>> LAURIE SCHALLER: So today we're going to spotlight AT demonstration site services. If you have further questions today, I invite you to give us a call here at National Disability Institute and my number is 202‑449‑9521. 
    So National Disability Institute, we envision a society in which people who have a disability have the same opportunities to achieve stability. Our mission is to collaborate and innovate by is creating a financial future for people who have disabilities and their family members as well. 
    So National Disability Institute has an assistive technology loan program. Includes financial education and guidance on spending plan development. We provide referrals to financial counseling services or programs that can help people get the assistive technology that they need. And we received a grant for this program back in 2014 and that was provided by U.S. Department of Education's Rehabilitation Services Administration. 
    So today we will be spotlighting TRAID. The assistive technology site provides services in the counties of New York State. This recording along with our assistive technology spotlight webinars are recorded and posted to our site within generally two weeks of the live event. I would like to introduce Melinda Dolezal from TRAID. She started her career at the New York State Justice Center in its call center as an intake agent gathering information on allegations of abuse and neglect. 
Her experience working with individuals with a disability began over a decade ago. She's worked in Buffalo, Oneonta, and the Capital District as a residential supervisor, self‑directed broker, and Medicaid service coordinator. And we really thank Melinda for networking with NDI to provide today's information that is so important to people who live here in New York State and similar services are available for residents of New Jersey as well. So we want to connect you to those resources. 
And I'll put that information in the chat box. Take it away, Melinda. 
>> Melinda Dolezal: Thank you. Grateful to work with NDI. I'm not going to try to steal your thunder, but between their loan program and the resources they offer, I highly encourage anyone interested to contact her. That being said our loan program is a little bit different than loans with NDI. I'm going to talk about what we do as a whole for those of you that aren't as familiar with the TRAID program itself. And also exciting things on the horizon we are hoping will be of use down the road. 
    That being said, you can go to the next slide, please. For those of you that don't know TRAID is for Technology Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities. We get called triad sometimes, but I promise it is TRAID. To the next slide. So just to get us started off, I'm going to review really quickly who we are, what we do, the work that we have been doing for over 20 years. We're actually a program that's been around for quite a while and we're constantly spreading the word about the things 
that we do to help New Yorkers of all ages and in all counties throughout the state. And then the projects I'm going to go into a little bit more detail on are our 3D printing initiative, which is really exciting. Our telehealth video project which is in the final stages of development that, again, we hope will be a resource to both professionals in the field and individuals that are still trying to kind of learn more about the different aspects of smart technology like tablets and smartphones. 
    And then also, just some other projects that some individual TRAID centers are working on and some other things that we are interested in over at the Justice Center and the TRAID program. You can go to the next slide. Again, TRAID is a program that's been around for quite a while. There are people who either are new staff starting or people who never needed assistive technology before or are curious about it for the first time. We want to tell you about who we are and what we do. 
    So what is assistive technology or what we call AT? We're a heavy acronym program. We speak another language just like many of the programs in New York that have their own lingo. So AT is any item, product, or piece of equipment that can be used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. 
    What does all that mean? It's basically equipment to help people throughout their day‑to‑day life whether that is something they need at home, getting ready for bed, making a meal. Whether they need it at work to help them be able to take notes effectively or at school with communication, whatever it is that a person might need, we try to be able to meet that need by having available equipment. 
    Devices could be low or high‑tech. Not everybody wants all the bells and whistles. Some people want, you know, very toned down equipment that is ‑‑ maybe not have a computer chip in it but is as effective to work for the need they need it for. You could go to the next slide. 
    So our goal is to promote greater dependence in the lives of those with disabilities of all ages by using assistive technology. It could be education, employment, or community living. And we serve individuals of all ages and disabilities across New York State. It might be something they need temporarily. Maybe somebody has had an injury or they're recovering from surgery and they need something to navigate their community. Or maybe it's a disability that starts later in life 
but is something that the person will have for a while. Or maybe they were, you know, born with something that they might need, you know, for vision or communication, for hearing. Whatever it happens to be. 
    For us, it does not matter if somebody has insurance or if they are involved in Medicaid or in a waiver program. What really matters is that the piece of equipment is appropriate for them and that they, you know, want to try it out for a various reason that we might have it available. So if I could go to the next slide. 
    So that being said, we have 12 trade centers across New York State. You can see them highlighted in this purple and white map. Each region is carved up based on population for the most part. So you'll see some areas have big geographic areas, but population might not be as big as some of the areas maybe in New York City that there's a lot more people but a lot more ‑‑ or a lot smaller geographic area. 
