International Wheelchair Day

Today is international wheelchair day 

and the SC Assistive Technology Program wants to help!

Do you know someone with paralysis who can benefit from a wheelchair loan? The South Carolina Assistive Technology Program (SCATP) is accepting loan applications for three power wheelchairs and three manual wheelchairs. The wheelchairs are available for up to a six-week loan to individuals with paralysis.  SCATP’s “Mobility Independence Project” is funded by the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. 

There is no fee to borrow one of the wheelchairs.  For more information about the “Mobility Independence Project” and to learn how to complete the application and schedule delivery of a wheelchair,  please contact us at 803-935-5263 or carol.page@uscmed.sc.edu or tammy.wallace@uscmed.sc.edu . 

Better late than never! February Youth Newsletter

Apply for the 2021 Youth Leadership Forum! 

July 25-30, 2021 

SC YLF 2021 will be online due to the pandemic, but will be just as fun and engaging as years before! 

If you are interested in attending but not sure what your plans are for July 2021, you can now fill out an interest form. Once you fill this form out, you will be contacted by a YLF staff member much closer to the time in the hope that your plans for July are much clearer and you will be able to attend! 

You can find the regular application form and the interest form by following this link: https://www.scylf.org/apply 

YLF Alumni Spotlight 

YLF Alumni: We would love to hear what you are up to now! If you want to be featured on our South Carolina Youth Leadership Forum social media pages, please fill out the questions below on this form. 

YLF Spotlight Form

Equip Online Hangouts! 

Start off your new year with Equip! 

Our Equip Online Hangouts meet on the first and third Thursdays of every month from 6-7 PM. Our Equip leaders help empower their peers to take charge of their lives, find their unique voice to self-advocate, and engage with their community of peers more fully. 

Upcoming Equip Online Hangouts:

Thursday, March 4, 6-7 PM

Thursday, March 18, 6-7 PM 

Hang out with us here!

https://www.able-sc.org/

720 Gracern Road Suite 106 Columbia, South Carolina 29210

803.779.5121 advocacy@able-sc.org 

Why you should attend Empowering a Future 2021

On Tuesday, March 9, we will host our first entirely online conference for professionals who work with youth with disabilities. And because it is online-only, we have also drastically reduced ticket prices this year, to only $15!

Why should you attend? 

Here's what attendees of the 

2020 Empowering a Future had to say about it: 

Register Now! 

Wheel Pads: Universally Accessible Home Attachments -- Free Webinar!

Wheel Pads, ADUs, and 

Universally Accessible Home Attachments

Participants will learn about Wheel Pad’s mission 

to create more universally accessible housing.

Date: February 25, 2021

Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. ET

Cost: Free! 

(Participants must register to receive the 

Zoom webinar confirmation email with link)

Speaker: RJ Adler, Business Development Director, Wheel Pad

Register Now!

2021 Virtual AT Expo: Register NOW & Get a Free T-shirt!

It’s time to register for the free 

2021 Virtual Assistive Technology Expo!

The first 10 people who register today 

will receive a free AT Expo t-shirt.

Register Now for the Virtual AT Expo!

See you at the AT Expo!

 

RFP Requests

 

Wheelchair Loans for People with Paralysis

Do you know someone with paralysis 

who can benefit from a wheelchair loan?

The South Carolina Assistive Technology Program (SCATP) is accepting loan applications for three power wheelchairs and three manual wheelchairs. The wheelchairs are available for up to a six-week loan to individuals with paralysis.  SCATP’s “Mobility Independence Project” is funded by the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. 

There is no fee to borrow one of the wheelchairs.  For more information about the “Mobility Independence Project” and to learn how to complete the application and schedule delivery of a wheelchair,  please contact us at 803-935-5263 or carol.page@uscmed.sc.edu or tammy.wallace@uscmed.sc.edu. 

Young Adult Brain Injury Support Group Interest Survey

The Brain Injury Association of South Carolina is offering a virtual support group to young adults (teens through twenties) who have experienced concussions (mTBI) or other brain injuries beginning this March 2021.  

The group will be facilitated by Jasmine Norris, who has experienced 5 concussions in high school and college and recently graduated from USC School of Law.  The Co-facilitator will be Ethan Taylor, Columbia Brain Injury Support Group Leader.   

We are currently gathering interest and creating the space to grow this community throughout the state of South Carolina. Depending on the results of the survey, we may divide the group into two groups depending on ages. 

