Three States Awarded ACL Assistive Technology Grants

Image: a man wearing casual attire using a wheelchair waving at a laptop on his lap

ACL announced three new discretionary grant awards in response to the Assistive Technology (AT) Alternative Financing Program (AFP) Funding Opportunity Announcement, HHS-2022-ACL-CIP-ATTF-0055. The grant awards total $1,981,653 and will go to the following organizations in Maryland, Michigan, and Florida:

  • Maryland Technology Assistance Program,
  • United Cerebral Palsy Association of Michigan, Inc., and
  • Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology, Inc.  

Many individuals with disabilities and older Americans do not have the private financial resources to purchase the AT they need. Major service programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, and Vocational Rehabilitation cannot meet the growing demand for AT. The AFP offers individuals attractive options that significantly enhance access to AT in a way that underscores independence and inclusion. The AT AFP priority reflects ACL’s vison for individuals with disabilities across the lifespan to access and acquire needed AT devices and services through alternative financing mechanisms. 

The new AFP grants, which are authorized under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022, will establish or expand alternative financing programs designed to enable individuals with disabilities of all ages and their family members, advocates, and authorized representatives to purchase AT devices or services to achieve community living, education, and employment goals. The AFPs will also emphasize consumer choice and control and build programs to provide financing for the full array of AT devices and services to ensure that all people with disabilities—regardless of type of disability or health condition, age, level of income, and residence—have access to the Alternative Financing Program.

FMI You can contact your state or territory AT Program directly at State/Territory AT Programs – AT3 Center for information and assistance to increase your awareness and access to AT devices and services and find out about available alternative financing programs and state financing activities where you live. Reach out to the National Assistive Technology Act Technical Assistance and Training (AT3) Center, Contact us – AT3 Center , for more information about AFPs, resources and additional state financing activities that help people get the AT they need. For additional information, visit ACL’s  AT Programs webpage

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