    Each of these 12 TRAID centers has the same basic services that we offer. We offer device loans. Like I said, it's a little different than NDI loans. So our loans take the form almost of borrowing something from a library. People can come to us and say, you know, I'd like to try something or my child might benefit from something from mobility equipment like wheelchairs, rollers and walkers to daily living equipment like shower equipment, commodes, 
ways to prepare food, grippers for eating you tenancies. And it could go up to recreation. Things like one of our amazing TRAID Centers who I believe one is here with us down in for the Hudson Valley has invested in some amazing recreation equipment for playing baseball, playing tennis. Or things like vision, hearing. 
    If I sound like I'm stumped, it's because there's so much out there that is available that people may not be aware of. I, myself, knew about assistive technology working in the field as a Medicaid services coordinator back when those existed and working with TRAID has really blown my mind. There's so much equipment that. Can help with typing using your pupils. There's equipment that can help somebody communicate who doesn't communicate verbally but might need 
a speech‑generated device. There's just so much out there. 
    So I really encourage you if you're curious what's out there, feel free to contact one of the TRAID Centers. Their contact information is listed in this slide or you're welcome to ‑‑ our website is the contact information on this slide which links to all 12 of those individual centers. So if somebody does reach out to us with a question, the first thing I usually do is ask what county they reside in so I can connect them to the TRAID Center that is closest to them. The staff there are usually 
well versed in resources that may be specific to their region or contacts in their region. So I'm more than happy to help with larger, you know, kind of resources statewide. But the TRAID staff really are wonderful resources within those TRAID Center catchment areas. 
    We also work closely with VR counselors, early interventionalists for kiddos 0 to 3 and money follows the Department of Health. Typically those who are trying to move out of nursing homes, congregate settings. You name it, we probably do it. That's a very quick overview of TRAID. We also do device demonstrations. You know, we compare and contrast two different device ifs people aren't ‑‑ or more than two if people aren't really sure what's going to work best for them. 
Because there is so much out there and we want people to have as much of an informed choice as possible with as much information. We do ‑‑ we are able to donate some devices permanently to people. Not always, but never hesitate to ask us. 
    We do trainings for people who are interested. We actually have several trainings coming up this year on various topics from telehealth which we'll talk about a little bit more. To transition planning for children. We do technical assistance if people are interested in kind of, you know, evaluating various points of accessibility or systemic change either in their buildings they're in or communities. 
    We do a lot of public awareness so you might see us at state parks in the summer talked about TRAID. You might see it as different tabling events. If you see us, come say hi. We're very friendly and we love sharing information about what we do about things that might benefit you. 
    So that's TRAID. That's what we've been doing for a very long time. We will obviously continue to be doing that to offer the resources that we have. But we're really excited to talk about some new stuff that we hope will interest you as well. So if you could go to the next slide. 
    So the first is our 3D printing initiative. So 3D printing has been around for quite a while at this point. Some of you may have seen it, maybe you have friends that 3D print for themselves. So if you could put it on a desk or little things. I had somebody I know that 3D printed a dial for their thermostat because theirs broke and it worked just fine. So 3D printing with assistive technology is a newer concept. Maybe not as new as people think, but for us it's something that we have 
implemented almost statewide. And this is partially due to a one‑time grant that we were able to provide the TRAID Centers. 
    Some of them had been 3D printing already, and with this particular initiative, we tried to expand it to the rest of the state as well because it's a great idea that will go into a little bit more in the next slide. So this one‑time funding initiative was allocated to all 12 TRAID Centers. It was kind of an opportunity for them to look at some things they wanted to boost up within their centers. Each TRAID center, again, offers a lot of the same services ‑‑ all the same services. Device loans, they have an inventory, demonstrations, what have you. But some of them also have little specialties they've gotten into over time. Some of them are really adept at knowing about reasonable accommodation training. Some of them know a lot about smart home technology. Some are great at fabrication. So this was an opportunity to kind of have as many of them as possible choose 3D printing. 
    10 of the 12 have chosen to invest in 3D printing. Those two that didn't chose to do some other things in their programs that they wanted to boost up. Diversifying their inventory and what have you. But those who received printers are at this point really up and running or have just received their printers and are kind of going through the different features. So the features of the 3D printing, we are ‑‑ that we have started throughout the state, each one has chosen different features. Maybe a different type of printer. 