If you or anyone you know is interested in joining us for this support group, please fill out the survey below and we will be in touch with further details. 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3HKYKQC

Register now for the 2021 Virtual Assistive Technology Expo and get a free t-shirt

The first 10 people who register for the AT Expo today 

will receive a free AT Expo t-shirt.

Register Now!

See you at the Virtual AT Expo!

Survey on Technology to Meet the Needs of People Who are Blind

Are you blind or do you have low vision? 

Have you worked within the last 5 years, or are you seeking work? 

Do you use accommodations, for example assistive technology, reverse contrast, additional lighting, or braille?

If you said “yes” to these questions, then we want to invite you to fill out our accessible online survey. Specific survey topics include:

• Your current employment (including self-employment)
• Seeking employment if you’re not currently employed and are looking
• How you have learned to use assistive technology or tools
• The hiring and onboarding process
• Training provided by your employer
• Working with IT staff
• The social-emotional impact of visual impairment

In addition, there are sections for some participants based on their situation including: 

• Experiencing changes in vision in the last 5 years
• Self-employment
• Telework

The survey should take about 30-45 minutes to complete. You will have the opportunity to enter a raffle to win one of 15 $25 Amazon gift cards.

We’ll use what we learn from this survey to: 

• Help inform technology companies so they can improve their products for accessibility
• Share with vocational rehabilitation (VR) professionals the challenges and solutions workers use, so they can better prepare their clients for work
• Inform IT and HR staff so they can better meet the needs of those applying for and obtaining employment
• Give individuals with vision loss information to ensure they can have a better understanding of how those like themselves use technology to be successful and how they overcome challenges they experience.

Take the Survey! 

If you have any questions or need more information 

please contact Dr. L. Penny Rosenblum, 

AFB Director of Research, prosenblum@afb.org or 202- 202-469-6837.

The survey will close on Sunday evening February 28 at 11:59 Pacific time. 

Virtual Learning: What Parents Should Know

Virtual Learning: 

What Parents Should Know

Date: February 18, 2021

Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. ET

Cost: Free!

Speaker: Madalina Tudora

Register Now!

This session aims to equip parents with the knowledge and resources necessary to support their children in a changing classroom environment.  Strategies for virtual remote learning will be explored.

Madalina Tudora is a RESNA certified Assistive Technology Professional and experienced educator, currently serving as an Assistive Technology Specialist for the SC Department of Education. She worked and studied in Europe, earning her undergraduate degree in Special Education from the University of Bucharest, Romania, and her graduate degree in Psychology from Titu Maiorescu University, Bucharest.

Free pediatric equipment

SCATP just got a HUGE donation 

of pediatric equipment. 

It is all available for FREE! 

Please click the links below for product information: 

• Leckey Activity Chair Size 1
• Leckey Mygo Seat Size 1
• Leckey Squiggles Seat Size 1 
• Leckey Horizon Stander Size 1
• Leckey Mygo Stander Size 2
• Leckey Mygo Seat with Ottobock Stroller Base Size 1
• Leckey Squiggles Seat with Ottobock Stroller Base Size 1

We also have several pediatric gait trainers and standers available. 

Contact alli.upchurch@uscmed.sc.edu 

if you are in need of any pediatric or adult equipment! 

Please register for the 2021 Virtual AT Expo! 

Free Webinar: Building Executive Functions

Assessing and Building Executive Functions

Date: February 11, 2021

Time: 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. ET

Cost: Free!

Speaker: Betsy Hill

Register Here!

Executive Functions are the directive capacities of our minds.  They are essential for learning and social/emotional intelligence, and are strong predictors of how students perform academically, how much money they will earn in their careers, how healthy they will be as adults and whether they will have trouble with the law.  This webinar will discuss how to assess and help build these vital skills.

Following the training, participants will be able to:

• Explain what executive functions are and how they relate to learning and social/emotional competence.
• Identify and use tools to assess executive functions.
• Articulate how executive functions can be developed and the impact of developing these skills.

Betsy Hill is a neuro-educator and President of BrainWare Learning Company.  She has studied the application of neuroscience to teaching and learning with Dr. Patricia Wolfe and other experts and works with educators, clinicians and corporate trainers on using neuroscience research to address some of the most perplexing problems in education, including closing the gap for historically underperforming students.  She addressed issues of college and career preparedness as a trustee and board chair at Chicago State University.  She holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and an MBA from Northwestern University, and teaches strategy at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management and the University of Illinois Chicago.