First, we have officially moved, and we are now in our new office location. The move gives us a bigger space and brings all of the InfoTech and IPAT staff together. Our new address is IPAT or InfoTech at University Hospital School, 100 Hawkins Drive, Room 295, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1011.
Some of you who have made recent requests for product searches may have noticed a change in our search report. This spring we were notified that AbleData would no longer be available on CD ROM, so we decided to create our own database of product information. We felt the best method to identify the technology was in categories, which is much simpler and easier to maintain then listing each product individually. The database is based on more then 550 categories, with room to grow.
Once we determined the process, we spent 4 weeks going through all the product files to create the information in our database. While we were in those files we took the opportunity to update literature, clean out old information, and verify company addresses and telephone numbers. We now have information on more then 2,800 manufacturers, including product literature, and lists of local vendors and price information where available.
In our new report we list the individual companies, phone numbers, web addresses if they have them and specific information on the types of products found within that category. We feel the new process is easier and the information is more readily available to our callers. In addition, product literature will be updated within the last calendar year.
Be sure to give InfoTech a call at 800-331-3027 if you need information on assistive technology.
Accessibility is an important concept for all walks of life, including the Internet. The Iowa Department for the Blind (IDB) has created a new booklet to make Web accessibility easier. The booklet, called "Designing Accessible Web Sites: Creating sites that are accessible to people with disabilities," was funded through a contract with the Iowa Program for Assistive Technology (IPAT). So far, it has been mailed to over 500 organizations and agencies in Iowa. It has also been provided to IPAT's partners across the state to share with the consumers and other agencies with which they work.
People with disabilities, including those who are Blind, go to college, hold jobs, run businesses, buy goods and services, perform research, and keep in touch with friends and colleagues. Like everyone else they also use the Internet to do many of these things.
To use the Internet, people who are Blind or who have low vision rely on screen reading software which reads the screen out loud through a voice synthesizer. Some pages are easy to read with a screen reader; some are difficult; some are impossible. It all depends on the amount of text and graphics on each site. Screen readers recognize text but not graphics.
The information in the booklet is based on the accessibility guidelines developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). This international consortium is responsible for standards for the entire World Wide Web. These standards will also help meet the accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Telecommunications Act.
This booklet is available on the IPAT web site (http://www.uiowa.edu/infotech/WebAccess.htm) or the IDB web site (http://www.blind.state.ia.us/access/access-tips.htm). IPAT and IDB encourage copies of the booklet be downloaded and passed on to others. If you have any questions about the information contained in this booklet or about accessing the Internet you can contact Shan Sasser at the Iowa Department for the Blind by calling 515-281-1338 or by sending an e-mail message to Shan Sasser.
The Iowa Civil Rights Commission created a task force consisting of architects, builders, advocates for persons with disabilities, and representatives from state and local government. Jane Gay, Co-Director of the Iowa Program for Assistive Technology is a member of this group. The task force reviewed the Commission's preliminary study and found that there was a problem with accessibility in multifamily housing. The task force then began working to devise the best way to educate builders, architects, and owners of the multifamily housing about accessibility requirements.
The task force is currently working on a brochure and mass mailing campaign aimed at builders, architects, and multifamily housing owners. The Iowa Civil Rights Commission has also applied for a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to be used to educate persons with disabilities about the accessibility laws for multifamily housing.
Reprinted with the permission of the Iowa Civil Rights Commission from their newsletter, "The Communicator."
Do-it-yourself ramp kits are now being distributed through Menards, a lumber and home improvement retail chain based in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The kits will be available in more then 140 Menards stores located in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, and North and South Dakota. The kit will retail for $6, with $1 of that going to Easter Seals of Iowa to benefit Iowans with disabilities.
Facility Management Resources (FMR) designed the kits. FMR is an Iowa-based interior design and architecture firm committed to problem solving for people with disabilities in residential and work environments. The kit offers a variety of stair and ramp styles, including both a straight and side approach ramp, a double back ramp, and a ramp/deck combination. Each kit contains a blueprint of plans, a list of the necessary hardware and lumber required, and a construction guide. FMR is also working on a collection of accessible housing designs, which will be offered through Menards stores later this year.
