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90_SB1084sam001
LRB9003346WHmgam
1 AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 1084
2 AMENDMENT NO. . Amend Senate Bill 1084 on page 1, by
3 inserting after line 5 the following:
4 "Section 5. Findings.
5 (a) There are approximately 2,200,000 persons with
6 disabilities residing in the State of Illinois, most of whom
7 need assistive technology for daily living, education,
8 independence, and employment.
9 (b) There is a serious lack of resources within the State
10 of Illinois, especially outside of the Chicago metropolitan
11 area, for comprehensive evaluations, training, and hands-on
12 experience with assistive technology to determine the
13 appropriateness of assistive technology for persons with
14 disabilities before they purchase assistive technology
15 devices.
16 (c) As a result of the serious lack of evaluation and
17 training resources, a great number of persons with
18 disabilities in Illinois will do without needed assistive
19 technology or will purchase inappropriate assistive
20 technology, thereby diminishing their educational and
21 employment opportunities and increasing their dependence
22 upon federal and State support and forcing them to
23 unnecessarily rely upon community based resources and family
24 members for financial support and daily living assistance.
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1 (d) It is almost always more cost-effective to purchase
2 appropriate assistive technology for a person with a
3 disability to enable that person to reach his or her
4 potential for independent living, education, and employment
5 than to provide public assistance and government-funded
6 personal care assistance for that person.
7 Section 10. Department of Human Services; Administrative
8 Responsibilities.
9 (a) The Department of Human Services shall establish at
10 least one Assistive Technology Evaluation and Training
11 Center, the first one being in a strategic downstate
12 location, no later than July 1, 1998.
13 (b) The Assistive Technology Evaluation and Training
14 Centers shall be operated by not-for-profit organizations
15 and funded through contractual arrangements with the
16 Department using a request-for-proposal process. The
17 Department shall, by rule, establish standards and criteria
18 by which the Centers shall be operated, consistent with this
19 Act.
20 Section 15. Functions of Assistive Technology Evaluation
21 and Training Centers. The Assistive Technology Evaluation
22 and Training Centers shall offer comprehensive services to
23 persons with disabilities regarding assistive technology
24 including, but not limited to:
25 (a) Comprehensive individual evaluations for a broad
26 range of assistive technology needs for persons with all
27 types of disabilities for use in the home, at school, in
28 employment, and in the community;
29 (b) Training of consumers and appropriate family members
30 regarding assistive technology options available to the
31 consumer and in the proper use of assistive technology; and
32 (c) Training of professionals, including vocational
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1 rehabilitation counselors, school personnel, and other
2 individuals who provide professional services to persons with
3 disabilities and their families to make them aware of
4 assistive technology as an alternative to more costly
5 traditional services and to educate them regarding available
6 assistive technology devices and their uses and costs.
7 Section 20. Inventory; Trial Usage. The Assistive
8 Technology Evaluation and Training Centers shall be required
9 to have on hand a broad array of assistive technology in
10 order to conduct appropriate comprehensive evaluations, to
11 facilitate consumer, family, and professional training, and
12 to offer consumers opportunities for usage at the Centers or
13 in appropriate community settings.".