April Open House Welcomes Many Visitors
IATP welcomed approximately 300 visitors to its new home at 701 North Walnut Street, Springfield, Il, for its 2023 Open House and Building Dedication. IATP officially moved to the new location in late 2022. The new facility allowed for the expansion of established programs and the introduction of new programs.
Guests were able to tour the 52,000 square foot building and learn about all IATP programs. Visitors enjoyed hands-on access to a large inventory of assistive technology in the Demonstration Center and Smart Home Center, witnessed the creation of specialized assistive technology in the Makerspace, experienced the fully accessible Tech Kitchen, and learned about our Reuse Program.
IATP thanks everyone who attended our 2023 Open House. Visitor remarks included:
- Thank you for the invite. I was like a kid in a candy store…
- Being able to see the equipment and software has been beneficial to me. I did not realize how many different types of Magnifying CCTV’s that are available.
- Your loaner program will also come in handy for us.
- I thoroughly enjoyed the open house tour last Wednesday, your team is to be commended for the outstanding work and service they provide to so many people. The redesign of the building is incredible and I like what has been done…
- We loved the whole open house. I was very impressed with the set up and everyone there. I had three littles with me who were very interested in everything. They asked lots of questions and each person working the stations were so patient and explained what the devices were used for and how they are used. What a wonderful place IATP is with an awesome staff! Thanks for having us.
If you were unable to join us and would like a personal tour of our facility, please contact us.
Plan to Attend the IATP Open House
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19th: 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM
701. N. Walnut Street, Springfield, IL
Join us for an Open House to visit with staff, see a wide array of Assistive Technology (AT) devices, and learn more about our new programs and existing services.
Tour our new building and visit our:
- Expanded Demonstration Center
- Interactive Smart Home
- Accessible Tech Kitchen
- IATP Makers Fabrication Lab
To help us with our planning, please R.S.V.P. by calling (217) 522-7985 or email iatp@iltech.org
Download our PDF
If you are not familiar with IATP’s services, please explore our website. IATP’s certified Assistive Technology Professionals have expertise in a variety of disciplines including occupational therapy, speech language pathology, rehabilitation engineering, information technology, and education consulting. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you.
Our exciting new work home
IATP is excited to announce that we are now at our new location at 701 North Walnut Street in Springfield, Illinois! As an agency, we remain committed to our established programs and look forward to implementing the new programs this move supports.
We are still in the process of setting up an interactive Smart Home Display, completing installations in our new accessible kitchen to be used for teaching as part of the Tech Kitchen Program, and finalizing new equipment set ups related to the expansion of the IATP Makers Program.
IATP is grateful to our many funders who allow us to continue to provide services to Illinois individuals with disabilities and those with changing needs due to aging. We look forward to having everyone visit us at our new home soon. Please contact us to arrange a visit!
If you are not familiar with IATP’s services, please explore our website. IATP’s certified Assistive Technology Professionals have expertise in a variety of disciplines including occupational therapy, speech language pathology, rehabilitation engineering, information technology, and education consulting. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you.
IATP Partners with Adaptive Equipment Corner
Adaptive Equipment and Caregiving Corner(AE Corner) is an Illinois small business that offers education and training developed and presented by licensed therapists (Occupational, Physical, and Speech Therapy). A library of short videos targeted to help individuals and caregivers is now available through the IATP partnership and allows you to access informative training resources when it best meets your schedule. AECorner’s Support Library includes the following Video Series:
- Caregiver Series: Whether you’re new to caregiving or a seasoned caregiver, this series not only shows you ways to provide safe care but also ways to keep yourself safe, too.
- Home Safety Tool Kit: This series helps family caregivers assess and set up a loved one’s home environment for a successful return after a stay in a hospital or skilled nursing facility.
- Preparing for Hip Surgery: This series helps individuals and family caregivers prepare themselves and their home for a successful return after hip surgery.
- Preparing for Knee Surgery: This series helps individuals and family caregivers prepare themselves and their home for a successful return after knee surgery.
- Pick Your Fit Exercise Series: This is a collection of exercises and stretches that meet the individual at their particular physical skill level. Whether it’s gentle stretching while sitting in a chair or leg strengthening exercises performed lying down, this series has something for everyone.
Lisa’s Story of How IATP Services Helped Her Mother
I first brought my mom to IATP in February 2022. She has macular degeneration with less than 10% vision in her left eye and reduced vision in her right eye. She no longer drives and is finding everyday things more difficult. She has been using regular magnifying glass items for a few years, but this was becoming a struggle. One of the major struggles she was having was the ability to read a recipe or the back of a package to understand the quantity or even the amount of time needed on the microwave. She lives independently but I would get at least a call a day to see if I had the same product and could tell her the information. (Google Photos was my friend!) This was extremely frustrating to my independent mom and I could tell that every call was making her feel “less” in her abilities.
We came to find what other options were available. I am a special education teacher, so I knew there was more that could be done. We had a wonderful time looking at all of the options. My mother is very “tech nervous” with new things, but the Demonstration Coordinator was wonderful in working with her insecurities. We left with a handheld device through the Reuse Program and another larger magnifying device from Device Loan to see if it would work for some other issues.
I no longer need to “look up” instructions and my mom has been confidently cooking and baking every day!!!! Not good for our diet in my house…lol. The spirit and joy that has accompanied this handheld device is not easy to describe. I see more confidence even when we go grocery shopping….yes, she brings it with her, so I don’t need to hover around in case she needs me to read something. This was something she really hated even though it was needed. She is now looking at new items in the grocery store and is willing to try them knowing she won’t need to call me for help.
The device we received from Device Loan didn’t work well for her. When we returned it to the agency, I was able to get her to look at the other desktop devices. I wanted her to try this style of device so she could regain some other passions….crossword puzzles, catalog shopping, looking at the grocery flyers for the best deals and reading the TV Guide. We were able to get a nice desktop video magnifier from the Reuse Program this time. Over the last three days she has called me at least 20 times with excitement about this new lease on life. She has read 3 copies of my TV Guide (she had canceled her subscription and got me one so I could read it to her!), all of her catalogs (I think she has started Christmas shopping already!), completed 4 crossword puzzles and we have a list of groceries to go get this Wednesday in 3 different stores!
I cannot stress enough the change in my mom over the past month with these independent devices. She has always been fiercely independent, and she was starting to feel like she was a burden to us. Now she can do the simple things in life everyday with confidence!
Submitted by Lisa, Betty’s daughter
Meet Travis
Travis is a business owner and entrepreneur who is working toward building a public relations and marketing company in the Peoria area. He recently completed an evaluation with IATP to help identify the assistive technology options and related training that will help support his work and productivity. Travis was born with muscular dystrophy and has used a power wheelchair most of his life. He has difficulty using his hands which limits his keyboarding speed and ability to use a computer mouse. He worked with an assistive technology specialist to install voice recognition software on his computer and learn all the features of the program. He can now navigate his computer with his voice, dictate content instead of keyboarding, and create shortcuts to make some tasks less repetitive. Travis can now work more quickly, particularly when writing copy for advertising and websites. He is also using an external microphone which allows him to just roll up to his computer and begin working with no assistance.