Assistive Technology Reuse: Passing It On to Help Others

Assistive technology (AT) is essentially anything that helps to support people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities in their daily living. Wheelchairs, speech devices, specialized keyboards – all of these are considered assistive technologies. However, the cost of AT devices such as these tends to put them out of many families’ financial reach.

This is why AT reuse is particularly important: It makes AT more accessible to those in need. People who no longer their AT need can donate it to an AT reuse program. The donated item can then be repaired, modified, sanitized and passed on to someone else who can use it – either at a more reasonable cost or free.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) funds a national AT reuse coordination center called the Pass It On Center.  Individuals can visit the site to find reuse programs in their area, and there are reuse programs across the country.