Much of the material on this page was developed for the 2016 MA Housing Think Tank, a joint effort of Autism Housing Pathways, The Arc of Massachusetts, and Advocates for Autism of Massachusetts. Additional support was provided by Advocates, HMEA, and the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council.
- Overview
- At a glance:
- Technology is increasingly seen as part of a viable safety net
- Technology can be low tech or high tech
- At a glance:
- Webinar
- At a glance:
- A webinar on assistive technology and independent living was held in August of 2016. The slides are available here. The webinar is archived below.
- At a glance:
- Examples
- At a glance:
- Scheduling/to do lists/cueing
- Daily tasks
- Coaching/decision making
- Secure social networking
- Alert systems
- Comprehensive systems
- Finding apps and other technology
- At a glance:
- Finding apps and other technology
Overview
In 2013, David Braddock reported that only 1% of Medicaid waiver dollars were spent on recipient technology (“State of the States in Disability Services”, cited in “Housing and Support Options for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities”, 2014). (Yet even at that time, organizations were springing up to harness the ability of technology to assist individuals to be more independent, while providing them with a safety net). Two out of three winners in the 2016 Autism Speaks House-to-Home prize included technology as part of their entry.
The need to access technology for supports has been underscored by the Covid pandemic. MassHealth has applied to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to expand the scope of an existing waiver service within the Department of Developmental Services’ Adult Supports Waiver, Individualized Home Supports, “to provide flexibility for participants to choose to receive some or all of their Individualized Home Supports services through live video feed, live audio feed, or web-based monitoring, as appropriate, to meet their needs identified in their Individual Support Plan (ISP).” The amendment would also expand “the scope of the existing waiver service, Assistive Technology, to cover evaluation and training and internet service specific to the operation of devices covered by this service, and adds ‘provider-managed’ to the available service delivery methods for this service.”
Technology can be either low tech (printed picture-based directions, or color-coded measuring cups, for example), or high tech (dedicated voice output devices, apps for a variety of purposes, and home alert systems that reduce the need for overnight paid staff in the home). High tech systems can be comprehensive solutions, or apps that can be used for a discrete purpose, such as grocery shopping, bill paying, or mindful stress relief. As with an exercise program, the right technology is the one the person is willing and able to use (or learn to use).
On this page we will present a few examples of technology for a range of uses, as well as link to some tools and resources for finding technology. Examples are taken from all over the country, and may not be currently available in Massachusetts. Presence on this page does not constitute endorsement by any of the organizations sponsoring this website, or by their members, officers or directors.
Webinar
On August 30th, 2016, the organizers of the MA Housing Think-Tank hosted a webinar on the use of technology. Kelly Charlebois, Executive Director of TechACCESS of Rhode Island, discussed the use of both low- and high-tech options to increase independence, and Catherine Boyle, President of Autism Housing Pathways, discussed smart home technology. The slides are available here. The webinar is archived here:
Examples
These are examples of available assistive technology. Nothing represented here is intended to be an endorsement by Autism Housing Pathways. A complete legal disclaimer is available here.
- Scheduling/to-do lists
- Cueing through tasks
- Daily living skills
- Coaching/decision making/self-management
- Secure social networking and safe web browsing
- Money management
- Alert systems
- Comprehensive systems
Scheduling/to-do lists
Cueing through tasks
Daily Living Skills
- Cooking:
- Low tech options: induction cook top, color coded measuring cups/spoons, nylon knives, palm held peelers. Using a rice cooker and a slow cooker can also avoid issues caused by using the stove.
- The Photo Cookbook
- Look, Cook, and Eat
- iGuard stove shutoff
- House cleaning apps:
- How do I? How do I is simply a list of useful internet links, showing techniques for performing basic living skills. Some are descriptions with pictures, others are videos.
Coaching/decision making/self-management
Secure social networking and safe web browsing
Money management
Alert Systems
Comprehensive systems
Finding apps and other technology
Georgia Tech maintains a data base where you can search for assistive technology apps. Be sure to also click on their tab “Our other favorite apps databases“. Unfortunately, a formerly rich resource for searching for both low- and high-tech assistive technology, AbleData, was discontinued by the federal government in 2020.
TechACCESS of Rhode Island is able to do assistive technology assessments.
English
العربية
简体中文
繁體中文
Kreyol ayisyen
ភាសាខ្មែរ
Português
Русский
Español
Tiếng Việt