    But they're all doing basically the same thing. We've provided training through monthly meetings with other state AT programs. Laurie had kind of mentioned that each state kind of has their own program. So if you happen to be in Florida and you need assistive technology, you would go to FAST which I forget what it stands for, but it's an acronym. Or Pennsylvania has Tech OWL. For our whole lives. They were one of the first programs to 3D print. We've been partnering 
with them and we provide some trainings and we collaborate as much as we can. So we're all at a different stage, but we're hoping to be able to offer this to anybody throughout the state who has a question about what is offered. 
    So if you can go to the next slide. So what is 3D printing? As I said, some of you may have seen it. Some of you may even have 3D printers which is fantastic. If you do and you would love to work with us, we would love to have you. It's making a three dimensional solid object from a digital file. We do this by having SD cards or files that we use that are what we call sliced ‑‑ or not us. But it's slicing which breaks it down into a printable form, more or less. 
    It lays down multiple layers of material until the object is created. Just like you would print, you know, a page on a paper, it's printing up and out. These layers vary in size but are ultimately a cross section. If you were to cut an object in half, you would kind of see those layers in between to see how it's structured to make it strong and safe for snob use. 
    So on the next page, we do have a short video if you're curious on how this whole process works. It's really neat to see the step‑by‑step. So if you're curious, I think we'll put a link in the chat for you to check it out. It's only about 1:15, but just for buffering times, we'll let you view that at your leisure. But just know that 3D printing, you know, it's usually done with kind of a plasticy material called a filament. It looks kind of like spaghetti. 
    It goes in, is heated, and through that file it is printed over time. Again, feel free to check it out. Or if you want actually come and see a 3D printed material in process, feel free to contact us at TRAID. And there's various places around New York State libraries, colleges, STEM programs that are doing this. We're trying to build it up statewide as well. If you could go to the next slide, please. 
    So why did we choose 3D printing? For one, it's very inexpensive when you look at a traditional assistive technology device. One thing we use a lot is called a key guard. It kind of ‑‑ it's something that goes over the top of maybe a tablet or an iPad and it has different cells or blocks kind of carved out of the material. So somebody that needs a speech‑generating device uses it kind of as a tactile separation of those different cells on the tablet. 
    So a manufactured vendor purchased key guard could run $125 and up. They're fairly expensive. They're difficult to customize and we can print them for pennies on the dollar. So by doing that, we're able to provide devices for people that need them on a more custom level so that leads into customizable. As far as inexpensive, it really costs us sometimes 50 cents to create a device using the filaments that are, again, melted down to create the devices themselves. 
    We can customize things based on grip if somebody needs a grip for a utensil and they have a specific range of motion, we can customize that as much as possible. Things like styluses in the next couple of slides you'll see kind of those different diameters that we can measure somebody's fingers. Again, customizable for key guards. It's something we can do that we couldn't do with traditional devices. 
    They're replicable. There's a lot of open‑source files out there we can take from to be able to print that people have made themselves. Most of our staff are now at the point where they're making their own customized files from the ground up which is not many people are doing that which for us is fine. We can make them quickly. And by quickly, I mean when you take in shipping times and delays. So it might take a few hours to sometimes a day to print a certain type of device, 
but when you consider the time it takes to put in the purchase order, have it come through the mail, potentially be delayed when COVID was in its high point, you know, things were taking quite a while to get to our centers depending on whether there was a shortage of materials. So we're able to do this ourselves. 
    So these are just some of the reasons that we have kind of shifted to that point in our program. Again, we can't beat how inexpensive it is and how we can really make to it suit the needs of people. I have a couple of examples on the next few slides. So this is the setup at one of our TRAID Centers at TechWorks. This is a maker bot which is available out there. There's other robot ‑‑ makers like Prusa. There are ‑‑ it just depends on what people are looking for. 
    This one you can see the filament in there if you look at the kind of cable that's running through which goes down into the 3D printer and is then put together on that flat surface with that orange block on it. Again, this is one of the setups that we have. If you want to go to the next slide, there should be a second one. 
    So this is a PRUSA 3D printer making a key guard at the Westchester Institute for Human Development. They're really rocking the whole 3D printing program. So if you see that there's kind of blocks that are shaded in and others aren't in those cells, that's what we mean when we say customizable for a key guard. 
