United States Assistive Technology Act of 1998 - Essay Example

? United s "Assistive Technology Act of 1998" Insert Insert Grade Insert This paper shall focus on the U.S Assistive Technology Act of 1998 as enacted by Congress. The act has three main issues that also led to its enactment with an aim of technically assisting persons with disabilities within the context of technological inclusion. To begin, the act provides for financial assistance through grant by the federal government for programs providing assistive technology. Secondly, it provides a framework for facilitation of assistance through the establishment of national technical support programs within the 56 states and territories of the country (Congress, 2009). The third issue concerns the protection, coordination and promotion of the established program within the stated jurisdiction. In addition, since funding may be susceptible to abuse, the act establishes the checks and balances of ensuring proper management and use of availed funds. The 1998 act is majorly concerned with the provision of technical support for the persons with disability in the country so that they are able to perform their tasks and efficiently dispose off their daily activities. This is based on the fact that with new technology the disabled should not be left behind, but accorded the best alternatives of handling tasks through the facilitation of information dissemination and training programs for other personnel related to the program. The act also calls for coordination between the federal government and states agencies for the implementation of this program. Since the area of educational facilities and learning materials was the most affected, the act was mainly facilitated by the federal department of education (Watson, 2007). Persons with disabilities in the country have long been faced with challenges for the access of physical infrastructure like buildings besides not being able to access certain services like proper education. With the advancement in technology, it has been a challenge for the physically disabled to cope with innovation. The act is, therefore, established to take advantage of modern technology to enhance and support activities of the disabled and reverse the trend where new technology poses a challenge to most disabled individuals. The policy maker was concerned because technological change is also a major driver for economic development of the country. For instance, it is notable that in the education sector alone, about over 10% of the enrolled undergraduates as of the year 2004 were disabled (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2005). The political motives and implications behind this program were varied. As a key component, the act serves the purposes of ensuring that the right of equitable access to facilities and services by the disabled members of the population is guaranteed. The policy implications is that the program required that the institutions of learning and other sector administrators develop appropriate frameworks for the facilitation of the assisted programs for the benefit of persons with disabilities. Engineering designs for the various information and technology tools are also to be designed taking into account the usability of these individuals. The act also requires equal representation of all the stakeholders related to the issues of the assistive technology as composed in the advisory council of the act. The process of establishing this act can be traced back to the year 1987 when there was push for the establishment of policy in the aid of assisting the persons with disability to competently cope with the new technology. The following year, therefore, congress enacted an act to be able to ensure this objective. However, in the recognition that the first act was majorly based on the provision of disability friendly structures and building plans and provision of basic aid materials and implements such as wheel chairs, there was need for review especially to capture the area of technological assistance. It is in the light of this that the act was rejuvenated to capture this emerging technicality in the year 1998. Implementation is mainly enforced through the various and relevant state agencies with the assistance of the federal government through four technical programs (Wallace, 2003). Outreach, funding and provision of necessary materials are some of the strategies employed by the responsible implementing organs for the success of the act. There is also training of the various parties involved in the direct handling of the technical support of the persons identified to be beneficiaries of the program. The act has therefore elicited a great difference in the way the stakeholders of this matter have conducted themselves or felt the effect of this program. For instance, the educational human resources and health professionals have been required to attend training programs for smooth implementation. In addition, the employers of the persons with disabilities have had to change their systems to ensure that this category of persons is well taken care of through provision of favorable work environments. In effect, school systems, health care institutions and other organizations have had to take into account the provisions of the act (Watson, Ito, Smith and Andersen, 2010). Lastly, it is important to point out that people with disabilities have had improved welfare as a result of the implementation and the improvement of this act to capture the daily challenges they meet in performing tasks (Carey, DelSordo & Goldman, 2004). Conversely, the policy has been changed to be able to meet the challenges faced during its implementation. This was done through the amendment of the act in the year 2004 (ATAP, 2013). The various components captured in the amendment include the extension of the program to the year 2010. The other issue captured in the alteration is the addition of provisions that require strict scrutiny in the areas of funding organizations and individuals that qualify for such funding. The amendment also stresses universality by including validity to persons of all ages into the program. The purpose of this amendment was therefore to ensure that the gains of this act were being achieved. It is also evident that some of the sections provided loop holes for exploitation and hence the stringent registration and qualification requirements for those who applied for federal funding. They were also made to ensure that there is no discrimination during implementation of the program in the basis of age, gender or any other social status bearing of persons affected. The policy has various benefits. First, it ensures that persons with disabilities are being accorded technological support. As a result, it is an instrument of empowering persons with disabilities who were vulnerable in the communities they lived in; the program also ensures that health care support programs and institutions have adequate resources to meet the requirements of disabled patients. The persons with disabilities have also been given a good working, learning and personal development environment that they have longed for. However, the policy needs to be strengthened to eliminate a major weakness arising from the challenge at the implementation phase. The act should therefore be improved to ensure that it provides efficient frameworks for implementation so that there is no discrimination. References ATAP (2013). ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY ACT OF 1998, AS AMENDED Public Law 108-364. Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs. Retrieved from http://www.ataporg.org/summaryact.html Carey, A. C., DelSordo, V., and Goldman, A. (2004). Assistive Technology for All: Access to Alternative Financing for Minority Populations. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 14, (4), p.194-203. Congress (2009). Congressional Record, V. 150, Pt. 9, June 2, 2004 to June 16, 2004. New York: Government Printing Office Wallace, J. (2003). A Policy Analysis Of The Assistive Technology Alternative Financing Program in the United States. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 14, (2), p. 74-81. Watson, A. (2007). The Effect of Assistive Technology Devices and Services in a Public School. New York: Proquest publishing. Watson, A., Ito, M., Smith, R., and Andersen, L. (2010). Effect of Assistive Technology in a Public School Setting. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 64, (1), p. 18-29. . 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