 |
| Run and Roll registration form |
Where: West Jordan Veterans Memorial Park (1825 W. 7800 S. – West of West Jordan City Hall)
Time: Registration Begins at 8:30 a.m., Race Begins at 9:30 a.m.
Learn more at www.uilc.org.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Run & Roll 5K
Help benefit the Utah Independent Living Center and those they serve by participating in the 23rd Annual Independent Living 5K "RUN & ROLL".
When: Saturday, September 14, 2013
Where: West Jordan Veterans Memorial Park (1825 W. 7800 S. – West of West Jordan City Hall)
Time: Registration Begins at 8:30 a.m., Race Begins at 9:30 a.m.
Learn more at www.uilc.org.
Where: West Jordan Veterans Memorial Park (1825 W. 7800 S. – West of West Jordan City Hall)
Time: Registration Begins at 8:30 a.m., Race Begins at 9:30 a.m.
Learn more at www.uilc.org.
Monday, September 9, 2013
UATP needs you!
 |
| UATP needs you! |
The AT Council is an advisory committee to UATP, giving input regarding our initiatives. Members are not paid, although lunch is included in the bi-annual council meetings.
Meetings generally occur in March and September. Help with transportation can be arranged - meetings are in Salt Lake City.
UATP is looking for individuals (over 18 years of age) who are Utahns with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities, seniors, or students with disabilities.
We want more public input on UATP activities so we can learn how to better serve Utahns with disabilities. If you meet the above description, and are interested, email Storee Powell at storee.powell@usu.edu.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Refurbished wheelchairs available to Utahns with disabilities
Refurbishing mobility devices to help Utahns with disabilities is the mission of CReATE (Citizen's Reuitilizing Assistive Technology Equipment).
In August, CReATE transferred three refurbished wheelchairs to individuals for a small fee. Also, CReATE recycled eight chairs that were unusable, keeping them out of landfills.
To view CReATE’s latest inventory, visit www.createutah.org.
To acquire a device, follow the steps below:
1. Contact CReATE staff at 801-887-9398.
2. The CReATE office coordinator will take down necessary information.
3. The interested person will be contacted to set up an appointment for an evaluation.
4. After the evaluation, the CReATE inventory will be reviewed to determine if there is an appropriate device.
To donate a mobility device:
1. Contact CReATE staff at 801-887-9398.
2. The CReATe office coordinator will discuss the procedure for making a donation.
In August, CReATE transferred three refurbished wheelchairs to individuals for a small fee. Also, CReATE recycled eight chairs that were unusable, keeping them out of landfills.
 |
| Some of the devices available from CReATE. |
To view CReATE’s latest inventory, visit www.createutah.org.
To acquire a device, follow the steps below:
1. Contact CReATE staff at 801-887-9398.
2. The CReATE office coordinator will take down necessary information.
3. The interested person will be contacted to set up an appointment for an evaluation.
4. After the evaluation, the CReATE inventory will be reviewed to determine if there is an appropriate device.
To donate a mobility device:
1. Contact CReATE staff at 801-887-9398.
2. The CReATe office coordinator will discuss the procedure for making a donation.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Feedback needed on proposed funding change for AAC devices & power wheelchair accessories
From ATIA (Assistive Technology Industry Association):
Dear AT Community,
We would like to make you aware that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently proposed changes in how Medicare pays for speech generating devices (SGDs)(AAC devices) and power wheelchair accessories, such as custom seats and tilt-recline systems. Specifically, CMS is proposing to move SGDs and wheelchair accessories from the routinely purchased payment category to the capped rental payment category requiring that patients rent these devices as opposed to purchasing them.
Here's a message from the ALS Foundation:
"Currently, most all SGD's and wheelchair accessories used by people with ALS are purchased by patients, with Medicare covering 80% of the costs. Under a capped rental system, patients are required to rent these items over a 13 month period, after which time the patient owns the equipment. Medicare pays 80% of the rental fee each month. If the patient passes away or no longer needs the equipment at any time during the rental period, the equipment is returned to the supplier. The ALS Association's concerns include:
• Access: If a patient is institutionalized (extended hospital stay, hospice, nursing home) during the 13 month rental period, Medicare coverage for this equipment will cease. Potentially, this means that a supplier of an SGD or wheelchair accessory can require that the equipment be returned, leaving patients without access to needed equipment. By contrast, under the current system patients may keep this equipment when they are institutionalized as long as they own the equipment.
• Cost: If a patient rents an SGD or wheelchair accessory for the full 13 month period, they will pay 5% more out of pocket than if they purchased the equipment up front.
