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An African-American family at the playground with a happy young daughter in a wheelchair. She is smiling and pointing at her young brothers who are running in circles around her and their parents.
Assistive technology helps kids be kids.
We want to help families fund it.
We are pleased to announce that Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF) has been awarded a grant from the Pennsylvania Disability Advocacy Fund, a fund of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities, to help families of children with disabilities fund assistive technology.

With this grant we will reach out to families who have a child(ren) under 18 with a physical disability and provide them with information about funding resources, including our loan programs, for assistive technology (AT). Our goal is to make it possible for families who are not eligible for major government funding (such as Home and Community-Based Services waiver programs) to have access to the AT they need.

Examples of assistive technology include:
  • Home accessibility modifications including bathrooms and entryways
  • Porch lifts and ramps
  • Vehicle modifications
  • Hearing aids
  • Smart home technology
  • Computers, tablets, and apps
  • And more!
A young girl smiles while tapping the screen of a tablet.
A boy with a hearing aid plays guitar in the grass.
A mother and son who has a physical disability ride a tandem adapted bicycle together while smiling.
We are excited to better serve these members of our community, and we need your help!
Are you a family member of a child under 18 with a physical disability?

Do you work with families of children under 18 years old with physical disabilities?

If you answered yes, we would love to connect with you to spread the word!
One white hand holds a piece of paper while the other hand writes on it. The paper says Financial Empowerment Is and the person is writing the word Knowledge.
PATF awarded Non-Profit Organization of the Year
Gold badge with the words Excellence in Financial Literacy Education EIFLE
We are excited to share that Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF) has received the Non-Profit Organization of the Year 2021 Excellence In Financial Literacy Education (EIFLE) Award from the Institute for Financial Literacy.

PATF was one of ten recipients honored for their distinguished accomplishments in developing, implementing, and promoting successful financial literacy education worldwide.
In the News
Two white hands hold a newspaper
New legislation is groundbreaking for workers with disabilities receiving MAWD
On July 1st, Senate Bill 156, sponsored by Senator Bob Mensch, was signed into law by Governor Tom Wolf as Act 69 of 2021.

Act 69 makes it possible for people who receive Medical Assistance for Workers with Disabilities (MAWD) to increase their earnings under a new category of MAWD called Workers with Job Success (WJS). This new category covers workers earning up to 600% of the poverty level - roughly $76,000 annually.

This legislation is momentous because it means many workers with disabilities will finally be able to work extra hours or accept a raise or a promotion and still be eligible for their health care and home and community-based services waiver benefits.


Read about the impetus for this groundbreaking law in "You can't, I will" by Josie Badger, PATF board member and a primary advocate for this legislation.
Coming this fall
A guide to smart home technology and a new educational website
Stay tuned in September and October for the release of a brand new publication, Smart Homes Made Simple: Your Guide to Smart Home Technology, and the launch of a newly rebuilt SmartHomesMadeSimple.org!

Together, the guide and website will provide people with disabilities, older adults, and their families with the information and resources needed to choose, plan, fund, install, and maintain smart home technology.
Second edition of our assistive technology funding guide
The long-awaited second edition of our book, Funding Your Assistive Technology: A Guide to Funding Resources in Pennsylvania, will be published this fall.

The new guide will include a thorough list of 60 possible assistive technology funding resources available for Pennsylvanians that have been individually researched and contacted by our staff.

In addition, the guide includes a re-write of Chapter 4: Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Waiver Programs. The new chapter provides up-to-date and comprehensive information you won't find anywhere else about acquiring assistive technology through Pennsylvania's waiver programs.
Prize ribbon graphic
PATF's 7th annual Show Us Your Tech photo contest
Each November we celebrate Assistive Technology Awareness Month with a photo contest where members of our community share pictures of themselves using assistive technology (AT) and captions that describe the difference their AT makes in their lives.

As summer winds down and November is right around the corner, get ready to SHOW US YOUR TECH!

Please join us in welcoming new PATF staff
Peder Wiegner headshot
Peder Wiegner
Strategic Initiatives Director
Wendy Harkins David headshot
Wendy Harkins Davis
Outreach Director
Carrie Anderson headshot
Carrie Anderson
Administrative Assistant
Ways to Give
Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1998, that provides financing opportunities, education, and advocacy for people with disabilities and older Pennsylvanians, helping them to acquire assistive technology devices and services that improve the quality of their lives.
Donate

You Shop, AmazonSmile Gives
Shop using smile.amazon.com_ch_23-2953796 and Amazon donates to Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation. 

United Way
Give to the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey and designate PATF by writing donor choice #13064 in the comment section on the form.
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