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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 307 767 EC 220 276 TITLE H.R. 4904, Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988. Hearing before the Subcommittee on Select Education of the Committee on Education and Labor. House of Representatives, One Hundredth Congress, Second Session. INSTITUTION Congress cf the U.S., Washington, D.C. House Committee on Education and Labor. PUB DATE 30 Jun 88 NOTE 105p.; Serial No. 100-103. Some pages contain small print. AVAILABLE FROMSuperintendent of Documents, Congressional Sales Office, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. PUB TYPE Legal/Legislative/Regulatory Materials (090) EDRS PRICE MF01 Plus Postage. PC Not Available from EDRS. DESCRIPTORS *Assistive Devices (for Disabled); *Disabilities; *Federal Legislation; Hearings; Normalization (Handicapped); Program Development; State Programs; *Technology IDENTIFIERS Congress 100th; Proposed Legislation ABSTRACT Testimony is presented on H.R. 4904, "Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988." The legislation allows states to apply for grants to be used to- develop and implement a consumer-responsive statewide program of technology-related assistance. States may develop the program by providing assistive technology devices and services, by developing ,..n information dissemination system, by establishing or enhancing training and technical assistance, or by designing public awareness projects. Statements, letters, and supplemental materials are included from: (1) two Representatives in Congress, Steve Bartlett and James Jeffords;(2) representatives of government agencies, including the Minnesota Governor's Initiative on Technology for People with Disabilities and the Rehabilitation Services Administration; (3) representatives from private agencies, including Coalition on Technology and Disability, Apple Computer, Inc., American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and Council for Exceptional Children; and (4) a private citizen with quadriplegia. (JDD) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document. * ********************************************************************** r H.R. 4904, TECHNOLOGY TED ASSISTANCE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH .DISABIIITIESACT OF 1988 c) i HEARING bEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON SELECT EDUCATION CYZ OF THE COMMITTEE ON CIT4 EDUCATION AND LABOR HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDREDTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION HEARING HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, JUNE 30, 1988 Serial No. 100-103 Printed for th, use of the Committee on Education and Labor U.S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office 0 Educatoruu Research a, d Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERICI Th.5 document has been reproduced as received from the person or orgamtation onoinating t Minor changes have Leen made to improve reproduction Quality Points of view or opinions stated in t his docu ment do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 91-253 WASHINGTON : 1988 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Sales Office U S Government Pnnting Office, Wnshinctor, DC 20402 2 BEST COPYAVAILABLE fir COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR AUGUSTUS F HAWKINS, California,Chairman WILLIAM D. FORD, Michigan JAMES M. JEFFORDS, Vermont JOSEPH M GAYDOS, Pennsylvania WILLIAM F GOODLING, Pennsylvania WILLIAM (BILL) CLAY, Missouri E THOMAS COLEMAN, Missouri MARIO BIAGGI, New York THOMAS E PETRI, Wisconsin AUSTIN J. MURPHY, Pennsylvania MARGE ROUKEMA, New Jersey DALE E. KILDEE, Michigan STEVE GUNDERSON, Wisconsin PAT WILLIAMS, Montana STEW BARTLETT, Texas MATTHEW G MARTINEZ, California THOMAS J TAUKE, Iowa MAJOR R. OWENS, New York RICHARD K ARMEY, Texas CHARLES A HAYES, Illinois HARRIS W FAWELL, Illinois CARL C. PERKINS, Kentucky PAUL B HENRY, Michigan THOMAS C. SAWYER, Ohm FRED GRANDY, Iowa STEPHEN J. SOLARZ, New York CASS BALLENGER, Noith Carolina ROBERT E. WISE,JR, West Virginia TIMOTHY J. PENNY, Minnesota BILL RICHARDSON, New Mexico TOMMY F. ROBINSON, Arkansas PETER J. VISCLOSKY, Indiana CHESTER G. ATKINS, Massachusetts JAMES JONTZ, Indiana SUBCOMMITTEE ON SELECT EDUCATIC;. MAJOR R OWENS. New York. Chairman PAT WILLIAMS, Montana STEVE BARTLETT, Texas MARIO BIAGGI, New York JAMES M JEFFORDS. Vermont AUGUSTUS F HAWKINS, California (Ex Officio) (Ex Officio) '.) 1 3 3ffittiiAVA Y(30::! t -) ( CONTENTS Page Hearing held in Washington, DC, on June 30, '988 ...... ........ ....... 1 Statement of Batavia, Andrew, consumer 5 Morris, Michael, Coalition on Technology and Disability ...... ........ 34 Suter, Susan S, Commissioner, Rehabilitation Services Administration, U.S. Department of Education.. ....... ... ....... .......... ........ .......... ............ ...... 21 Prepared statements, letters, supplemental materials, et cetera: American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Council on Engineering, i re- pared statement of 70 Apple Computer, Inc., prepared statement of ...... ........... .. 53 Bartlett, Hon. Steve, a Representative in Congress fr.( m the State of Texas, prepared statement of......... ............. ...... .. ...... ...... 99 Batavia, Andrew I., consumer, prepared statement with attachments ..... .. 7 Council for Exceptional Children, prepared statement cf 74 riovernor's Initiative on Technology for People with Disabilities, State of Minnesota, prepared statement of ... ........ .. ....... ....... .. 59 Jeffords, Hon. James M., a Representative in Congress from the State of Vermont, prepared statement of 3 Morris, Michael, prepared statemert on behalf of the Coalrion on Tech- nology and Disability 38 Suter, Susan S , Commissioner, Rehabilitation Services Administration, prepared statement of 23 (II H.R. 4904, TECHNOLOGY- RELATEI) ASSISTANCE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES ACT OF 1J88 THURSDAY. JUNE 30. 1988 U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR, SUBCOMMITTEE ON SELECT EDUCATION, Washington, DC. The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:05 a.m., in room 2257, Rayburn Office Building, Hon. Major Owens [chairman of the subcommittee] presiding. Members present: Representatives Owens, Bartlett, and Jeffords. Staff present: Maria Cuprill, Patricia Laird, Jillian Evans, Gary Granofsky and Sally Lovejoy. Mr. OWENS. This hearing of the subcommittee will e to order. We are here today to hear testimony related to H.tt. 4904, which is the "Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabil- ities Act of 1988." There are 35 million Americans with disabilities t- lio are unable to perform many ordinary tasks that those of us who are not dis- abled take for granted, such as independently reading a book, turn- ing on a light, or communicating a simple need. Thk, frustration is augmented by the fact that while there may be devices to help these individuals, they may lack knowledge about them, or may not have the money to buy them. The technological revolution has benefited and changed our lives and our society, yet it seems that the population which could best utilize this technology has been unable to enjoy the products ofour progress. The "Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988" will begin to remedy these inequities. This innovative legislation will allow the States to apply for grants which will be used to develop and implement a consumer- responsive Statewide program of technology-related assistance. A State may decide to accomplish such a program by providing assis- tive technology devices and services, by developing an information dissemination system, by establishing or enhancing training and technical assistance, and by designing public awareness projects. The strength of this program is in its flexibility to provide assist- ance through any or all of these suggested activities or any others that may serve the identified technological needs of the disabled citizens of their State. The private and public sectors have played a critical role in the development and expansion of assistive technological devices. Their (1) 5 2 part in creating and des'gningnew devices and products has not been overlooked in this legislation.A State may use its grant to support the establishment or continuation of partnerships andco- operative initiatives whichare already in place between the public and private sector. The student and facultydemonstrations at Gallaudet University earlier this year called worldattention to the fact that toomany policy-makers and employers stilltreat Americans with disabilities as if they were incapable of takingcare of themselves and govern- ing their own lives. This assistivetechnological devices and services legislation is a major vehiclefor broadening the Americans with Disabilities Empowerment Movement,of which the Gallaudet dem- onstrations were a v'tal part We first step toward hope this legislation will be the a world in which disabled Americans willno longer be held back by theirimpairments or by wrongly heldas- sumptions that they have toomany limitations to be able to func- tion as capably as anyone else inour society. The "Technology-RelatedAssistance For Individuals With Dis- abilities Act of 1988" is the resultof a bipartisan effort in both the House an i Senate in partnershipwith the disability community. It is not often that a bill receivesbipartisan and bicameral support. I would like to congratulate allthose individuals who workedso dili- gently in developing this legislation. I yield to Mr. Jeffords, thesponsor of this legislation for an open- ing statement.