    Those areas a student or child or whoever would be able to utilize those areas for whatever reason. We can also block out things like the start button if people want to use the tablet to go on and play a game when they shouldn't be. So there's various reasons we might do that. Some other programs that are up and running and doing a fantastic job are Wraparound Services for the Hudson Valley. So they're at various levels of where ‑‑ familiarity with the devices. 
But we're hoping this will continue over the next few months. 
    So here's just some other custom key guards. We fit them to the different generations of iPads or tablets. As you can see, there's different sizes. Because iPad you have iPad Minis, different sized Android tablets. It's not a one size fits all. If you go to the next slide. 
    This is an eating utensil grip. We do attach some things to the 3D printed devices and then that red area is the printed area itself. Just an example of some of the things I believe this was made by can the TechWorks in New York City. 
    So these are some stylus measuring tools. If somebody is using a stylus on the computer or tablet, depending on the diameter of the finger we want to make sure it fits the person. So we have various measuring tools that somebody can use to figure out what's going to fit best for them. If you go to the next slide. 
    This is a card holder that's been 3D printed to hold large print playing cards. That's two devices in one. So somebody is comfortable while playing a game of poker with their friends. And these are things that also we can make custom for people and add them to our inventory. Something like this, we can make it and add it so multiple people can use it or potentially give it away depending on the person who's come to us to borrow it. 
    And the next slide is a nail clipper assist. So somebody that might have difficulty with the size of a nail clipper, you would put a clipper in there so that there's more room for somebody to be able to press down. Or if they just need a little bit more leverage, that could be a reason they would use it. Again, just an example of what's out there. I forget who printed this one. Zipper assists on the next page, this is for somebody who might need more assist. I believe that WID made these. 
These are small things we often give away depending on where we're at. I believe these were brought to a senior event somewhere in Westchester County. If you go to the next slide. 
    This is a reading bar. So we can make reading bars of different widths and sizes. These are built with kind of a wedge into the page so they hold a little bit easier. So this might be for a child that's maybe learning how to read at a different level or just that needs that kind of broken‑up space. Or somebody that just wants one for whatever reason. So they're fairly easy to print. I believe these were made at TechWorks in New York City. I could be wrong though. And they've been printing for a while. 
    If I mention them a lot, it's because they've been doing that even before I was at TRAID. If you go to the next slide. This is Sir Flexington Rexington this little guy was printed by the Wraparound Services. He is my favorite 3D printed device. He's a sensory toy somebody could use if they had that need or if you've seen a lot of fidget spinners or fidget cubes. He's just another way to kind of meet that need. He is printed, I believe, in one solid piece. And then just those different components actually move within his little skeletal ‑‑ 
I guess you could say skeletal system. We're not just printing the more serious items. There's many things we can make and there's a lot of stuff constantly coming down the pipeline. 
    So we just wanted to let you guys know that this is something we are doing if you're curious about 3D printing, feel free to reach out to the nearest TRAID Center. Feel free to let me know and we might be able to print elsewhere within the state and be able to ship depending on how far away you are. Again, just a neat thing we're doing that we're hoping will meet people's needs that are looking for something that isn't a big techy fix. We're not putting computer chips in them. 
They're just simple devices we're hoping will help. So if you go to the next slide. 
    So the other big project that we wanted to make you guys aware of is our Telehealth Video Project that is in actually one of the final stages. So it's really, really exciting for us. If you go to the next slide, please. So TRAID along with many other organizations and agencies across New York received American Rescue Plan Act dollars or ARPA funds. 
    We had freedom to say where is this going to benefit us and where we're at in a lot of different ways. So we were kind of ‑‑ there were guidelines we had to look at. So some of them are listed below. We were responsible for creating a culturally affirmative and linguistically accessible information. Activities that address social isolation and transition and diversion from high‑risk congregate settings. And other activities that support the public health and well‑being of older adults and people with disabilities. 
    So we took a step back, spoke with our advisory council. If you want to join, let us know. We're always look for amazing new people. And the council on what they had kind of noted as COVID was really in the high point that it was in 2020 and 2021. And where we kind of landed was telehealth. You know, we're obviously meeting remotely. I've been on three meetings this morning that were webinars. It's something that even though people are out and about more and more, it's something that's not 
going away. Whether or not it's somebody that's using this who wants to go to a medical appointment or somebody attending school remote or what have you. It's still an important thing that we noticed a lot of people weren't necessarily familiar with tablets. Or they'd never used smartphones my own dad just sent his first text not too long ago. 
