UATP’s new Logan coordinator is a familiar face

Dan O'Crowley

The Utah Assistive Technology Program welcomes a new coordinator in Logan.

Dan O’Crowley started with UATP in the spring of 2016 as a volunteer in the AT Lab, then became a lab technician. He is now a junior in mechanical engineering at Utah State University.

“Growing up, I had a mind for mechanical engineering. I always thought I would go in that direction.” he said. “I realized at one point I wanted to work with people, not just objects. This lab has been a great combination of those two.”

Dan has already seen the difference assistive technology can make in people’s lives, both on the long- and short-term. “A lot of people come to the lab with a lot of frustration. It’s great to be able to have the tools on hand to solve that problem.”

Once, a man who broke his ankle came in after getting around on crutches for a week. “He was just exhausted, trying to do that,” Dan said. “At a sports event he saw someone else with a knee scooter, and then he came and borrowed another one out from us.”

UATP’s fabrication capabilities have also helped people with long-term needs. Dan and UATP volunteer Mike Stokes worked to make a 3-D printed prosthetic device for a child to help him color, paint and use an iPad. That ongoing project has helped the boy be successful at school, and he has taken the device home to use it there, too.

Chance paints using a 3D printed device
from UATP in Logan.

The Logan program is working with physical and occupational therapists to collaborate, use their expertise and offer solutions to clients, Dan said. The goal is to provide AT in affordable, practical ways to the people who need it.

“Generally speaking we prefer people to come to us,” Dan said. “If they’re a long distance away, we will try to Skype and work out most or as many of the details and plan sometime in the future to cross paths to transfer the device to them.”

For more information on UATP and its services, visit our website.

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Are you a Utahn with an assistive technology need? UATP has locations in Logan and the Uintah Basin that can help you find ways to maintain or improve your independence. Both locations also have a demonstration and loan library where items can be checked out, compared to similar devices and used before a purchase is made. Devices can also be refurbished, reused, customized and built from the ground up to suit a particular need.

UTAP’s Salt Lake City location focuses on putting refurbished mobility devices into the hands of people who need it, for a fee that is usually less than an insurance deductible. 

UATP also offers small grants and low-interest loans for the purchase of AT. This service is available to Utahns statewide.