Equipment Issues for Demonstration and Loan Programs Amy Goldman Pennsylvania’s Initiative on...

Equipment Issues for Demonstration and Loan

Programs

Amy Goldman

Pennsylvania’s Initiative on Assistive Technology

Kathy Griffin

UCP of Idaho

Background: How we “do” Demos in PA

• Two “static” funded demonstration centers – array of low to high tech items (less AAC)

• Affiliate demo centers – provision of equipment in return for usage data

• 8 Regional “ATRCs” – low tech, some “on site” equipment courtesy of ATLL

• PIAT acts as an ATRC region and conducts demos

• “Demo on Demand” – required of ATRCs, may order equipment from ATLL

• Voluntary participation by ATLL “circulation department” staff

Purchase of Equipment - Demonstration

• Decisions left to Demonstration Centers; typically chose computer access, vision (e.g. CCTVs), and low-mid tech for ADLs in order to maximize funds

• Affiliate Centers: (1) Specializes in Deaf/Hard of Hearing so bought that kind of equipment ($2000 approximately); (2) Originally was going to buy computer access but leveraged funds from agency; purchased AAC (approximately $5000)

• ATRCs: No budget for purchase of demo equipment but full access to ATLL; ATRCs have loaner equipment from RFB&D pilot

• 2006 purchase for all ATRCs of TDDP equipment (“donation” a requirement of new TDDP bid!)

Demonstration Equipment: PIAT “central”

• Access to ATLL funds for “on site” equipment, primarily AAC purchases

• Low to Mid tech “kits” assembled over the years for train-the-trainer programs

• AT used by employee with disabilities (low vision aids including ZoomText, CCTVs)

• Partnerships: RFB&D loaners (purchases made for ATLL)

• MARC• Tech Fees lab

The “Stuff”: Pennsylvania’s AT Lending Library

• Originally did not include low – mid tech items that you could see at Radio Shack or Staples, buy and return, etc.

• Includes low-tech “kits” e.g. dressing kit, reacher kit, toy kits

• Resources permit acquisition of high-tech expensive items

• Includes “crummy” products: Consumer choice!

Idaho’s Equipment LoanWide range of assistive devices including:• Augmentative communication devices• Aids for daily living• Amplified phones and similar equipment for the

deaf & hard-of-hearing• Adapted computer hardware & software• Adapted & developmental toys• Switches• Books & videos

The “Stuff” – Things to Think About

• Regional sharing of expensive, low-utilization items (e.g. LC Technologies eye gaze system)

The “Stuff” – Things to Think About

• No funds for very expensive items such as an eye gaze system

Investment

• Demonstration equipment budget from federal funds “one time only” (05-06 funds)

• Support from demonstration centers’ agencies (renovation; inventory)

• Interaction with other agency programs to add to inventory (e.g. INH)

• Lending: Annual inventory budget approximately 280-300K

• Current inventory worth over 1.5M

Investment• Funding for equipment dependent on

additional grants

• Inventory valued approximately $350,000

• Partner with other agencies to house their loan-able equipment i.e. amplified phones from Council for the Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing

Insurance

• Demo center insurance policy unknown

• Temple “self-insures” for theft of property from its premises

• No separate insurance purchased for shipping to borrower/return

• UPS does pay a fractional claim for items they agree they lost

• Inventory housed in state agency/self-insured

Insurance

• UCP’s insurance covers theft from premises and fire/water.

• Don’t pay for insurance with the shipping – to date UPS has only lost one item worth less than the $100 standard UPS insurance.

Insurance

• Borrower responsibility• Borrower liability in case of theft• Stories!

Insurance

• The borrower is responsible

• The borrower is liable for theft

• Horror stories

Warrantees

• ATRCs responsible for maintaining demo equipment in working condition

• Warrantees allowable

• Cost-effective for high tech devices e.g. AAC; Braille note takers; laptops

• 3 year coverage• No “DIY” on

warranteed items

Warranties

• Have warranties for high-end augmentative communication devices

• Many years the budget for warranties is higher than the budget for new equipment

Other Considerations• Software maintenance agreements – a good

investment! (e.g. JAWS, ZoomText, Kurzweil, MAGic); usually includes initial purchase plus two upgrades

• Borrowers who want to help by sending faulty devices back to vendor/manufacturer for repair (rather than back to ATLL) and we get the bill!

Shipping• After staff, the biggest ATLL expense• Currently piggy-backs on State UPS contract

(future: DHL?)• No charges to borrower UNLESS they are

retrieving an item previously not returned in response to UPS tries

• Will pick up items from suspect borrowers (e.g. the paranoid nurse) or make other arrangements (e.g. for return via UPS drop off at Staples)

Shipping

• We pay to ship to them – they pay to ship back to us

• Our shipping costs are very low – around $800.00 last year

Shipping Lessons and Challenges

• Request adult signature of receipt

• Dr. Porch

• Large facilities or complexes

• Control number of “call tags”

• Large items in large cases

Shipping Challenges

• Some communities have no street addresses – the town is so small that everyone has a post office box at the one post office in town

• In only one case, however, were we unable to get delivery to their house – had to deliver it to the school instead

• School janitors have thrown away the special shipping boxes for aug comm equipment

Repairs and Maintenance• Limited in-house computer repair or

maintenance (e.g. wiping hard drive and re-installing software)

• Don’t attempt repairs that may void warranty

• Charge batteries prior to sending out (but sometimes items don’t hold charge)

• Surface cleaning• Replace rather than sterilize (e.g. sip and

puff)

Repairs and Maintenance

• Same at PA

• Really have gotten to know some of the technical support people – have even gotten Christmas candy from one tech support department

Repairs and Maintenance• “Normal use” – no consumer liability• Challenge: Borrower’s failure to return

“little pieces” (e.g. Cables, plugs, CDs, instruction manuals) despite packing slips

• Hint: Photocopy instruction manuals and documentation; make back-up CDs, purchase extra cables, batteries, etc.

• Challenge: Reluctance on part of staff of community DD providers to accept responsibility if item is damaged

Updating Equipment: ATLL• Few vendors offer trade-ins or upgrades

• Frustration: Vendors/manufacturers who accept our order for an existing model on the cusp of a new release!

Updating Equipment: ATLL• Challenge to identify when inventory product is

outdated (can’t vendors or manufacturers help out, here!)

• Policy: maintain in inventory if still supported even if not still sold (although we might “thin” the inventory of this product); may keep one even if no longer supported (e.g. for users who are “transitioning” from one device to another, are waiting for funding and their “old” device is not functioning)

• The risk of this policy!

Documentation in ATLL “kits”

• Need to identify in advance if alternate formats are needed

• Include manuals and other supportive materials from vendor/manufacturer

• Cheat sheets? Not at this time (but ATRC can provide via web search of available user friendly instructions, in the future we may have these linked from our site)

Documentation

• Include cheat sheets whenever possible

• Now include a spiral-bond notebook with notes about the device, hints, what is already on the device, etc.