    It's something that ‑‑ you know, we were able to loan tablets to people during COVID, but if somebody didn't know how to use them, they would just sit on an end table and they weren't utilized. That being said, if you go to the next slide, what we ultimately decided to do was to develop three short videos focused on telehealth awareness. 
    The first of these videos is the features of iPads and how to use them. We did pull data to see what tablets they were using. Almost all of them used the iPad. That's the demand they've gotten within the communities. So this first video will be on different features of iPads and how to use them, how to connect to Wi‑Fi, how to charge them. Where Safari is, how it works to connect online. All of those really we wanted basic kind of building blocks for somebody that's never really 
used one of these devices. 
    This isn't to say we aren't able to offer technical support if somebody doesn't know how it works. We're more than happy to walk them through it. But what happens on the weekends and after business hours? You know, there's always a chance that somebody might have something come up in the middle of the night. So this is a resource that we're going to have available both as a download able option and also on iPads that we own. The second video builds on that first. Now you've got the resource to charge your iPad 
how to log in, how to start it, turn it on, turn on the volume. The type tips and guidelines for telehealth appointments is next. These are things like connecting to Wi‑Fi, making sure you have the app you need whether it's Zoom or whatever else that your doctor's office is using. That you're logged into email to get those appointments, that you're in a private space so that people can't just listen in on what you're doing. Tips and tricks like that. 
    And then the third is geared more towards health care professionals which is to really offer guidance on etiquette and being responsive to the needs of individuals that use telehealth or use assistive technology. I'm sure all of us have had experiences with doctors who are in a hurry and don't have time and are just kind of ‑‑ you know, they're there but not really there. So this video is geared towards them to just ‑‑ things to take into consideration when you are working not just with ‑‑ it should be everybody. Not just 
people who use assistive technology. But we could all use a reminder and tips along the way. 
    So these are the three videos we're currently in the process of making. If you could go to the next slide. So these are from the video shoot. The first is the person that actually is the hostess of the video. You can see her in a gray sweater there. So we actually filmed these last month on the 24th of January at the independent living center up in Queensbury. They have an adaptive kitchen. It is an amazing site up there. They have their inventory right there. Very involved in their community. 
    So they were gracious enough to let us steal their kitchen for the day. And we shot all three videos. And we are in the process ‑‑ it was a very long day. We were in the process of editing these videos and making them available. When that time does come, we'll be reaching out to Laurie and networks to let them know this is a resource that is available. We plan on offering trainings to staff across the state that, you know, work with various populations who also may not be familiar with these particular devices. Because that's another thing. Whether you work with TRAID or not, you might also work with them. We want them to 
have these resources as well. 
    If you could go to the next slide. It really was like a little Hollywood day up there. It was very neat to see. As I said, they were filmed up at the Southern Adirondack Independent Living Center. These will be available in English and Spanish and will have captioning. These, preloaded onto TRAID devices for telehealth and available for download by outside providers and people. We'll let everybody know where they are and how to use them. 
    Feel free. This is going to be a free resource. We're hoping it will be helpful for people whether or not they have experience with telehealth or they just want it as an additional resource. So that is our telehealth project. If you go to the next slide. 
    So these are just some other projects and initiatives on an individual level that we wanted you guys to know about if you're in these particular regions and you have something that you'd like to work with them on or if you have questions for them. So the first one ‑‑ I say regionally, but I'm going to steal back the focus and that is ‑‑ if you go to the next slide. On accessibility. 
    So we have been designing trainings on digital accessibility. We've offered these trainings to various agencies across New York where a lot of people have a lot of knowledge on physical accessibility. So building accessibility, stairs and ramps and doorways and all of those really important things. We've also done more with digital accessibility. So things like website content accessibility guidelines or WCAG if you've heard that. Common areas to evaluate, website and non‑website accessibility. So 
automated accessibility. Things like screen reader accessibility. And resources for additional information. 
    So this is an extremely important area that we have found, again, dovetailing onto telehealth and being online all the time. We want things to be available for people that might use a screen reader. Something like JAWS or NVDA. Go back to the telehealth project just after this one little section. So if you could go to the next slide. 
    So we did offer this training to the Department of Labor's systems change and inclusive opportunities network or SCION project. Our goal was to increase the capacity of service delivery and better serve individuals in an employment related setting. So the accessibility is helping them understand how to make their websites accessible to people who that are going there to look for services, making sure their documents are accessible. 