Ramp kits are also available directly from FMR in Des Moines, Iowa. A minimum of six kits is required for purchasing through FMR. Price includes shipping. For further information contact them at 515-274-6904.
If you are a senior citizen or a person with a disability and your annual household income is less than $16,500, you may be eligible for a property tax credit or rent reimbursement. Recently, the income guidelines for these programs went up from $14,000 to $16,500.
The property tax credit or rent reimbursement is based on your annual household income and is figured according to a formula set by the Iowa Department of Revenue and Finance. For example, if your annual household income is less than $5,000, you could get a 50-100% rent reimbursement or property tax credit. The payment you will get depends on how much funding the state puts in the program. The highest annual household income that is eligible for the program is $16,500.
In addition to being 65 or older, or having a disability, you must be a current Iowa resident and you must have lived in the state for the entire year for which you are applying. All eligibility criteria must have been met on December 31st of that year. Qualified households must then apply between January 1st and June 1st of the following year. Only one person can apply per household.
The credit or reimbursement may be used for the home you own or rent and live in during all or part of the year for which you are applying for credit. This includes homes purchased on contract or the rental of mobile home lots not more than one acre.
If you live in a nursing home or extended care facility you may also be eligible for the reimbursement or credit. If you continue to own and maintain a home and don't lease or rent it to others, you may be eligible for a property tax credit. If you don't own a home, then a rent reimbursement may be available. It is based on the amount paid to the nursing home towards 'rent' and that amount is figured by the facility.
To apply for the property tax credit contact your county Assessor's office. For rent reimbursement contact the Iowa Department of Revenue and Finance.
This information was reprinted with permission by the Elderbridge Agency on Aging from their Renaissance newsletter and was originally prepared by the Legal Services Corporation of Iowa. Legal Services provides free legal assistance to eligible clients with civil legal problems involving basic necessities or other critical problems. Call 800-532-1275 (voice/TTY) for a referral to the office serving your county. Iowans 60 or older may also contact the Legal Hotline for Older Iowans at 800-992-8161.
TravelMate is a new three-wheeled scooter being offered by Amigo Mobility International. TravelMate is the folding scooter. It has a compact and light design that can be easily folded and put into the trunk of a car. The TravelMate comes with a sealed battery pack with two 7-amp batteries, a 24-volt battery charger, and a durable basket for carrying. It comes in two colors, ocean blue and cardinal red. It has a carrying capacity up to 250 lbs. And weighs 61 pounds. For more information contact Amigo at 1-877-MY-AMIGO or 1-877-292-6446.
Bruno Independent Living Aids is now offering five new special edition scooters. There is the Thunder 37 is a 3-wheeler that looks like and rides like a motorcycle and comes complete with leather appointments. The Police 46 is 4-wheeler and is just what it sounds like, a black and with scooter with badge emblems and comes with the sound of sirens and blow horn. The Humvee 46 is a 4-wheeler dressed out in army camouflage and equipped with a tough front end and rear carryall rack. The Catalina 46 is a 4-wheeler that comes in a combination of gold mist turquoise and sunflower yellow, with side panels. You can also dress it up with your favorite stock car colors and number. And last but not least is the Fire Fighter 46. You got it, a 4-wheeler in fire fighter red or yellow with real diamond-plate aluminum deck, a ladder, siren, and rear mounted fire extinguisher. For more information on any or all of these special edition scooters, contact Bruno at 1-800-882-8183.
The InfoTech newsletter is a publication of the Iowa Program for Assistive Technology, a project of Iowa's University Affiliated Program. The program is based in The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. InfoTech aids individuals with disabilities, parents, families, and professionals by providing information on the availability of both new and used adaptive devices. No endorsement of products or services is intended. For more information on devices or for help in locating other types of specialized equipment, call: 800-331-3027 (voice/TTY).
IPAT is supported by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, United States Department of Education (NIDRR/ED). This material does not necessarily reflect the views of NIDRR/ED or indicate official endorsement of their contents.
InfoTech, Iowa Program for Assistive Technology, University Hospital School, 100 Hawkins Drive, Room 295, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1011
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