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News from ETTAC
Submitted by East Tennessee Technology Access Center
The East Tennessee Technology Access Center is the region's only nonprofit agency that helps people with disabilities of all ages gain knowledge of assistive technology devices that can enable them to live in the mainstream of society. Although ETTAC is based in Knoxville, it serves 24 counties of East Tennessee, including Anderson County. In August 2010, ETTAC moved to a larger building in South Knoxville at 116 Childress Street.
Moving was a three part process, considering the large amount of equipment we had to move. Initially, a great deal of our equipment was put in one large room that eventually would become the training room. Bit by bit assistive technology devices were moved into separate service rooms for literacy, toys, communication devices, art and music, adapted computer hardware and software, vision and hearing devices, and low tech items primarily for seniors to help with dressing, eating, cooking and other activities of daily living. Then the toy adapters needed the training room space to adapt donated battery operated that at Christmas were given to children who cannot use their hands to play with typical toys.
The toys have now been given away or the extra ones added to the loaning toy room so the training room is finally being used for what it was originally intended. Alice Wershing and Lorrie Crockett, ETTAC's educational technology specialists, are busy lining up vendors to show their assistive devices to the public in that room. In January and February, vendors from communication device companies and adapted software companies conducted workshops on their products.
 The next workshop is April 6th when Humanware will show their ClassMate Reader and Intel Reader products. Both devices read text out loud so that students with low vision or learning disabilities can hear the text read as they see the text highlighted on these hand held devices. This helps student not just with learning to read the words but also with better comprehension. A listserv is maintained of people who want to be informed of educational trainings.
To be added to the list, please feel free to contact her by calling the office at 219-0130. Trainings are also posted on the ETTAC Facebook page and website (www.discoveret.org/ettac).
The training room is also being used to show a four part series of "Webinars for Business" that Southeast Disability Business and Technical Assistance Center is producing. The next session on April 21st is "Building the Corporate Business Case for Including Disability-Owned Businesses in Supplier Diversity."
However, we also go on the road. May 5th and 6th, ETTAC is putting on a workshop in Oak Ridge on Traumatic Brain Injury: how to deal with it both as an individual and as family members, adjust to it, get on the road to recovery, effective ways to help one get back into the workforce, and assistive technology that can help.
Louise McKown can do workshops for senior citizen groups throughout Anderson County, showing seniors a number of devices that can help them as they find some activities not as easy to do as they age. She will discuss where you can find these products and how to get some free through various state programs. Even though she works part time, she will adjust her schedule to suit your needs and time frames. To set up a time for her to speak with your group, call her at 219-0130. | 
Meet Kamwren, a 9-year-old boy living in Anderson County.
Did you know that head injury is the number one and only preventable cause of seizures? The
One of the ways that we fund these programs is through annual fundraisers.
