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Our Work Focused On Individuals With A Disability

Throughout last October and November, the Leadership in Disabilities & Achievement of Hawaiʻi (LDAHI) and Hawai’i State Council on Developmental Disabilities (DDC), hosted the 17th Annual Traveling Mini Conference (TMC) that took place across the Hawaiian islands. LDAHI is the Parent Training and Information Center for the state of Hawaiʻi and works to provide support services to children with disabilities and their caretakers through parent training, education, and life opportunities. This year’s theme, “Dream, Believe, Achieve,” focused on encouraging self-determination for families by promoting parent leadership, advocacy, and legislative action.

Several presentations were given by local residents sharing their trials and triumphs and professional organizations providing education about their services and success stories with families. Legislative panels were also held throughout the conference, inviting Hawaiʻi’s Senators and Representatives to discuss important issues impacting local communities. Additionally vendors presented and offered opportunities for families to connect with the various resources.

PBTRC attended the TMC as an exhibitor on Hawaiʻi Island, Kauai, Maui, and Oʻahu. The team shared information about telehealth services available through our many projects and partners, such as the Library Telehealth Access Points (LTAPs) Project with the Hawaiʻi State Public Libraries and the Mobile Clinic Vans. We also promoted our survey “Exploring Telehealth for People with Disabilities in the Pacific Region” and made available for potential respondents to share feedback about their experiences using telehealth for disability care. After evaluating responses, we will leverage the new connections we’ve made at the TMC to develop strategies which will address the healthcare gaps this special population faces.

To further survey responses, PBTRC filmed a PSA coming to all Olelo Community Media channels near you. Here at PBTRC, we are committed to expanding the availability of healthcare to underserved populations via telehealth. Being a part of the TMC and other outreach activities allows us to do so.

Mahalo to LDAHI and DDC for hosting the event, inviting us to participate and helping connect families to better care throughout the community.

“Unlocking Potential” by Assistive Technology Resource Center of Hawaiʻi

Throughout the TMC, the Assistive Technology Resource Center (ATRC) of Hawaiʻi offered a presentation that explored a range of assistive technologies used in everyday scenarios for different levels of functional need. ATRC demonstrated and shared information on several devices in the low, medium and high tech categories.

This included technologies for communication, activities of daily living, academics, recreation and environmental controls. ATRC highlighted the many possibilities of integrating technology in ways that improve a person’s autonomy, participation, and overall quality of life. Additionally, ATRC emphasized the need to personalize equipment by adapting it to an individual’s preferences for usability. This promotes creativity and thinking beyond one’s functional abilities to overcome the barriers to meaningful participation. ATRC is also a partner with PBTRC in supporting telehealth use for people with disabilities in the local communities.