• Quality: Both SGDs and power wheelchairs are highly customized in order to meet the specific medical needs of individual people with ALS. When they are returned to a supplier, they cannot simply be supplied to the next patient. They must be readjusted and customized to fit the needs of the next patient. Therefore, under capped rental, suppliers do not have the same incentives to work with people with ALS or to fully customize these devices knowing that they may be returned to them."
Your Voice Counts! We should all be concerned that the needs of people who use SGDs (AAC) are addressed in the final policy. Voice your concern to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to let them know how this threatens the quality of life of so many Americans.
How can you make your voice heard? Write letters or comments and encourage others to write. Here are some examples of what to say:
1. Provide information on how important on-going, consistent, long-term access and use of SGDs are to your clients and customers. Provide specific examples and success stories.
2. Write about a family member, friend, or associate who would not be able to meet their daily communication needs without a SGD. Provide specific examples of how lack of a device interferes with getting daily needs met, intra-family communication, work-based, income earning activities, parenting, getting medical care, education, etc.
Be sure to emphasize that a person's need for a SGD is often permanent and life-long, not temporary.
Comments on this proposed policy change are due no later than 5PM EST, August 30, 2013. Comments must be submitted with the following index code: CMS-1526-P.
Submit your comments to:
1. http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the ''Submit a comment'' instructions.
2. By regular mail to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services, Attention: CMS-1526-P, P.O. Box 8010, Baltimore, MD 21244-8010.
To quote Lewis Golinker, Esq., "Of Medicare's 45 million beneficiaries, and billions of dollars of costs, picking on the 2700 or so people with the most severe communication impairments as a source of a few dollars in cost savings at the expense of their health, dignity and person-hood, seems an extremely poor choice."
If you'd like to share your comments with us email them to info@atia.org with the subject line: CMS Changes.
 |
| ATIA wants your story! |
We would like to make you aware that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently proposed changes in how Medicare pays for speech generating devices (SGDs)(AAC devices) and power wheelchair accessories, such as custom seats and tilt-recline systems. Specifically, CMS is proposing to move SGDs and wheelchair accessories from the routinely purchased payment category to the capped rental payment category requiring that patients rent these devices as opposed to purchasing them.
Here's a message from the ALS Foundation:
"Currently, most all SGD's and wheelchair accessories used by people with ALS are purchased by patients, with Medicare covering 80% of the costs. Under a capped rental system, patients are required to rent these items over a 13 month period, after which time the patient owns the equipment. Medicare pays 80% of the rental fee each month. If the patient passes away or no longer needs the equipment at any time during the rental period, the equipment is returned to the supplier. The ALS Association's concerns include:
• Access: If a patient is institutionalized (extended hospital stay, hospice, nursing home) during the 13 month rental period, Medicare coverage for this equipment will cease. Potentially, this means that a supplier of an SGD or wheelchair accessory can require that the equipment be returned, leaving patients without access to needed equipment. By contrast, under the current system patients may keep this equipment when they are institutionalized as long as they own the equipment.
• Cost: If a patient rents an SGD or wheelchair accessory for the full 13 month period, they will pay 5% more out of pocket than if they purchased the equipment up front.
• Quality: Both SGDs and power wheelchairs are highly customized in order to meet the specific medical needs of individual people with ALS. When they are returned to a supplier, they cannot simply be supplied to the next patient. They must be readjusted and customized to fit the needs of the next patient. Therefore, under capped rental, suppliers do not have the same incentives to work with people with ALS or to fully customize these devices knowing that they may be returned to them."
Your Voice Counts! We should all be concerned that the needs of people who use SGDs (AAC) are addressed in the final policy. Voice your concern to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to let them know how this threatens the quality of life of so many Americans.
How can you make your voice heard? Write letters or comments and encourage others to write. Here are some examples of what to say:
1. Provide information on how important on-going, consistent, long-term access and use of SGDs are to your clients and customers. Provide specific examples and success stories.
2. Write about a family member, friend, or associate who would not be able to meet their daily communication needs without a SGD. Provide specific examples of how lack of a device interferes with getting daily needs met, intra-family communication, work-based, income earning activities, parenting, getting medical care, education, etc.
Be sure to emphasize that a person's need for a SGD is often permanent and life-long, not temporary.
Comments on this proposed policy change are due no later than 5PM EST, August 30, 2013. Comments must be submitted with the following index code: CMS-1526-P.
Submit your comments to:
1. http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the ''Submit a comment'' instructions.
2. By regular mail to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services, Attention: CMS-1526-P, P.O. Box 8010, Baltimore, MD 21244-8010.
