT device and policy resources:
  
  • ATAP
  • RESNA
  • Assistivetech.net
  • ATIA
  • Abledata
• UATP will continue to serve on the Access Utah Network (AUN) advisory board, meeting with staff on a quarterly basis to provide training and technical assistance to the operators of the statewide disability Information and Referral center, AUN, regarding AT resources in local communities statewide (via the UATP website described above). AUN receives approximately 60 telephone calls and over 100 webhits per month specific to assistive technology inquiries. Equipping the operators with current information on local community AT resources will likely result in consumers having improved access to information that will enhance their ability to learn about and acquire needed AT.