CIDI is pleased to lead a multi-disciplinary team to develop a Community of Practice on Assistive Technology, the Assistive Tech Network.  Our internal team is partnering with the Assistive Technology Industry Association, the Assistive Technology (AT) Act Programs from Alaska, Georgia, Guam, Montana, and Texas, and the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL). 

Assistive Tech Network’s Community of Practice connects people with disabilities and older adults, AT providers and social service case managers, and AT industry representatives through an innovated social media platform.  The community encourages interactive multi-media dialogues about assistive technology discovery, selection, application, customization, and training.  The Community of Practice builds on previous development products from CIDI, including AssistiveTech.net and its associated ATWiki. 

Background research activities will support the development of the community, prioritizing the sections of the community that need to be built out, identifying existing assistive technology gaps and other unmet needs of the community, examining changes in community members’ comfort using new assistive technologies and self-advocacy efforts, and describing the ways in which community members use the platform. 

The community of practice would benefit people with disabilities and older adults regarding assistive technology applications, enabling them to make informed choices about assistive technology use.  Assistive Technology practitioners and social service case managers would be able to identify training and education needs of their clients.  Finally, researchers and industry representatives could identify gaps in assistive technologies that create barriers to community living and participation. 

The National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) has sponsored this project for a three-year period (2020 – 2023).  However, to ensure community sustainability, subscription models and other funding mechanisms are being investigated as development continues. 

Check back for instructions on how to join the community as we complete development and launch in late 2023! 

** The Assistive Tech Network is developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (grant number 90DPGE0015).  NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this page do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.