If you have a disability, the term "assistive technology" is quite likely a part of your vocabulary. Assistive technology is any device that helps a person achieve greater independence in everyday activities.

		Tina Calabro of Highland Park writes about disability issues. She can be reached at tina.calabro@verizon.net.

Such technology can range from a $10 pair of magnifier reading glasses to a battery-powered wheelchair costing thousands of dollars.

Two local lending libraries provide a welcoming door to the world of assistive technology: the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped in Oakland and the Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Lending Library in Wilkinsburg.

Both are outstanding but under used. These libraries provide free access to technology and personalized support that can improve quality of life.

Alyssa Cwanger, Post-Gazette Kathleen Rega Kappel is director of the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped in Shadyside. Click photo for larger image. Assistive resources Library for Blind and Physically Handicapped, 4724 Baum Blvd., Oakland, 1-800-242-0586, e-mail lbph@carnegielibrary.org, Web, www.carnegielibraries.org/lbph Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Lending Library, 412-371-7700, ext. 111. E-mail khuwe@trcil.org, Web site www.temple.edu Pennsylvania also has a program that provides telecommunication devices for people who have trouble making or receiving telephone calls independently. For eligibility requirements, contact the Telecommunication Device Distribution Program at 1-800-762-4211 (TTY 1-888-972-7452). Digital books are an assistive technology solution for people who have difficulty reading standard-size print or who may not be able to hold a book or turn pages. Several Web sites provide access to collections of general and specialized books in digital format for on-screen reading. To find these sites, do an Internet search using the key words "digital books." A very comprehensive collections featuring 20,000 titles of digital books is www.book-share.org. To access it, you must certify that you have a visual impairment, learning disability or mobility impairment.

The motto of the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped -- "That all may read" -- reflects its mission. Any person who cannot read standard-size print or who is unable to hold a book or turn pages because of physical disability has access to its expansive collections of Braille, audio and large-print books, materials and other services.

This library is part of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, a department of the Library of Congress established in 1934. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh administers the library for the 36 counties in Western Pennsylvania.

Its collection of large-print and audio books is hundreds of times larger than those offered in typical community libraries. For example, it stocks nearly 60,000 books on tape and 10,000 large-print books in addition to offering playback equipment. It also has scanners for converting materials for on-screen reading.

Staff communicate with their patrons primarily by phone, mail, e-mail and fax rather than in person. Materials are mailed to patrons in postage-free containers and returned in the same containers.

Because patrons have difficulty visiting the site, staff keeps track of borrowers' preferences to suggest new books they may like.

The library serves about 10,000 readers per year, and another 40,000 people in the region may be eligible for services, said library director Kathleen Rega Kappel. It does extensive outreach and is especially interested in reaching the growing population of people with age-related visual impairment.

"Many people are eligible and don't know about us," Kappel said. The Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Lending Library, coordinated locally by Three Rivers Center for Independent Living, lends a wide variety of assistive devices for two to four weeks so that borrowers can evaluate whether the equipment meets their needs.

This trial period is particularly beneficial for people considering whether to buy an expensive piece of equipment.

This library is one of the most comprehensive in the nation, said Kevin Huwe, assistive technology program manager. It has thousands of items that are easily shipped from its Johnstown warehouse and do not require installation -- from low-tech zipper-pulls and jar openers to high-tech communication devices. Lending services (including shipping) are free to all Pennsylvanians with disabilities. The program is supported by federal and state funds and is affiliated with the Pennsylvania Initiative on Assistive Technology, located at Temple University in Philadelphia.

The library's well-organized equipment catalog -- available online or by mail -- is an inspiring compendium of creative products that enable people to do all sorts of things more easily: communicate, control their environment, hear what others are saying, clean and cook, use computers.

Among the items that captured my interest were a device for note-taking, special lamps and magnifiers for reading, telephone accessories, special keyboards and alternative types of computer "mice." For school-age youngsters, there are computer aids for math, spelling, writing and other subjects. Want to try out a portable wheelchair ramp at your home? You'll find one in the catalog. There is even an assistive device for fishing!

"Some of the simplest things make the biggest difference in people's lives," Huwe said.

Disability News

A manual for communities

The Unique Community Partnership for Kids has a new resource book out entitled "Together is Better."

The purpose of the manual is to help communities successfully include individuals with disabilities.

Subtitled "Creating a Community Where Each Belongs," the book provides instructions on how to identify a person's true passion and then match that interest to community activities, as well as evaluating a target community and modifying it.

The book, made possible through a grant from the Heinz Endowment, also features interactive exercises that illustrate key ideas.

UCP Kids is part United Cerebral Palsy.

For more information on this new resource book, contact Kristen Burke at 412-683-7100, ext 323 or via e-mail at kburke@ucppittsburgh.org

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Correction/Clarification: (Published Feb. 23, 2005) The correct voice phone number for Pittsburgh callers to the Telecommunication Device Distribution Center in Johnstown is 1-800-762-4211. The number was given incorrectly in Tina Calabro's Breaking Down Barriers column published Feb. 22, 2005.