| December, 2001 |
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Announcements
MARYLAND'S ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY GUARANTEED LOAN PROGRAM AWARDED $1.1 MILLION FROM U.S. AGENCY
Seeking Individuals to serve on the Governor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities
Emergency Email Network for those who carry pagers
iCan! News and Information for people with disabilities
Maryland's Technology Assistance Guaranteed Loan Program Award
MARYLAND CITIZENS WITH DISABILITIES TO BENEFIT
BALTIMORE, MD (October 15, 2001)
The Maryland Assistive Technology Guaranteed Loan Program, operated by the Maryland Technology Assistance Program (MD TAP) under the Governor's Office for Individuals with Disabilities, was recently awarded $1.1 million from the U.S. Department of Education/National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). The grant more than doubles the size of the current program which provides low-interest loans to Maryland citizens with disabilities and their families to buy disability-related technology and has been in existence since December 1999.
"This program is a key element in Maryland's aggressive strategy to ensure all Marylanders have the tools they need to live productive lives," said Governor Parris N. Glendening. "State Assistive Technology Programs open the doors of opportunity by helping people get jobs and businesses, attend college, find reliable transportation, communicate with family and friends and enjoy safe access to their homes and communities."
"State Assistive Technology Programs help persons with disabilities gain employment by providing them with the devices and services they need to participate in the workforce," stated Congressman Steny Hoyer. " In short, it allows them to become self-sufficient, contributing members of our society. I have been fighting for increased funding for this program for the past few years and I am very excited to see it improving the lives of individuals with disabilities in Maryland."
Since its inception, the Assistive Technology Guaranteed Loan Program has approved 105 loan guarantees totaling over $1,000,000 in principal for technology including adapted vehicles and computers, Braille equipment, wheelchairs, scooters, ramps and other home renovations and telecommunications devices for the deaf. Loans may also be used to pay for training on equipment, insurance, extended warranties and maintenance plans. Three participating lenders have been recruited, including the State Employees Credit Union, SunTrust Bank and 1st Mariner Bank. The program has subsidized interest rates to four points below the prime rate for each guaranteed loan and facilitated eight loans without guarantees, at no cost to the program, totaling over $63,000. For more information on the Assistive Technology Guaranteed Loan Program contact MD TAP at (410) 554-9230 or 1-800-832-4827.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Bobette T. Watts
Governor's Office for Individuals with
Disabilities
(410) 333-3098 v/tty
GCEPD seeking new committee members
We are currently seeking individuals with disabilities who represent the
broad geographic and ethnic diversity of Maryland. Meetings are held
quarterly in the morning on the first Wednesday of March, June,
September and December in the Baltimore area. All committee members are
required to attend at least 50 percent of the meetings. To be
considered, please fax your resume (indicating it is for consideration
to be appointed to GCEPD) to 410-333-6674 or mail it to:
GCEPD/Appointments
300 West Lexington Street, Box 10
Baltimore, MD 21201
The appointments process is currently underway so please send your
resume as soon as possible. Thank you! Jade Gingerich, Executive
Director
Emergency Email Network
MISSION
"Provide notification to citizens of local, regional, national and international emergencies utilizing the Internet and electronic mail (email) in a secure and expedient manner"
Receiving warning by pager has he advantage of showing the entire text of a weather warning. The Emergency Email Network, www.emergencyemailnetwork.com, is a free service that provides weather and natural disaster information in all 50 states, through both email and pager. Consumers register by county, so that they can receive the appropriate local warnings. Local and regional emergency management agencies can also sign up to participate in this service.
iCan! information agreement with AOL
DETROIT (Sept. 28, 2001)
iCan!, a solutions and services company for people with disabilities and leaders of business, today announced a content agreement with America Online, Inc., the world's leading interactive services company, to deliver news, information, and resources for people with disabilities to AOL's 31 million members. iCan! content will appear in AOL's expanding disability community area (keyword: DISABILITIES COMMUNITY) and in other areas of the AOL service. iCan.com, the leading online community for people with disabilities, is the Web's most comprehensive gateway to solutions for the disability community, and features a network of 12 content channels (such as travel, employment, auto, news & opinion) as well as chats, message boards, and expert advice for the 54 million Americans with disabilities.
iCan! founder and CEO Heidi Van Arnem, a quadriplegic since the age of 16, has been working toward this partnership goal since launching iCan! in 1999: "Our partnership with AOL is a landmark achievement for the disability community as it allows the collective voice of people with disabilities to be represented within the largest online community in the world," Van Arnem said. "Here at iCan!, we are committed to ensuring that the entire disability population is granted full accessibility, inclusion and opportunity. We applaud our business partners that are working toward that shared mission. In securing this partnership, iCan! hopes to provide the leaders in the disability community with a powerful communications platform to ensure that the collective voice is truly
represented - and that positive change is achieved."
"iCan! offers valuable news and information for people with disabilities, and we're proud to be able to provide that content to our members," said Debbie Fletter, AOL's Director of Accessibility. "Our goal is to continue to make the AOL service easier to use, more relevant, and more integrated in the daily lives of our members, and we feel this is an important step in our continued efforts to enhance the AOL service for our members with disabilities."
About iCan! Inc.
iCan! Inc. (http://www.ican.com) is the gateway to solutions for the 54 million Americans with Disabilities and for leaders in business. As a marketing services company, iCan! offers subject matter expertise through a platform of services designed to rapidly develop Fortune 2000 companies seeking to position their products and services to the nation's largest, most underserved minority group: people with disabilities. iCan! business partners include: General Motors, Kmart, Microsoft Diversity, and AT&T. iCan.com - the leading online community for people with disabilities ?forms the cornerstone of iCan's business and offers a unique environment built on information, interaction, integration and inspiration that provide solutions for an accessible world.
About America Online, Inc.
America Online, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: AOL). Based in Dulles, Virginia, America Online is the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies and
e-commerce services.