TFL Team Meeting - 09/17/2019

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TFL Mission

  • Increase access to and acquisition of assistive technology devices and services so Georgians of all ages and disabilities can live, learn, work and play independently in communities of their choice.

Team Meeting Expectations

1. All TFL team meetings are no/light device meetings. This means using your device professionally, minimally, as an accommodation, or for emergencies.

2. Be mindful of the time you are given for your updates.

3. Provide thoughtful and comprehensive updates to the team. This time is the opportunity for everyone to learn about TFL projects and activities.

Agenda

TFL Director Updates (Carolyn)

TFL Research Updates (Ben S. & Carolyn)

ATOB:

  • Volume 13 is in final editing. Expect release in October 2019. Thank you, again, Tori for all your hard work on this volume!
  • Volume 14 theme will be "Literacy". Call for Papers closed June 15. We submitted a paper, "Does Mastery of AT in High school Impact Post Secondary Performance?" which is out for Peer Review.

Presentations accepted:

  • GA Ed Tech Conf (Nov 6-8) in ATL. on Mastery of AT in High school and Post Secondary Performance

On DBHDD Contract:

  • Draft report on FY2019 DBHDD Project has been submitted. Thanks to all who provided feedback and critique.
  • New DBHDD FY2020 Project is under way. First invoice & new project report went out yesterday.
  • Team is contacting individuals who were in works in June and scheduling/ making visits.
  • Modifications to DBHDD research records in SRI database are being implemented. Thanks to Ciara and team for excellent input.
  • DBHDD is an enormous project with many facets. Thanks to those taking a leadership roles within the project: Danny on DBHDD inventory, Ciara on data and QC, Martha on organizing visits and consults, and Liz on Training & outreach. We appreciate the valuable roles played by each TFL team member!
  • We are working on the subcontracts with FODAC and CFII to get them up and running.

What Users of AT Wish Developers Knew About Their Literacy Experiences Project

  • Coming to end of a series of IRB submissions & re-submissions
  • Expect to start working with Howard School on first interviews in the next few weeks

Work ACCESS Project

  • Team conducted several focus groups on mobility, workstation accommodation and remembering things in the workplace. More to come in the weeks ahead.
  • Thanks to Liz for pulling the focus group announcements together and sending them out.

Other Decision Trees/Algorithum Projects:

  • K-12 - Phillip Roberts has sharing access to what he has done so far.
  • Paroles & Pardons Project
  • Aging Decision Tree Project (Washington)

Other Projects:

  • Exploring other possible Grant opportunities:
  • HIIAT (High Impact Innovative Assistive Technology) Grants
  • FIP (Field Initiated Proposals) NIDILRR Proposals
  • GVRA Contract
  • Establishing a UX Accessibility Lab (John)
  • Establishing a Consortium for Accessibility Research

TFL State Leadership Activities - (Liz)

  • Data Reminder: Don't forget to include your presentations, trainings, public awareness, education, etc. in the database each month.
  • What Happened
    • GATE - exhibitor registration is now open.
    • Living Alone with Alzheimers event
    • HSHT Self Advocacy training
  • What's Coming up
    • Milo Webinar - Wednesday 9/25 at 3:00PM - please share the annoucement
    • LTC Spain Provider meeting 9/26
    • TFL Advisory Council meeting on 9/24 is cancelled. ATAP call on 9/18.
    • A Morning with Judy Heumann, International Disability Rights Activist
      • Tuesday, October 29, 2019, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
      • Atlanta Friends Meeting, 701 West Howard Avenue, Decatur, GA 30030
    • TFL policy and procedures - Liz, Sam
    • TFL website - Liz, Tori
  • Projects
  • ATAP (AT3) working on SOW for 2020 contract
  • AT Reuse Activities
    • Carolyn, Liz, Danny, others as needed
    • Still continue to provide Reuse TA.
    • Working with AT3 on TA protocol, etc.
    • Disaster Relief Efforts: PIDS - Danny lead, Portal requests - Ciara/Tori
  • GTPE UD Video Project
    • Liz, Sam, Tori, Raminta
    • Writing scripts, Editing videos
  • Work ACCESS - Decision Tree/AT Software KnowledgeBase
    • Carolyn, Liz, Sarah, Ben S.
    • Focus groups - we need participants and would like your input on possible candidates
  • TechSAge 2 - Training and Outreach
    • Carolyn, Liz
    • Continue to provide public awareness and education, Planning continues for competition.
    • Check out the RERC TechSAge website to learn more.
  • GT Wireless RERC - Training and TA
    • Carolyn, Liz, Sam, Raminta
    • Outreach & Public Awareness ongoing (Sam lead)