    The sizing of the text is too small, really. So if this is something that you're interested in for either your agencies, workplaces, personal interests, let us know. It's a free training. We're happy to deliver that. We try to make it as interactive and fun as possible. We don't want to bore you with those trainings. 
    The goal of the telehealth videos is to increase the knowledge of people that aren't familiar with telehealth devices like tablets, iPads, and smartphones. As I said, when COVID was at the height when people were staying home, we were loaning out tablets as much as we could and people would say thanks but no thanks. We don't know how they work. We don't know how to use them to communicate with people. 
    So we want to be able to provide a resource to those individuals who are still either socially isolated or really maybe through transportation needs aren't able to get to a doctor's office and need to use a tablet. That's really the goal of the project. If you could go to the next slide. 
    So just some other TRAID Center initiatives that we wanted you guys to be aware of. The first is the Adirondack Regional Technology Center. They are working with the Alzheimer's disease assistance center's caregiver support initiative. It's a mouthful, but it's an amazing initiative working to provide resources to caregivers who are taking care of maybe aging parents or relatives or just those who has the beginnings of dementia. 
    This network provides resources to individuals and through TRAID we've been helping with medical equipment and learning how things work, things like lifts, things like that. We've been a resource to them and we're continuing to work with them. It's an ongoing project, so there's things ‑‑ it's going to be quite a long project as I understand it correctly. This is an initiative across the state. So we're hoping to be able to connect with them with other TRAID Centers. 
    If you're curious or want to know more about this, feel free to let myself know or if you're comfortable reaching out to the Plattsburgh staff, feel free to do that. TechWorks has worked with the Yad Yisroel Alternative Augmentative Communication center. Again a mouthful. They helped them understand AAC devices. And for those of you that maybe don't know, AAC are devices that help somebody communicate through maybe a tablet or a specified AAC device so like a Go Talk if you've seen one of those. 
It's basically maybe pressing a button to have it speak out a different word or phrase. 
    So by training the trainer, basically training the teachers, what they did was help create a new system to help the teachers become more familiar with the students' needs and thereby be able to support them in an educational setting even more than they already were. So that training series has ended, TechWorks is looking to support teachers and schools in the area. 
    Finally the Southern Tier Independence Center has been working with the Broome County local water front revitalization plan. It's kind of getting off the ground. What the Broome County area is looking at is revitalizing their Blueway Trail. So they're looking to increase the accessibility of local boat launches, hiking trails, bike paths to be more accessible to people of various needs. 
    So the TRAID Center there has been working with them to offer kind of suggestions and guidance on things that they can look into and ways they can increase the accessibility of that area. And really help people get outside, be more active in their communities. So if you're in that region and you're interested in learning more or if you have suggestions, I know right now we're looking at like I said accessible boat launches. Let us know. We're happy to connect you with winter being here right now, I mean, theoretically winter is all over the place. But it's slowed down. We anticipate in spring and summer that will pick up a bit. If you could go to the next slide. One after that. 
    And that's me. So these are just ‑‑ this is just scratching the surface. A lot of the TRAID Centers are doing stuff all the time that is sometimes it's only a brief initiative. Sometimes it's a very long years' long initiative. Our TRAID Centers are active at local ‑‑ or county fairs you'll see them at. Accessibility days you'll see them at. We've been active at the get outside and get together day in June which is a collaboration between OPWDD, the department of environmental conservation and the veterans association. 
So feel free to come talk to us if you see us out there. And if you have initiatives, those of you on the call today that you want us to come check out, let us know. We love getting out, meeting people, and talking with new people about what we do and how we can help. 
    So that's my contact information. That's my email and direct number. Feel free to reach out with any questions that you have. And I see a few in the chat, so I'm going to go check those out. And let Laurie chime in if you want to chime in. Give my voice a break. 
>> LAURIE SCHALLER: Thanks, Melinda. Before you go, can you touch upon CV services that you have available for TV? 
>> MELINDA DOLEZAL: Yes. So I know I talk a lot about things like durable medical equipment, you know, because that's really ‑‑ we have a lot of demand for that. But that's not the only thing that we do. We have assistive technology that runs the gamut from, you know, things like braille devices. We have things like as I said speech generating. We have equipment like recording devices. So if you have a question about the things that we might have, just know that we do 
a lot more than just durable medical equipment. I know 3D printing is just a teeny tiny part of that. So if you have a question about something we might have, please let us know. And if we don't have it available and it's something that we might be able to invest in so add to our inventory, we're always open to that. That's how we actually add to our inventories. We get feedback from people in the community, counselors. Maybe EI counselors, job counselors or job networks and support. 