To quote Lewis Golinker, Esq., "Of Medicare's 45 million beneficiaries, and billions of dollars of costs, picking on the 2700 or so people with the most severe communication impairments as a source of a few dollars in cost savings at the expense of their health, dignity and person-hood, seems an extremely poor choice."
If you'd like to share your comments with us email them to info@atia.org with the subject line: CMS Changes.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Options for Independence youth activities
Options for Independence of Logan is offering activities and learning experience for youth with disabilities.
September 5th - Cooking class at Macey's little theatre at 6:00 p.m. Learn kitchen safety and cook a dish. The class is an hour long and is free of charge.
September 11th - Matinee performance of the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, at the Eccles Theatre at 11:00 p.m. We will meet at the Eccles at 10:30 p.m. There is room for a guest if you would like to invite one. The performance is free.
September 17th - Rock Climbing at the Rock Haus with Common Ground at 4:00 p.m. Cost is $5.
October 8th - Finance Management class and treats from 4-6 p.m. at Options for Independence.
Please call 753-5353 or email jostermiller@optionsind.org to reserve your spot.
September 5th - Cooking class at Macey's little theatre at 6:00 p.m. Learn kitchen safety and cook a dish. The class is an hour long and is free of charge.
September 11th - Matinee performance of the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, at the Eccles Theatre at 11:00 p.m. We will meet at the Eccles at 10:30 p.m. There is room for a guest if you would like to invite one. The performance is free.
September 17th - Rock Climbing at the Rock Haus with Common Ground at 4:00 p.m. Cost is $5.
 |
| Join Options for a youth activity at the Logan Rock Haus. |
October 8th - Finance Management class and treats from 4-6 p.m. at Options for Independence.
Please call 753-5353 or email jostermiller@optionsind.org to reserve your spot.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
First blind man to drive motorcycle on Bonneville Salt Flats
National Federation of the Blind Sponsors Blind Driver's "Quest for the Salt": Dan Parker Will Be First Blind Man to Drive Motorcycle on Bonneville Salt Flats
Wendover, Utah: The National Federation of the Blind announced its sponsorship of the first attempt by a blind driver to independently race a motorcycle on the famed Bonneville Salt Flats. Dan Parker, an experienced race car builder and driver who lost his sight as the result of a racing accident last year, will independently operate a three-wheeled motorcycle with the help of a GPS system that gives him audible cues in order to help him maintain a straight course.
Mr. Parker will make his run as part of the 2013 BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials this Sunday, Aug. 25, at the Flats. The National Federation of the Blind is one of several sponsors contributing funds and equipment to help Parker complete his "Quest for the Salt." Additionally, the Federation's Mark Riccobono, the first blind person to drive a vehicle without the assistance of a sighted person, will travel out to the Salt to participate in this historic event.
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: "We have demonstrated that it is possible for a blind person to operate a vehicle with the help of an interface that can convey information about the driver's environment. Dan Parker is taking the concepts that we pioneered with our Blind Driver Challenge a step further - and possibly faster - while continuing to experiment with technology that may someday allow blind drivers to navigate America's roadways like our sighted peers."
Parker said, "As a member, I appreciate the support of the National Federation of the Blind, an organization that believes, as I do, that blind people can succeed in whatever effort we choose with the proper tools and training. I look forward to demonstrating this truth to the racing community and the general public on the Salt Flats this weekend. I view this run as just the first leg of my journey to contribute to the work of the Federation and its Blind Driver Challenge."
More information about the NFB Blind Driver Challenge, along with information about Dan Parker's Quest for the Salt, is available at www.blinddriverchallenge.org. Also be sure to visit Dan Parker's Quest for the Salt Facebook page. For continuous updates on this exciting event, visit NFB's Facebook and Twitter.
###
CONTACT:
Chris Danielsen
Director of Public Relations
National Federation of the Blind
(410) 659-9314, extension 2330
(410) 262-1281 (Cell)
cdanielsen@nfb.org
Wendover, Utah: The National Federation of the Blind announced its sponsorship of the first attempt by a blind driver to independently race a motorcycle on the famed Bonneville Salt Flats. Dan Parker, an experienced race car builder and driver who lost his sight as the result of a racing accident last year, will independently operate a three-wheeled motorcycle with the help of a GPS system that gives him audible cues in order to help him maintain a straight course.
 |
| The National Federation of the Blind is helping sponsor Dan Paker's 'Quest for the Salt.' |
Mr. Parker will make his run as part of the 2013 BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials this Sunday, Aug. 25, at the Flats. The National Federation of the Blind is one of several sponsors contributing funds and equipment to help Parker complete his "Quest for the Salt." Additionally, the Federation's Mark Riccobono, the first blind person to drive a vehicle without the assistance of a sighted person, will travel out to the Salt to participate in this historic event.
