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June 27, 2007
Good Shepherd Partners With Pennsylvania Initiative on Assistive Technology (PIAT)
Rehabilitation Network Named Official Assistive Technology Resource Centers

Allentown—Good Shepherd was recently named by the Pennsylvania Initiative on Assistive Technology (PIAT) to be the official Assistive Technology Resource Center for the region that includes Lehigh, Northampton, Monroe, Berks, Schuylkill, Carbon, Lancaster and Luzerne counties.

As one of only nine AT Resource Centers in the commonwealth, Good Shepherd oversees the outreach, education, evaluation and training efforts of PIAT for the region.

“PIAT approached us because they think very highly of our Assistive Technology Program,” says Carrie Kane, a speech pathologist and assistive technology practitioner, who will be coordinating the program for Good Shepherd. “It’s a testament to our expertise in using the power of science to improve the lives of people with disabilities.”

Assistive technologies are used to improve independence for and functional well-being of individuals with disabilities. These technologies can include state-of-the-art alternative communication devices, environmental control units that allow individuals to control their surroundings using voice commands, leading-edge wheelchairs, and more.

PIAT is a state and federally funded program that gives Pennsylvanians access to assistive technology devices and services. Every county in the commonwealth is served by an AT Resource Center.

As an AT Resource Center, Good Shepherd will oversee multiple PIAT initiatives, most of which are natural extensions of Good Shepherd’s current services. Good Shepherd’s responsibilities include:

• Administering PIAT’s lending library for the region. Through PIAT, individuals with disabilities can borrow assistive devices like communication devices, environmental aides and hearing products, for up to eight weeks at no cost. Now, Good Shepherd will be getting these devices into the hands of the right people at the right time.“The lending library allows people to test assistive devices before they decide to purchase them,” says Carrie.
  
  
• Demonstrating devices for individuals with disabilities. This allows users to make an informed choice about which devices will work best for them.
  
  
• Reaching out to consumers, service providers and public and private agencies regarding assistive technology.
  
  
• Developing and administering an assistive technology recycling program. Through the program, Good Shepherd therapists will refurbish devices that are no longer being used and get them in the hands of the individuals who need them.
  
  
• Administering a program that helps college students with disabilities access devices for an entire semester, rather than the typical eight-week time-frame.
  
  
• Administering the Telecommunications Device Distribution Program for the region. This program allows individuals with disabilities and low incomes to gain free access to specialized phones.
  

Carrie Kane will coordinate the program, but Good Shepherd’s entire assistive technology team will play integral roles.

For information on Good Shepherd’s Assistive Technology Program, including driver training and evaluation, wheelchair seating and mobility, augmentative and alternative communication, computer access and electronic aides to daily living, and pediatric technology, call 610-776-3517.

Visit www.Disabilities.Temple.edu/Programs/Assistive/PIAT for more information on PIAT.

Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network of Allentown, Pennsylvania
is a nationally recognized rehabilitation leader, offering a continuum of care for people with physical and cognitive disabilities and specializing in assistive and rehabilitation technology. More than 35,000 people come to Good Shepherd each year for specialized programs in stroke, orthopedics, brain injury, spinal cord injury, pediatrics, amputation and more. Good Shepherd provides rehabilitation services in 7 eastern Pennsylvania counties. Good Shepherd operates 14 outpatient sites, 4 inpatient sites, a long-term acute care hospital, 2 long-term care homes for people with severe disabilities, an independent living facility, a Work Services division that provides employment training and job placement and a lifestyle products store called Rehability. Good Shepherd was founded in 1908 when The Rev. John and Estella Raker invited a disabled orphan named Viola into their Allentown, Pennsylvania, home. Good Shepherd is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. For more information, visit www.goodshepherdrehab.org.