Assistive Technology for Kids who Experienced Trauma
By Aimee Sterk, LMSW, MATP Staff I’m working on a trauma certificate and recently attended a symposium on Somatic Experience therapy for children who have experienced trauma. The presenter, Maggie Kline, LMFT, explained that for young children (birth to 18 months) who experience trauma, the body holds the memory and that therapy needs to focus…
Read MoreVeterans and AT for PTSD
By Aimee Sterk, LMSW, MATP Program Staff In June I was paging through my copy of Woman’s Day Magazine and was impressed with an article on Veterans and AT use: How My Veteran Husband Copes with His War Injuries . The focus is on caregivers/family/friends of veterans’ views and support, but the AT used is…
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 MoreCritical Connections
“We never know how our small activities will affect others through the invisible fabric of our connectedness. In this exquisitely connected world, it’s never a question of ‘critical mass.’ It’s always about critical connections.” Grace Lee Boggs This quote came up in my Facebook memories this week, posted by a friend and colleague some…
Read MoreRolling into Home Automation
by MATP Staff Member Laura Hall The number of items in your home that can now be controlled remotely, by smartphone, or by voice is staggering and growing every day. I’ve been slow to upgrade my home to “smart home”, but now that I’ve been bitten by the bug there may be no stopping me.Over…
Read MoreBurning Hand
By Aimee Sterk, LMSW, MATP Staff I’m a fairly accident-prone person. Add that to my recent age-related changes in vision and my already narrow field of vision and lack of depth perception due to one of my disabilities, and I’ve been getting burned in the kitchen even more lately. I was sitting through a great…
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 MoreTaking Steps Towards Access in Footwear!
By Jen Mullins, BS, CTRS, MATP Staff While some designers are focusing on creating more accessible clothing, other companies are zeroing on footwear! For people who have limited mobility & dexterity and decreased stamina & balance, putting on traditional, lace up shoes can be difficult. Velcro laces have been popular and useful to many, but…
Read MoreCAPABLE Program to Roll Out Across Michigan
By Aimee Sterk, LMSW, MATP Program Staff People with barriers to community living who use supports through the Mi Choice Waiver Program (which provides services in the community instead of nursing homes) participated in a study that showed that accessing assistive technology, instruction, and home modifications decreased falls and hospitalizations and increased their ability to…
Read More