"It is time for the laws that already exist to be fully implemented, for the technology that has already been developed to reach its intended users, and, most of all, it is time for the people who need the technology finally to get the tools to go to work, to learn, to become active, involved citizens, and to reach their own best potential." — Jacquelyn Brand, Parent Advocate and Founder, Alliance for Technology Access
The Alliance for Technology Access, the national organization of assistive technology centers of which LINC is a member, served as an advisor and partner on the groundbreaking film, Freedom Machines, that aired on public television stations across the nation this winter. The fillm was made to increase awareness of and access to assistive technology.
The documentary shows how technology can change lives. A report from the Department of Labor found that while 79% of non-disabled, working aged adults are employed, only 37% of those with disabilities have been able to secure jobs. Often, persons with disabilities and employers are not aware that assistive technology can make the difference in employing a person with a disability. The average cost of making a workplace accessible is around $500. Freedom Machines explores how human experience and technological innovations are outpacing social policies—and the perceptions that have guided them. In Freedom Machines, viewers will meet a cross-section of America's population—a few of the 54 million Americans with disabilities—whose lives are being transformed with the help of new technologies.
As a member of the ATA, LINC has a copy of Freedom Machines on VHS available for loan to LINC members. Or you can order a copy by visiting the website, www.freedommachines.com. The Alliance for Technology Access (ATA) is a network of community-based Resource Centers, Developers, Vendors and Associates dedicated to providing information and support services to children and adults with disabilities, and increasing their use of standard, assistive, and information technologies.>