Welcome to the first edition of the Mass MATCH AT News, the first of many quarterly newsletters to come! The Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC) was pleased to be selected by the Governor in the fall of 2005 to lead the state in implementing new provisions of the Assistive Technology Act of 1998. With the active role of our advisory committee and state agency partners we look forward to building a dynamic network of AT programs and services to increase awareness, funding and accessibility to AT. With the AT Act grant funds we will be funding AT demonstration centers and loan device programs as well as joining with our New England partners in a regional AT exchange and reutilization program. Our program, Mass MATCH (Maximizing Assistive Technology in Consumers' Hands), is looking forward to the challenging work ahead to promote the use of assistive technology and services to enhance the independence of people with disabilities, enabling equal participation in all of life's activities.

For adults with disabilities, families with children with disabilities, and elders,financing renovations to make homes more accessible can be a major stumbling block.The MRC funds no- and low-percent loans of up to $25,000 for income eligible homeowners. Applicants eligible for 0% loans do not have to repay the loan until the property is sold or transferred. Regional provider agencies around the state handle the application process and determine the eligibility of the modification and the applicant. For provider contact information,or for more information about the program including income guidelines, go to HMLP website, or contact Steve Scarano at 617-204-3724.

Easter Seals Massachusetts is in the process of exploring the development of a new program designed to help people obtain AT devices and services when the total cost would be less than $500.

Easter Seals Massachusetts received a grant from the statewide AT Act Council, managed by the MRC, to conduct a feasibility study to determine the best approach to helping Massachusetts residents with disabilities. During the past 3 months multiple focus groups have been held and consumer input has been sought. The program will be proposed to the AT Act Council this fall for approval and funding.

It is anticipated that this program will complement the existing AT Loan Program, so Massachusetts can continue in its national leadership role of providing services and devices to people with disabilities. If you would like to share your thoughts on the need for funding for low cost AT devices, please contact:

Jason M.Luciano, Ph.D.
Easter Seals, Massachusetts
Phone: 800-244-2756 x 428/431.

In June of 2006, I was hired as the manager of the Assistive Technology Group of the Commonwealth's Information Technology Division (ITD), a state agency responsible for running the statewide computer network, and for developing software applications for many state agencies, including the human services sector.

The mission of the ITD Assistive Technology Group is to assure all information technology procurements and deployments are fully compliant with recognized accessibility standards; and are usable by persons with sensory, physical, learning, cognitive, and other disabilities. This will be accomplished by building and maintaining links between the Information Technology Division, assistive technology vendors, mainstream IT vendors, standards bodies, state agencies serving the disability community, advocacy groups and disability related stakeholders.

The ITD Assistive Technology Group is charged with the establishment of an assistive technology testing/usability lab to provide an environment that can be utilized for testing the accessibility and usability of existing applications, and applications that are under development or procured.

The ITD Assistive Technology Group is also in the process of establishing an information portal on the ITD web site to distribute information about accessibility best practices. The site will include links to assistive technology resources, guidelines that support accessibility, guides to accessible document design, accessible web and software design and other AT resources.

As the Assistive Technology Group develops, ITD will be seeking qualified individuals with assistive technology expertise to fill several key positions. These will include developers competent with accessible web and software design, systems integration involving assistive and information technology, help desk, as well as training and documentation specialists. For questions concerning the newly created ITD Assistive Technology Group, please contact:

Joe Lazzaro
Phone: 617-626-4410
Email:joe.lazzaro@state.ma.us.

The 7th Annual Northeast Assistive Technology Conference and Expo (NEAT) 2006 was held on May 4th. NEAT 2006 was once again a great success with more than 250 people in attendance. Consumers, family members and professionals in the field were able to speak with vendors and representatives from community organizations in the exhibit hall. More than thirty vendors provided a variety of valuable information about AT devices, accessible recreation programs, wheelchair vans and much more.

Of the eight workshops offered, participants were able to attend three. The most wellreceived workshops included "Accessible Recreation and Travel" and "Technology: High and Low for Visually Impaired"; both workshops had an overwhelmingly positive response from the attendees who rated it as excellent. One person wrote they would, "do the same workshop again!" One professional wrote, "I have been in the field for 30 years and I learned so much." Another attendee wrote, "The sessions I attended were excellent."

NEAT 2006 wouldn't have been possible without a dedicated committee of community members. Information about NEAT 2007 will be available in the future at www.neatexpo.org.