Welcome

Perhaps you have seen an announcement on the directory Assistive Technologies: Creating a Universe of Opportunities for People with Disabilities. The publication presents the most comprehensive directory of assistive technology manufacturers ever published.

The directory lists hundreds of assistive technology manufacturers in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. Employers, educators and rehabilitation workers looking for information on products benefiting speech impaired, blind, visually impaired, deaf, hearing impaired, physically challenged and mobility challenged individuals will discover it in the book. Additional contents include: summaries of federal legislation passed on disability issues; an overview on the status of assistive technology today; key Supreme Court decisions on the Americans with Disabilities Act; 12 columns by author John M. Williams; articles by IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, Deque, Kurzweil and their philosophies behind accessibility policies; and definitions of assistive technology terms.

The directory is published by Assistive Technology News and the CTC Foundation (http://www.ctcfoundation.org), and it will be available on-line on a password-protected basis, on CD and in print format. The web data and CD will be updated quarterly. An audio version of the book will be available for people with visual challenges. The contents will be disaggregated in a number of ways to be most usable by human resource managers, educational, adult, children and parent, among other communities. Before its release in October, the directory will be reviewed by an appropriate cross-section of organizations to ensure that it is user-friendly to as broad an audience as possible. The book is a one-stop source for people looking for information on AT products worldwide.

The Board of Directors of the Foundation and I are very pleased to be involved with this directory since it fits so squarely with our mission: to improve not only the nation’s economic viability, but also individuals with disabilities quality of life.