AT Funding

1. AT Funding Breaking Down the Financial Barrier

2. About Your Presenter AT Funding and Resource Specialist, Tools for Life Background in IL Advocacy Background Passionate about AT

3. AMAC Accessibility AMAC creates practical solutions that work, with a focus on utility, ease of use, and high quality. Accessibility Consultingfocuses on organizational accessibility needs with evaluation, technical assistance, customer support, and web accessibility solutions. Braille Servicesproduces customized projects from both print materials and electronic text including partial books and chapters or graphics Captioning Servicesmakes classrooms, meetings, labs and other audio environments fully accessible for deaf or hard-of-hearing. Professional E-Text Producersprovide high-quality e-text in many formats such as PDF, DOC, DAISY, and HTML. Certified Assistive Technology team provides on-site and remote assessments, demonstrations, training and technical assistance for education, work, and daily living environments. For more information: www.amacusg.org

4. Tools for Life Tools for Life, Georgia's Assistive Technology Act Program, is dedicated to increasing access to and acquisition of assistive technology (AT) devices and services for Georgians of all ages and disabilities so they can live, learn, work and play independently and with greater freedom in communities of their choice.

5. AT Solutions Lab

7. What is Assistive Technology? • Low Tech • Pencil grip • Adapted books • Slant board • Highlighters • Tape • Magnifiers • Color coding • Colored • Transparencies • Mid Tech • Word prediction • Text-to-speech • Speech-to-text • Spell checkers • Adapted mouse • E-books • CCTV • Adapted toys • Apps < $100 • High Tech • Computer • Tablets • Smartphones • Smartpens • OCR device • Magnification software • Switch access • Apps > $100

8. The Barrier • Funding • Third party funders are becoming scarce • Traditional credit financing has been unavailable • “Payers of last resort”

9. Who ya gonna call?

11. What do you do When someone Needs AT? • Develop a funding plan • Medical vs Education vs Vocational need • Develop a plan of attack and know your resources

12. Find an “alternative”

13. Alternative Financing Programs AFPs are here to serve communities that don’t have access to traditional financing Some are CDFIs Narrow focus (tribes, people with disabilities, locations, etc.)

14. Three Prongs One Goal Dollars and Sense gTRADE Credit-Able

15. Dollars and Sense • One stop shop • Financial information and advocacy resource • Designed for ease of use and access of information • www.gatfl.gatech.edu/ds

16. gTRADE • Find and exchange AT for on this free resource • Have an old item to get rid of? List it! • Make a little money, or donate • www.gtradeonline.org

17. Credit-Able • Georgia’s alternative financing program for assistive technology • Thanks to a partnership between Center for Financial Independence and Innovation and Tools for Life

18. Be a resident of Georgia Eligibility Criteria AND An employer of a person with a disability A person with a disability A family member/guardian of a person with a disability or or AND Able to pay back the loan Using the loan for AT

19. Range: $250-$10,000 Length: 6 months-8 years Interest: 3%-8% Loan Details

20. How to Prepare for Your Credit-Able Loan

21. Know Your Finances • INCOME • Earned Income • Received from work • Unearned Income • Pensions, SSI, etc • Gross Earning • Income before taxes • Net Earnings • Income after taxes • EXPENSES • Fixed Expenses • Do not change monthly • Rent, mortgage, insurance • Flexible Expenses • Can change monthly • Utilities, groceries, etc • Discretionary Expenses • Items not necessary • Eating out, movies, etc

22. Determine how much you need to cover all necessary expenses Subtract from NET (after taxes) income Net Income - Fixed Expenses _____- Flexible Expenses_____ = Money available for loan What Can I Afford?

23. Traditional Financing $2,000 22% (avg. credit card) 3 year term Monthly payment = $76.38 Total interest paid = $749.71 You Save Money! Credit-Able Financing $2,000 5.4% 3 year term Monthly payment = $60.30 Total interest paid = $170.86

24. Access to technology to increase independence Home mod, so stay in your home Vehicle mod for continued vehicle access Better credit It’s Not Just a Loan, It’s a Possibility

25. Building (Reinforcing) the Foundation Through Financial Education

27. Banking Basics

28. Financial Health

31. Grants, aka: Unicorns Grants = money you don’t have to pay back Increasingly hard to find as an individual Some orgs have limited funds Funds go FAST

32. UCP Bellows Fund United Cerebral Palsy Funds go FAST For AT Nominations through local affiliate info@ucp.org

33. Grants, aka: Unicorns $500 each cycle No more than $1,000/year ALS/PLS diagnosis Reimbursement http://webga.alsa.org

34. Grants, aka: Unicorns Will cover up to 50% of a device Minimum $200 Maximum $6,000 <$50,000 income and <$20,000 assets For Blind and low vision www.blindcitizens.org

35. Resources for Testing Before Investing Best Practice: Try Before You Buy

36. Schedule a demo Assessments Lending library App finder database (tfl) https://www.at3center.net Your Local ATAP

37. 26 different sports programs No fees to loan equipment, must be a Blaze member Fill out paperwork, skills assessment and fitting Consumer responsible for additional equipment www.blazesports.org Blaze Sports

38. Refurbished items can be cost effective FODAC is a partnering agency and have programs for: Durable Medical Equipment Home Mods ReMount Disposable Medical Equipment www.fodac.org FODAC

39. VisAbility Store New View Adult Rehab Services STARS (Social, Therapeutic, Academic Recreational Services) InfoLink www.cviga.org CVI

40. Resources for Subsidized and Reduced Cost Equipment Acquiring Affordable AT

41. Now a nationwide program Provides access to people with dual sensory disabilities http://icanconnect.org National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program

42. Programs for Vision and Hearing 1 pair of glasses every three years Mobile eye clinic Up to 2 digital hearing aids 1 set of ear molds 3 year service warranty Georgia Lions Lighthouse

43. Direct grants to eligible applicants Can be used for home mods AT and recreation Visit website for eligibility requirements www.bsif.state.ga.us Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund

44. Giving Equipment A Second Life

45. Equipment Reuse and Reutilization Affordable way of getting necessary equipment Look for a vendor that has the knowledge and capacity to sanitize and repair used equipment Encourage exchanges amongst consumers directly or through an established program

46. Classifieds Weekly podcast AT News updates Blind Bargains

47. The Pass It On Center, as the National Assistive Technology Device Reutilization Coordination and Technical Assistance Center, fosters improvements in AT reuse practices and network among AT Reuse programs by: ▪ Creating a national network to help current and emerging reuse programs share information to improve their services. ▪ Providing technical assistance and support to current and emerging programs by conducting site visits, teleconferences and monthly webinars. ▪ Forging relationships and working with AT vendors and manufacturers to identify areas of mutual concern and collaboration by having a presence at national AT conferences. ▪ Identifying successful practices and quality indicators of AT reuse programs and promoting their use through an online Knowledge Base and program assessment tool, known as Indicators of Quality for AT Reuse (IQ-ATR). ▪ Exploring collaboration with public and private organizations that are interested in effectively reutilizing AT they purchase. ▪ Promoting public awareness of the economic and environmental benefits of AT reuse. National Pass It On Center

48. Questions?Comments?

49. www.cfiiga.orgwww.gatfl.org

50. For more information visit:www.gatfl.orgE-mail: danny.housley@gatfl.gatech.eduCall: 404-395-7029