Ross,
You might want to examine the procedure by which people obtain access to technology as a form of oppression. In our area, for example, there are subsidies related to certain equipment, but the process by which one receives the technology can be both intimidating and humiliating ( as well as absurd). I am thinking about one program --my son was not able to access a communication device because he had to exhibit mastery of its use before its purchase in order to do so. I offered to go into debt to purchase it outright, then teach him over a number of months to learn how to use it, (he needs a great deal of time to become acclimatized to new things) and then ask for the supplemental funding, but that was turned down because the rule was that a certain signature had to go on the form predating purchase. In other instances, individuals or their families have to continually prove that the child is still disabled, year after year, in order to access items.
Something else comes to mind---do you remember the whole turmoil over FC-facilitated communication a couple of years ago? I remember that the Canon hand held communicator, prior to that could be purchased for a few hundred dollars, but when the whole FC thing hit, suddenly the price skyrocketed over $1000. I'm sure there are many instances of this type of market shift which also negatively impacts the lives of individuals with disabilities.--Janice Adams
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