    If you do have a specific device in mind, we can always check. And if we don't have that exact make and model in our inventory, we might have something comparable. And if not, it's something we can look at through TRAID. And there are other loan closets throughout New York that are more specialized. Some of them might be things like the career one stop. Some of them have inventories depending on what it is that they do. Some independent living centers have inventories like the Hudson Valley Independent Living Center. In addition to that, there's also local 
initiatives things Lu to the lions club, the American legion. Not all of them. It really does depend on the region. 
    So there are a ton of resources throughout New York. I know Laurie put in the chat the resource NDI has put together that has a list of a lot of the things out there. I know that's very long winded. I do apologize. 
>> LAURIE SCHALLER: That was great. Thanks so much. So I wanted to review some additional information. So for example, it is possible ‑‑ and I think really necessary for all of us to start to set aside money for the assistive technology that we'll need in the future. Like even when we look at our houses, less than 6% of our houses are accessible. And we can make whatever changes before we're in an emergency situation and we need that. 
    So if we need assistive technology that relates to our employment, the Social Security Administration provides work supports for those who receive SSI and/or SSDI benefits who work. And these are called like impairment related work expenses. There's a plan for achieving self‑support where a person who needs, for example, to purchase a vehicle to be able to get themselves to their job can include that in a PASS plan. Social security approves that and then that 
reduces that person's countable earnings and it may even immediately give them extra funds through SSI so that for a three‑year repayment term, that person can pay their monthly payments to purchase a reliable car to be able to get themselves to their job. 
    So we welcome you to explore these resources. Many people across New York State and New Jersey in the U.S. I'm finding have not heard about ABLE accounts. So let me share with you an ABLE account is for a person who has had a disability that began before age 26. And the person can save money in that account. Family and friends can contribute money directly into that account. When a family or friend puts money in that account, it is not countable income and it does not reduce that person's, for example, SSI benefits 
    And that person who receives SSI is allowed to save up to $100,000 in that ABLE account and that does not count towards that SSI resource limit of $2,000. Any amount of savings in an ABLE account does not impact eligibility for any type of Medicaid. And in fact, people who maybe have too many resources more than that $2,000 in their name and they're applying for SSI or Medicaid services can put those moneys into their ABLE account to reduce the amount 
of their countable resources. 
    So a person this calendar year from all combined sources can contribute up to $17,000 into their ABLE account. If they work and they do not have a retirement account that they are contributing to or an employer is contributing to, they can deposit even additional moneys into their ABLE account. And that could total upwards of $30,590. And that could really help people who need, for example, to purchase assistive technology. 
    What are qualified disability expenses? That can be paid from the ABLE account? Assistive technology, any out of pocket education expenses, basic living expenses including food and shelter, a home could be made accessible, a person could purchase an accessible home with their ABLE savings. ABLE account can pay for transportation expenses including purchasing a vehicle whether or not that vehicle is accessible or whether or not the person needs the vehicle to be able to get themselves 
to a job. 
    So it really opens up opportunities that a person can save money and make a purchase for what they need. And then it covers out of pocket health care expenses, personal support services and respite care, disability‑related vacations and recreational activities, legal fees and financial management. So that ABLE account owner who would also like to have a special needs trust, for example, can use those ABLE funds to be able to pay an attorney to set up a special needs trust or a pool trust. 
    And ABLE funds can also be used to save and be used for funeral and burial expenses for that ABLE account owner. So our loan program services include outreach and promotional webinars, financial education and guidance on spending plan development. So for example, I just did a presentation for a vision agency in New Jersey. I am available to provide informational sessions across New York City and New Jersey on topics about assistive technology, our AT loan program, the ABLE national resource center and 
ABLE accounts. And work supports available for those who receive SSI and/or SSDI. And also on spending plan development. So regardless of what your age might be to have the courage again to talk about money and where we choose to spend our money and income sources and how much money we have leftover at the end of each month can help us to save to meet our needs now and in the future. 
    So I welcome you to give me a call if you would like a presentation. If a person calls me and they need to purchase assistive technology and I cannot find a grant to help that person, we can help with a loan to help that person get what they need. The loans are starting to tap and cover in the field, for example, for those who need to purchase an accessible vehicle. Even a used accessible vehicle might be selling for $45,000. 
