[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 105 (Thursday, July 30, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S9420]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   UTAH ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, today I pay tribute to the noteworthy 
efforts of the Utah Assistive Technology Program, which has helped 
empower individuals with disabilities, allowing them to live more 
rewarding, productive, and independent lives.
  An estimated 216,100 Utahns of all ages--approximately 10 percent of 
our state's population--live with a disabling condition. Assistive 
technology provides a means whereby these individuals can live and work 
in virtually all areas of society. Stated plainly, assistive technology 
not only improves the quality of life for individuals with disabilities 
but also enables the rest of us to have the benefit of their 
contributions.
  The term ``assistive technology'' encompasses all devices that 
improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. 
Such devices can be as simple as a wheelchair or as high-tech as an 
electronic Liberator, a technological apparatus that makes 
communication possible for disabled individuals who are not able to 
speak. Organizations such as the Utah Assistive Technology Program 
provide services that assist disabled individuals in the selection and 
acquisition of these products.
  With the help of assistive technology, children have received a more 
meaningful and challenging education; adults have undertaken rewarding 
careers; and senior citizens have continued to live independently in 
their own homes.
  The Tech Act, as it is known, passed by Congress in 1988, has proven 
invaluable to the realization of these goals. Under this act, Utah has 
established an impressive assistive technology program. According to my 
fellow Utahn, Ms. Corey Rowley, chairperson of the National Council on 
Independent Living Assistive Technology Task Force, the effectiveness 
of the Utah Assistive Technology Program lies in its ability to 
initiate and coordinate projects with all relevant Utah agencies--an 
integrated effort that transcends any one piece of federal legislation.
  Prominent among its achievements is the creation of the Utah Center 
for Assistive Technology in Salt Lake City--a statewide service center 
that provides invaluable assessments and demonstrations of applicable 
assistive technology devices to consumers. This center also provides 
people with informative guidance concerning available resources to 
acquire these services. While federal funds from the Tech Act were 
crucial to the center's creation, it is now fully funded by the state. 
This is an excellent example of how Utah has been able to leverage a 
small amount of federal funding.
  Mr. President, we must make sure that the Tech Act is reauthorized. 
While this act has already enhanced the lives of many Americans, a 
great need still exists. We must do more. It seems clear that the need 
for assistive technology in the coming years will increase as America's 
population ages. Moreover, we must take full advantage of scientific 
and technological advances that can be applied to persons with 
disabilities.
  Congress will have the opportunity this year to continue a modest 
federal effort to empower individuals with disabilities to learn, to 
work, and to prosper. I hope that all my colleagues will support this 
program.

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