MAEP Equipment Giveaway; 3D Printing; FREE Accessibility Classes for Educators and Gov. Employees!
MonTECH Logo
MonTECH is a federally funded program, free to any Montanan with a disability.  MonTECH loans assistive technology and adaptive equipment, shipping to recipients throughout the great state of Montana. To learn more, visit our web site at http://montech.ruralinstitute.umt.edu/ or write shawna.hanson@mso.umt.edu.
Michael Beers investigates the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con adapter while 18-year-old Aaron Marx watches.
Summit Youth Coordinator Michael Beers checks out the Nintendo Switch™ one-handed adapter while Aaron Marx waits his turn.

Sure, 3D Printing is Cool.
But Is It Easily Accessible for Montanans?

Three-dimensional printing has revolutionized the world of prosthetics and adaptive equipment.  We’ve been reading articles stating as much for years, accompanied by dramatic videos showing a delighted person flexing a new 3D-printed hand.   When a 3D printer arrived in my son’s elementary school, I was impressed with the plastic figure he brought home.  But his tiny ninja warrior seemed far removed from the prosthetic hands in BBC videos.  I assumed production of useful equipment was still in the realm of laboratories and college tech programs.Until I stumbled across this article: “Nintendo Switch™ controller adapter makes games a lot more accessible.” An engineer designed a one-handed adapter for the Nintendo Switch™ for a friend who had lost the use of a hand. Not only that, he made his 3D design free and available to anyone who might want to duplicate his product.  Too good to be true?  I decided to see just how accessible 3D-print technology is for a Montanan in need of adapted equipment. What did we learn about printing adaptive equipment? Read more here.

Michael Beers explains Summit’s BASE program.
Michael Beers and Madison Halland test the one-handed adapter.

DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY COURSES FREE FOR EDUCATORS AND AGENCIES

Accessible Technology Services at the University of Montana is making accessibility courses available for free to Montana educators and government agencies. The one-hour course options include web accessibility and creating accessible PDFs, Word documents, and PowerPoint presentations, among others. Learn how to make accessible tests and presentations for your students!   Check them out and sign up!Another exciting free offering to educators is “The Accessibility MOOC: Inclusive Online Course Design.”  This four-week class runs October 16th through November 10th, and is designed to teach instructors how to create more accessible online courses and content. Registration is open now.

MAEP Adaptive Equipment Giveaway

Dismantling the Montana Adaptive Equipment Program (MAEP) continues.  Although MonTECH’s assistive technology program (MATP) remains untouched by recent budget cuts, MAEP lost all funding.  The MonTECH team plans to keep the newest and most requested pieces of MAEP’s inventory, but more items have been designated to give away. If you want to request some of this equipment, here’s what you need to know:
  • Plan to pick up equipment in Missoula.With loss of funding, MAEP cannot ship items.
  • Browse equipment on the MonTECH web site, but don’t request your items on the web site. Follow the instructions in the links below.
  • This equipment is being donated ‘as is.’  Cleaning, fitting, and safe use are the recipient’s responsibility.
Click on the appropriate link for more information. If you have trouble with the links, contact Shawna.hanson@mso.umt.edu.

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