Assistive Technology Products

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This is a pretty comprehensive list produced by the LOC. Hope it might be useful. LOC does many good things for the disabled population.

https://www.loc.gov/nls/resources/blindness-and-vision-impairment/devices-aids/assistive-technology-products-information-access/

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OscarCP, Elly, HiFlyer

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Does the Americans With Disabilities Act and, or some other legislation, allow disabled people to buy aids like those listed in that LOC site , effectively for free or at a discount, by entitling them to special tax breaks or subsidies?

 

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@OscarCP I don’t know how much of a break price wise people can get through the National Library Service (NLS), but it’s worth contacting them. It’s likely they may refer people to their local libraries to initiate their service.

https://www.loc.gov/nls/about/contact-us/

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From Wikipedia:

“The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. § 12101) is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964,[1][2] which made discrimination based on race, religion, sex, national origin, and other characteristics illegal. In addition, unlike the Civil Rights Act, the ADA also requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities, and imposes accessibility requirements on public accommodations.”

One of the sad things about needing a specific aid for a disability is that people who could benefit from them often have to cover the expense themselves. If you are completely dependent upon government aid to live on, some resources (but not all) are available to you. If you have enough money you can buy things on your own. There are some specific non-profits that help in specific situations. If you are in-between, you do without or find creative ways for funding (I’ve heard Go-Fund-Me has helped some people)… if you even know what would be helpful in your situation.

Sometimes your work can provide a device or aid so you can be productive… and that was part of the ADA… but it isn’t yours, and if you change employment, it doesn’t go with you…

The holes in social support are big enough to drive an 18-wheeler through… but over my lifetime, things have improved. Many people manage to have satisfying and productive lives… but despite the improvements in access there are deficits in funding, uneven availability, and much of the actual resources that are low cost and/or freely available are spread by word of mouth through the disabled community, often on-line.

Personally I’ve functioned with disability for a quarter of a century, and only recently being unable to work… and my very good insurance doesn’t cover things that would help me until I’ve been hospitalized or unable to move about my home (which I’m trying to avoid)… and government benefits won’t apply until I’ve burned through the work benefits… so instead of getting help to stay functional, I only qualify for help by not being able to function! And if that helps me be functional… then I lose the benefits…

And no one cares if my computer works… except me!

Well, some of the fine people here have kept me going… I really do appreciate them!

@OscarCP- you have some good questions. There is a misperception that if someone is disabled, they will have the resources they need through government or private non-profit support… but if you look at the percentage of disabled people within the homeless population, you will see that it isn’t true… and often resources are purposely set at an extremely low level to discourage people feigning disability… oddly, people who are able bodied seem to have no problem scamming the system, while people who need the resources are denied the first, second, and third time they apply… some people never receive the benefits that they would be entitled to if a doctor wrote about it correctly in the first place, or because insurance companies make more money if you die out of requiring coverage than if they pay for needed help up front. The system sucks, despite many wonderful and dedicated people doing their best.

My own perspective… disabled people are more likely to experience domestic violence from their significant other. If the non-disabled partner is frustrated and triggered into acting out, how much worse is it for the person suffering disability and abuse? Finding solutions and helps comes from people, no matter what labels those people might be given… caretaker, social worker, occupational therapist, friend, companion. We are really all in this together, one way or another!

It can be a challenge to get, learn to use, and keep a computer functional… but for those that are housebound, it can bring a whole world to them, otherwise completely out of reach. Financing all that can be a challenge… but worthwhile to address.

 

Non-techy Win 10 Pro and Linux Mint experimenter

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OldBiddy

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@Elly I can see from your experience that finding support can be a tremendous challenge and I wish well in your endeavors. Having a family member with special needs has shown me how much of a maze and mine field it can be. All you can do is keep trying and not give up. LOC’s NLS service does have equipment for loan at no charge. I hope anyone who can make use of it will try it.

https://www.loc.gov/nls/enrollment-equipment/equipment-needed-for-nls-materials/

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Elly

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