SCHS ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY CENTER OFFERED SERVICES TO MORE THAN 192 PERSONS
Assistive Technology Center, which is an affiliate of Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS), offers a complete system of Assistive Technology Services. It includes providing consultations, evaluations, device testing, training on their use, follow-up with persons with disabilities, and periodic re-evaluation to verify access to the desired benefit and make adjustments if necessary. The total number of persons benefiting from these services has reached 192.
Ms. Rabab Abdel Wahab, the Director of Assistive Technology Center, has confirmed that the center offers all forms of support to beneficiary throughout raising awareness and educating persons with disabilities, their parents, and the people working with them as well as making necessary modifications to the surrounding environment and material support throughout financing options.
In addition, she has confirmed that one of the main services the center offers is providing technical solutions. The rest of the services depend on the results achieved. In order to get accurate results, the center uses the best international practices. SCHS specialists use Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative WATI, which is an international tool. This tool helps specialists reach the most accurate technical solutions that help the user to perform his tasks easily and with the greatest degree of independence.
A multidisciplinary team performs the evaluation to the beneficiary, which becomes the center of attention as well as performing daily tasks. This determines the choice of different tools and devices according to the needs and wishes of the beneficiary. Specialists divide the evaluation into several types to speed up the process. There is a detailed comprehensive evaluation, which consists of several sessions in the different environments that the beneficiary visits, such as home, school and his favorite places. Then, the team identifies technical solutions and the needed environmental modifications. An immediate evaluation is an urgent need for a specific tool that will be provided as soon as possible. Whereas, evaluation initiatives such as evaluation of food and drink tools, evaluation of bathroom and shower tools, evaluation of supportive and alternative means of communication, focus on assessing skills in different areas of life.
Abdul Wahab explained that the evaluation program includes all the people who need the service, whether they are students affiliated with Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services or from outside SCHS. The importance of evaluation lies in achieving the most accurate results related to choosing technical solutions for beneficiaries that enable them to practice daily life activities easily and with the greatest degree of independence. Assistive technologies open new horizons for persons with disabilities in terms of learning and acquiring skills, and raising self-esteem, as well as integration into society, both in education within childhood, and in financial empowerment in the (maturity) stage.
She explained that during the first semester of the current academic year, and through the implementation of various evaluation initiatives, the center evaluated 60 beneficiaries.