UpDate - Vol. 12, No. 3, Page 2                                
September 17, 1992                                             
Technology centers to assist those with disabilities           
                                                               
     New centers designed to deliver the best in state-of-the-art    
equipment and technical assistance for people with disabilities will 
be opening this fall in each of Delaware's three counties, under a new        
program administered by the University of Delaware's Center for      
Applied Science and Engineering in Rehabilitation.                   
     The Technology Resource Centers (TRCs) are designed to improve  
access to assistive technology devices and services.                 
     Assistive technology is a broad term that includes devices to   
help persons with disabilities in their daily lives. It includes     
everything from such familiar items as wheelchairs and talking books 
to electronic voices and specialized computers that can be used      
without touching the keyboard. Each TRC will make such devices       
available to local communities.                                      
     The New Castle County TRC is Delaware Elwyn, located at 321 East
11th St. in Wilmington. The Kent and Sussex County TRCs will be      
managed by Easter Seal of Del-Mar and located at the Kent County     
Orthopedic School in Dover and the Easter Seal Rehabilitation Center 
in Georgetown.                                                       
     Currently these three sites are acquiring collections of devices   
and materials. Later this fall, when they are fully operational, an  
open house will be held at each location.                            
     The general responsibilities of each TRC will be to provide     
information and hands-on demonstrations concerning                   
assistive-technology devices and approaches to persons with          
disabilities, parents, professionals, employers, businesses and the  
general public.                                                      
     Each TRC also will provide and participate in training activities        
concerning technology and awareness and provide technical assistance 
to consumers, service providers, policy makers and others. The centers        
also are charged with generating information concerning technology and        
services.                                                            
     The resources of each TRC will be available to individuals of all        
ages, with all types of disabling conditions. According to Delaware  
Department of Pubic Health estimates, the percentage of the state's  
population with disabilities is expected to increase 31 percent from 
1985 to the year 2000, more than twice the expected growth of the    
general population.                                                  
     The centers are part of the Delaware Assistive Technology 
Initiative (DATI) which is funded by a $1.5 million, three-year grant
from the U.S. Department of Education, National Institute on         
Disability and Rehabilitation Research.                              
     DATI, a program of the Center for Applied Science and Engineering        
at the University of Delaware, serves individuals of all ages with   
debilitating conditions, including mental and physical disabilities, 
chronic health problems, learning disabilities and impairment of     
hearing, vision and speech. DATI's central office is housed at the   
A.I. du Pont Institute in Wilmington.                                
     For more information, contact DATI at (302) 651-6790 (voice) or 
651-6794 (text telephone).                                           
                                        -Beth Thomas