AT & IT- The MD Technology Showcase Team

On December 5th and 6th, Maryland and National based companies, businesses, and organizations gathered at the Baltimore Convention Center for the Maryland Technology Showcase. Spread over 52,000 net square feet of the Baltimore Convention Center, the two-day event featured more than 300 exhibitors and a wide array of symposiums and keynote speakers. Technology geared products, solutions, and services were presented through a variety of tactics. Some booths held raffles on new products while others more conventionally handed out freebies to attract prospective customers. And with an attendance of more than 12,000, there were many prospective customers. Although the convention is geared towards those in the IT profession, new and upcoming IT businesses, and security services for IT companies, there was much on hand to see and do even if not an expert in the information technology field.

Maryland TAP was excited to partner a booth with the Division of Rehabilitation Services and Volunteers for Medical Engineering.

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Paul Rasinski, Executive Director of the Maryland Technology Assistance Program, at the TAP booth.

A small variety of assistive telephones from the TAP demo lab, including a TTY phone, a picture phone, a breath-switch phone, and a hands-free phone, were on display.

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Hands Free telephone on display at the MD TAP booth.

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Picture phone on display at the MD TAP booth.

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Breath-switch phone on display at the MD TAP booth.

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TTY phone on display at the MD TAP booth.

With often a steady flow of inquiries to down-right large crowds at the booth, Tap, DORS, and VME staff answered questions, handed out brochures, and informed citizens and companies of the ongoing endeavors to make assistive technology available to those who need it.

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Paul Rasinski, executive director of MD TAP, answers questions while the booth gathers many interested visitors.

One of the biggest topics to make its way to the booth was that of Section 508. Numerous businesses inquired about how to go about making their sites accessible as others shared information about new ways to test site accessibility.

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Left to right, Taylor McConnaughhay, Susan Levi, and Michael Robinson answer questions at the MD TAP booth.

There were a number of other disability-related booths on hand, including MD Relay (the communication service for the deaf and hard of hearing) and the NFB (the National Federation of the Blind). On display at the NFB booth were various AT devices for education, such as a talking globe and a music composition software package that allows music to be composed, played, and printed in Braille.

All were there to share ideas and new technologies that have, could, and will make a significant difference in the field of assistive technology. And all are helping to make Maryland a leading technology center.