TFL K-12 Updates- K-12 Initiatives (Gina)

K-12

o K-12 Referrals

  • Approximately 30 active referrals
  • Not accepting any new K-12 referrals for this fiscal year
  • Will take time to complete evaluations and reports for the existing referrals we have

o Other Key Points Regarding K-12 Referrals

  • Will not consider referrals that require signed contracts/paperwork – such as in the case of Independent Educational Evaluations (IEE’s)
  • Working to update our evaluation rates – work in progress
  • Working to update the overall referral process with background information and intake forms to give us a better foundation before beginning evaluations
  • Working to “standardize” our evaluation process – using forms; creating toolkits

o K-12 Meeting

  • Carolyn and I meeting are with Wina, Zel, and Paula today to discuss current trends & plans at Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE)
  • Archdiocese Training – August 27

o Assistive Technology for Reading & Writing

o AT for Calming the Jitters (Fidgets, Alternative Seating, Sensory)

o Tour involving E-Text, Captioning & Described Media, & Braille

  • State Special Education Directors

o September 16, 2019; 1-4

o October 23, 2019; 1-4

o March 16, 2020; 1-4

o State Special Education Directors and administrators will sign up to attend one of the three dates for session here at CIDI. We will cover AT. Interests include: E-Text, Captioning & Described Media, Large print & Braille, AAC & Communication, Smart Pens & Note Taking, PODD Books & Core Vocabulary to support communication in the classroom, PDF and the mark-up process, the use text-to-speech to access PDF and Word docs, fidgets and alternate seating.

  • Georgia Advocacy Office

o Meeting to discuss augmentative-alternative communication last month with a group there

o Affirmation we are all seeing very similar trends

o There is interest in a group coming here for a tour as it has been a while

  • Guest Speaking – Ben’s AAC class at UGA

o September – chance for DeeDee and I to update engineered materials – to create a presentation that can meet serve in a lot of capacities

TFL Direct AT Services - AT Access Updates (Martha)

  • Device Demos All Centers 10/1/18- Present: 1030
  • Device Demo TFL 10/1/18- Present: 180
  • Device Loan All Centers 10/1/18-Present: 553
  • Device Loan TFL 10/1/18- Present: 284
  • Device Reutilization 10/1/18- Present: 6751
  • Contract Updates
  • 1. DBHDD- We have gotten 3 new referrals, however, one was 16. We have begun scheduling appointments. We are trying out new scheduling app (Thanks Ciara!)
  • 2. Other assessments- completed MFP assessment, 2 workplace assessments have been asked about
  • 3. Working with Danny on inventory in AT Lab
  • 4. Receiving several requests for demos as unable to do evals
  • 5. Ciara is working with Heather and EXCEL
  • 6. School Assessments- Cherokee Charter last week and Clayton Co this week
  • 7. KSU Contracts- $1500 and $5000

TFL AT Acquisition Updates (Danny)

Projects: TFL - Activities: Credit-Able, G-Trade, Dollars & Sense, AT Depot Co-op


Credit-Able TBD

gTrade

  1. Working on getting people to use it
  2. Initial push will be for CILs to start referring consumers to it (or using it themselves)
  3. New gTrade specific post card to promote
  4. Phase 2 will involve the library system and other service providers
  5. Redesign will come later

Possible Lunch and Learn

  1. October is "Meet the Blind" month
  2. October 15th is White Cane Safety Day
  3. We talked about possibly doing a lunch n learn here at CIDI that will cover white cane basics, NFB philosophy and Q&A. Danny would lead the logistics

DBHDD Equipment

  1. Equipment is arriving Wednesday morning
    1. 5 pallets
    2. Some assorted boxes
    3. FODAC is graciously delivering items
  2. If you haven't sent availability, do so ASAP
  3. I neglected to check the calendar invite and presumed everyone was on it- sorry!
  4. DBHDD Equipment will be housed downstairs in the (former) Enabling Environments lab. Rusty is working on clearing out as much stuff as possible
  5. The plan:
    1. 2-3 people unpacking items
    2. 1-2 people entering items into the database and printing labels
    3. 2 people minimum assembling shelving

Miscellaneous

  1. Don't forget about the currency reader program, send along people you know that qualify
  2. When you bring equipment back from an expo or demo put it back where you got it, do not randomly put things back in the lab.
    1. Display shelves should have no more than 4 items to avoid looking cluttered.
    2. I'm still fine tuning storage and will send out an updated list of where things are stored within the month.