Increasing Capabilities Access Network (ICAN) has awarded a $95,000 grant to the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) for the purchase of assistive technology (AT) to be used to educate and train occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists. ICAN is a federally funded program that operates under the umbrella of Arkansas Rehabilitation Services. The funds for ICAN come from the Assistive Technology Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-364). The purpose of the act is to support programs of grants to states to address the assistive technology needs of individuals with disabilities.
Assistive technology is defined as any item, piece of equipment or product system that is used to increase, maintain or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.
Through funds made available by the ICAN grant, assistive devices and equipment will be purchased within the domains of communication, hearing, vision, cognition, mobility and environmental activities of daily living. All equipment will be housed in an accessible laboratory space on the UCA campus. This will allow its use in classroom teaching and laboratory experiences, according to Dr. Lorrie George-Wood, UCA assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy, and co-author of the grant.
?The long term goal of this project is to prepare competent assistive technology service providers to aid people with disabilities who require assistive technology to perform their daily activities,? said UCA President Lu Hardin. ?The project focuses on increasing the sensitivity, knowledge and competency of future and current health care professionals regarding AT across the domains previously mentioned.?
Hardin said the grant will target two specific audiences. ?The primary target population includes undergraduate and graduate students at UCA. Second, the grant will serve the training needs of practicing occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and physical therapists through presentations at state and local conferences.?
?The new equipment will also increase the possibility of developing a course to fit the needs of doctoral students in Speech Language Pathology,? Professor Linda Moore, co-author and clinical instructor in the Department of Speech Language Pathology, said.
Students in the Communication Sciences Doctoral Program from the campuses of UCA, University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) and University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will have access to the AT lab so research may be conducted in the area of augmentative alternative communication.
