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Seeing the Beauty in Trying Something New
This story comes to us from Jenell Williams of Disability Network Oakland & Macomb: J. Thomas is very active in her community. She loves spending time with her family and friends. Most of all she loves her early mornings. In the morning she has her special routine where she fixes her breakfast and sits down…
Read MoreTiny Words on Thin Pages
A Demonstration and Short-Term Loan Story Mark served his community for years through his work as a substance abuse counselor, care worker for a residential facility, and mission work in a prison and drug rehabilitation center. His whole life he had been an avid reader of the bible. After losing a leg to diabetes as…
Read MoreKnow Your Voting Rights
The Michigan Primary Elections are taking place on August 7th and today is the final day to register to vote! Candidates for Governor, U.S. Congress, and state Senate and House members are among the important decisions on the ballot. If you haven’t registered already, you can still do so through the Secretary of State’s…
Read MoreAT for Frozen Treats in the Summer Heat!
By Jen Mullins, BS, CTRS, MATP Staff The weather where I live in lower Michigan has been fairly hot lately (or at least, hotter than I would like!) Frozen treats seem to help with cooling down, but sometimes aren’t the easiest to access. Typical ice cream scoops require a good amount of upper body strength,…
Read MoreDon’t Fail that Fall
by Aimee Sterk Did you know that one out of three adults age 65 and older fall each year? Disability.gov had such a great post about falls prevention, and safety, we wanted to share it here. Falls are the number one cause of fractures, hospital admissions for trauma, loss of independence and injury or deaths for…
Read More“Pawsatively” Helpful: AT for Dog Care
By Laura Hall, MATP Staff A few weeks ago, I attended a training that was more intense and grueling than any other training I’ve given or received, but the reward was life-changing. For two weeks I attended “Team Training” through Canine Companions for Independence to receive my second service dog. After working with many dogs…
Read MoreMemorial Day Post: The Larger Possibilities of AT
Memorial Day has been a time of taking stock since it was created. The holiday has the strength of being recreated every year in a form that reflects the personal histories and connections that veterans, their families, and their friends have with their lived experience, their social networks, and the larger society. It seemed reasonable…
Read MoreUsing Amazon Echo in an Emergency
By Jen Mullins, BS, CTRS, MATP Staff Earlier this year, I watched a very interesting video on the Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation PATF’s facebook page. The woman featured in the video is a wheelchair user and shared that she uses a shower chair while showering. She said if there’s an emergency in the shower (such…
Read MoreWheelchairs and Airline Travel: A Turbulent Experience
By MATP Staff Member Laura Hall Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to represent the Michigan Assistive Technology Program at the National Symposium of AT Act Programs meeting and visit Capitol Hill to speak with legislators about the importance and benefits of assistive technology. Typically, I fly to this event, but due to some…
Read MorePersonalizing Alexa for Yourself and Your Family
Many members of our community have learned to use specific Alexa Skills as AT to solve support problems in their lives. But how do we customize skills to exactly fit our needs? Developers have been able to create “skills” or programs for Amazon’s Alexa assistant for some time. What about those of us who don’t…
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