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: "We have demonstrated that it is possible for a blind person to operate a vehicle with the help of an interface that can convey information about the driver's environment. Dan Parker is taking the concepts that we pioneered with our Blind Driver Challenge a step further - and possibly faster - while continuing to experiment with technology that may someday allow blind drivers to navigate America's roadways like our sighted peers."
Parker said, "As a member, I appreciate the support of the National Federation of the Blind, an organization that believes, as I do, that blind people can succeed in whatever effort we choose with the proper tools and training. I look forward to demonstrating this truth to the racing community and the general public on the Salt Flats this weekend. I view this run as just the first leg of my journey to contribute to the work of the Federation and its Blind Driver Challenge."
More information about the NFB Blind Driver Challenge, along with information about Dan Parker's Quest for the Salt, is available at www.blinddriverchallenge.org. Also be sure to visit Dan Parker's Quest for the Salt Facebook page. For continuous updates on this exciting event, visit NFB's Facebook and Twitter.
###
CONTACT:
Chris Danielsen
Director of Public Relations
National Federation of the Blind
(410) 659-9314, extension 2330
(410) 262-1281 (Cell)
cdanielsen@nfb.org
Monday, August 19, 2013
CReATE gets new technician
About a year ago, Tom Boman started experiencing vertigo when sitting at a ninety-degree angle, making his office job as a safety engineer nearly impossible.
He later learned he had Vestibular neuronitis from nerve damage in his ear. Boman embarked on a new career journey, and ended up at the Utah Assistive Technology Lab.
Boman said, "I had an office job for over 12 years. I wouldn't have otherwise encountered assistive technology - this has ended up being an opportunity."
After getting his feet wet in AT, Boman applied for the new technician position at CReATE (Citizen's Reutilizing Assistive Technology Equipment). CReATE is an initiative of UATP to help Utahn's with disabilities get low-cost mobility equipment. The program takes in donated mobility devices and refurbishes and sanitizes them - Boman's new job.
"It's great to be part of the potential at CReATE, and to help people," Boman said. "I'd eventually like to get into other AT as well."
He is working on receiving his ATP (Assistive Technology Professional) certification from RESNA. This will enable him to evaluate individuals for wheelchairs, among other skills.
The short-term goal, Boman said, is to increase the amount of devices in the refurbished inventory so the amount of devices getting out can be doubled. He is also making more space for donations.
"I want people to have lots of options to choose from when they come in," Boman said.
Boman is available at tom.boman@usu.edu, and works at CReATE Monday through Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Faye Hauser is the office coordinator and can be reached at 801-887-9398 from Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"Working for UATP has put into perspective the disability I deal with; there are people who have things that are a lot harder," Boman said. "This helps makes my struggles seem insignificant, and I enjoy being able to do the things I can to contribute."
 |
| New CReATE technician, Tom Boman, refurbishing a wheelchair. |
He later learned he had Vestibular neuronitis from nerve damage in his ear. Boman embarked on a new career journey, and ended up at the Utah Assistive Technology Lab.
Boman said, "I had an office job for over 12 years. I wouldn't have otherwise encountered assistive technology - this has ended up being an opportunity."
After getting his feet wet in AT, Boman applied for the new technician position at CReATE (Citizen's Reutilizing Assistive Technology Equipment). CReATE is an initiative of UATP to help Utahn's with disabilities get low-cost mobility equipment. The program takes in donated mobility devices and refurbishes and sanitizes them - Boman's new job.
"It's great to be part of the potential at CReATE, and to help people," Boman said. "I'd eventually like to get into other AT as well."
He is working on receiving his ATP (Assistive Technology Professional) certification from RESNA. This will enable him to evaluate individuals for wheelchairs, among other skills.
 |
| Some of the devices in the CReATE inventory. |
The short-term goal, Boman said, is to increase the amount of devices in the refurbished inventory so the amount of devices getting out can be doubled. He is also making more space for donations.
"I want people to have lots of options to choose from when they come in," Boman said.
Boman is available at tom.boman@usu.edu, and works at CReATE Monday through Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Faye Hauser is the office coordinator and can be reached at 801-887-9398 from Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
 |
| The CReATE team, Faye, Tom & Alma showing their pride! |
"Working for UATP has put into perspective the disability I deal with; there are people who have things that are a lot harder," Boman said. "This helps makes my struggles seem insignificant, and I enjoy being able to do the things I can to contribute."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)