Assistive Technology
DIY Light Up Cane!
By Jen Mullins, BS, CTRS, MATP Staff Recently, I got to meet and talk with Alisa Grishman of Access Mob Pittsburgh (AMP). Alisa is the inventor of the “Light Up Cane”; although she says that she’s not an inventor and just “had a good idea”. Sure sounds like an inventor to me! The Light Up…
Read MoreMATP in Marquette: James’ Story
James works at Pathways in Marquette doing janitorial work and at times needs to communicate with his employer or even the bus driver who brings him to work. Due to his many disabilities, one of them being extreme hearing loss, James has a very hard time communicating clearly with others. His mom, Judy, is usually…
Read MoreFrida Kahlo used Assistive Technology!
By Jen Mullins, BS, CTRS, MATP Staff Renown Mexican artist Frida Kahlo has been one of my favorite artists since I was a young girl. A few years ago, I was excited to learn that Kahlo also had disabilities and she shared about them in her art and writing; in this way, she has inspired…
Read MoreRepresentation in Fashion
By Jen Mullins, BS, CTRS, MATP Staff In my last two blog posts, Access Moves Fashion Forward! and Taking Steps Towards Access in Footwear!, I wrote about how the things that we wear are being designed with access in mind for more and more people. In this post, I share about how clothing, footwear, and…
Read MoreCommunication Frustration and Assistive Technology
The Problem Rachel Dancy posted this lesson in frustration on The Mighty. The problem Rachel describes with stuttering also occurs with disability “accents” where a disability characteristic makes speech less clear. I decided to take a crack at coming up with some AT that could help reduce this kind of frustration. And I found some described…
Read MoreThe Role of Assistive Tech (AT) in Recovery from Domestic Violence: Part One
Introduction Most of the focus of MDRC’s AT work in domestic violence involves assuring that people with disabilities who are assaulted are able to access existing resources to the same extent that anyone without a disability can. These resources include shelters, support of personal resource needs, support for personal and family safety, and effective use…
Read MoreThe Last Straw
By MATP Staff Jen Mullins, BS, CTRS “Though plastic straws are a luxury for some, they are a necessity for others. Straws function as an accessibility tool and have historically been used to offer independence for people with disabilities.” –Mashable, 2018. During a trip to Washington D.C. last year, my first meal in the city…
Read MoreWhat WCAG 2.1 Means for Access
Introduction I attended the Accessible Learning Conference at Michigan State University in December of 2018. There were many interesting presentations, but the one that helped me the most was a discussion of the new additions to the web and mobile accessibility standards, known as WCAG 2.1. The standard itself is pretty dense, and I found…
Read MoreATXchange.org
The ATXchange.org is a website designed to facilitate transactions between residents of Michigan exchanging, donating, or selling used assistive technology (AT). Any used/open box device that assists a person with a disability to live more independently or safely (assistive technology) may be submitted. Sellers create listings for a wide variety of used AT; wheelchair accessible…
Read More