AUCD | Project

Project Description:

Expanding Assistive Technology (AT) Reutilization Efforts to Include Organizational, Navigational, and High Cost Technologies The Kansas AT Reuse Program, a statewide program to recover, refurbish, and reassign durable medical equipment and AT, is operated by the Statewide AT Act Program, Assistive Technology for Kansans. The Kansas AT Reuse Program has been in operation for 3 years and has refurbished and reassigned $1.1 million of high quality durable medical equipment at no cost to Kansans with disabilities. After 16 months of operation the program was cost-neutral and at 30 months of operation the program was reassigning over $500,000 in a 6-month period. This model program proposes to meet the needs of an underrepresented group, persons who have learning, organizational, navigational, and/or cognitive impairments by expanding reutilization efforts to include collection, refurbishment, and reassignment of handheld digital and converged mobile organizational and navigational technologies. The applicant will develop partnerships with major manufacturers such as Palm, Dell, Garmin, and Tom Tom in addition to conducting targeted equipment drives focusing on businesses and individuals using this technology. The applicant proposes to address the barriers of limited reutilization inventory, program cost effectiveness (Return of Investment), and program sustainability by developing strategies to significantly increase recovery and reassignment of high cost, high cost and lightly used, and bariatric equipment. Medical and rehabilitation programs will be included in efforts to increase recovery of targeted equipment. Potential funders of high cost technologies will be identified and Return of Investment for underwriting program components will be calculated and shared. Recognizing the national and international problem of safe and environmentally responsible disposal of electronic waste (e-waste) and the importance of this issue to collection and disposal of equipment for AT reutilization programs, the applicant will conduct activities addressing ?high tech trash.? State and international laws (there are no national laws) will be analyzed, experts in e-waste will be identified and consulted, and partnerships with environmental agencies, organizations, and industry representatives in the state will be developed. A plan for collecting and disposing of AT without violating laws and in a safe and environmentally responsible manner will be developed and implemented in ?Pass It On? equipment drives. The applicant will identify and meet with reutilization programs operating in the state. Information about programs and available inventory will be collected. A directory, with electronic links to program websites when available, will be posted on the Kansas AT Reuse website and at other sites as recommended by the group. Project staff will work with local, regional and state Emergency Planning staff to determine how to most effectively link this information with state emergency planning efforts. A statewide plan incorporating locating and dispersing assistive technology during a time of crisis will be developed. Transportation and distribution of equipment will be analyzed and new methods for reducing costs and delivery time will be implemented. Return of Investment regarding utilizing volunteers in comparison to other pick-up and delivery methods will be computed. And finally, evidenced-based programmatic and cost-effective strategies will be identified and shared with the National AT Reutilization Technical Assistance Center and other reutilization programs.

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Expanding Assistive Technology (AT) Reutilization Efforts to Include Organizational, Navigational, and High Cost Technologies