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People with disabilities in the Black Belt will have a chance to see the latest in assistive technology on June 27 in the Selma High School gym. The show will start at 10 a.m. and be open until 5 p.m.The demonstration is designed for people in Dallas andsurrounding counties, including Wilcox. Assistive technology devices include a wheelchair, a speech device for those who can’t communicate verballyor a device to help visually impaired people see a computer screen. Prosthetic arms and legs are not included in this classification. Thursday’s demonstration is sponsored by Accessing Potential through Assistive Technology, a federally funded grant program for Alabama with the goal of increasing awareness and access to assistive technology for people with disabilities. Jessica McKay, an assistive technology specialist and APTAT coordinator, said they attend shows in big cities frequently, but they realized some people in rural areas may not be able to attend these shows. To be sure people in rural areas are fully aware of available assistive technologies, APTAT is touring the state with their Rural Road Show. McKay explained they grouped rural Alabama Counties into 10 groups. APTAT will visit a central location in each group to give people in those counties an opportunity to attend a show close by. Marengo County is in a group with Choctaw, Green and Sumter counties. No word yet on when the Rural Road Show will be in that group. McKay said most likely the show will be in Demopolis when it is set. Attendees will see displays of numerous different technologies available for a wide variety of disabilities. Experts will be on hand to explain the devices and help acquire needed devices. McKay said people can try some devices before they buy. She also said a lending program through APTAT will allow people to borrow a device for 30 days to see if it will work for them before they purchase it. “It is very frustrating and disheartening to spend hundreds of dollars on a device only to find it does not work for you,” McKay said. To sign up for the lending program you can start an account at www.al.at4all.com. Although registration isn’trequired, McKay said it helps them to know what technologies may be needed in the area. To sign up go to www.surveymonkey.com/r/RQ6RG3K.
