President Bush recently signed the Assistive Technology Act funds which primarily funds state programs that provide assistive technology (AT) devices and services to individuals with disabilities. The bill includes many of ASHA's recommendations including:
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making AT legislation a regular authorization by waiving the current sunset provision;
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ensuring that funding would continuously be made available for AT programs;
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including students with disabilities in the required state transition assistance programs;
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establishing universal design principles that are usable by people with the widest range of functional capabilities;
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increasing teacher training on AT devices and services for children with disabilities;
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continuing state protection and advocacy programs; and
- including a minimum state grant of $410,000.
The final version of H.R. 4278 can be found at http://thomas.loc.gov. In the textbox at the top of the page, enter "H.R. 4278". Go to bullet number 5, "Engrossed Amendment as Agreed to by Senate." For more information, please contact Linda S. Lucas, ASHA's Director of Grassroots Advocacy, via e-mail at llucas@asha.org or by phone at 800-498-2071, ext. 4427.