    Sometimes they can find a grant for the accessibility value of a vehicle. But usually the chassis of the vehicle the person needs to purchase. So we can provide a loan for that and often that interest rate is less than what a modified vehicle dealership, for example, is able to offer. And we have invested funds with our financial institutions that have partnered with us. And that is how we are able to buy down that interest rate should a person default on the loan, that financial institution is compensated 
with funds from our program. That helps the banks and credit unions to offer favorable lending terms. 
    So for example, a person age 18 who may not have a credit score who needs assistive technology is welcome to contact us. We can get them approved far loan if they need it. And then by paying that loan on time each month, that person develops a positive credit history. And to date, our loan program has a 96% repayment rate, because we help people to develop a spending plan. We realize they can afford their monthly expenses. If not, we can help them cover their monthly expenses and then create more 
disposal income so they can afford the loan that they need to purchase the assistive technology. 
    We have put links in the chat box for our assistive technology guides. So you can find the trade office contact information in the New York AT guide. There are similar agencies available in New Jersey that provide assistive technology demonstration, assessment, and provision in some cases free assistive technology. And so we welcome you to explore those AT resource guides. 
    And we have a new project here at National Disability Institute and that project concentrates on providing tax filing information for families who have a family member who has a disability. So I'd like to just share with you, I've stumbled upon many people who tell me that they were told because they have a disability, even though they may be working that there's no need for them to file income taxes. 
    It is so important particularly for a person who has a disability to file income taxes each year that they have employment earnings. And even if a person did not, for example, receive their stimulus payment during COVID, they can file amended returns now to capture those stimulus payments that are due. And many people who have a disability who work, for example, didn't realize that they might be eligible for a refund even though they don't owe income taxes 
through things like the earned income tax credit, through the savers tax credit. 
    And so by calling 211, a person can find their local free tax preparation site. For those individual who is live in New York City, that number is 311. And many of those tax sites are accepting the information virtually. The information is faxed to the office. They meet with the person over the phone to help them file their income taxes for 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019. 
    So we welcome you to explore these additional resources at Share Our Strength. And they have webinars specifically for those who have a disability about tax filing. So we also have a Financial Resilience Center. If you know anyone who lost a family member to COVID, FEMA still has funds available to reimburse families who lost a family member due to COVID and that could cover the funeral and burial expenses, for example. And that resource is posted here at the Financial Resilience Center. 
    This is my contact information. You're welcome to give me a call. I'm here from 8:00 until 5:00 Monday through Friday each day. And we would like to also invite you ‑‑ we'll answer your further questions posted in the Q&A box. But to also let us know future presentations, what information would you like to learn more about in regards to assistive technology. And let's see what questions we have. 
    What's the name for tax filing? A person can find a free tax preparation site by calling 211. And if you have any questions for Melinda, she's still here with us. Please ask your questions. In the Q&A. And we want to thank you. This recording and slide deck will be saved at our website within the next two weeks. And there are other recordings of other presentations that have taken place regarding other forms of assistive technology and services. 
    So for example, if you're looking for vision devices, there's a webinar specifically on that. If maybe a family member has had a stroke and there's a need to provide for an accessible living area and ‑‑ if someone, for example, has MS and they're looking for a stimulator device, there's information there at our website for that. There's different wheelchairs that can help a person in their work site. 
    Like hiking through the mountains in New York State who have heavy duty wheelchairs and they're racing along those mountains with me. It's great we can share those activities and make sure that everything is accessible. I'm really excited to hear that Melinda's addressing accessibility at boat dock. This is going to be great. 
    So thank you, Melinda. I also want to thank Amy and Amber our ASL interpreters who are here today. And thank you, everyone, for participating. Have a great week. Bye‑bye now. 
>> MELINDA DOLEZAL: Bye, everyone. 
>> LAURIE SCHALLER: And I see we just got a question in about the over the counter hearing aids. So we would like to see that people reach out to their physician to a hearing aid specialist to learn if those hearing aids will address the type of hearing need that you have. Because many of these over the counter hearing aids do not allow for the return device. It does not work for people. 
    And we are meeting people who don't have like the maybe $500 or the $1200 that they need for either the down payment through their insurance for purchasing assistive technology. We can provide a loan for that or we can provide a loan so you can purchase that hearing aid device you know will work for you that's available at your local pharmacy. 
    So just give me a call and we can have that dialogue to see how to proceed through that process. And thank you so much for your question and have a great day. Bye‑bye now.