Here's what we'll cover:
- What is an ATP?
- What is assistive technology?
- What special training or education must ATPs possess?
- How do ATPs help people with disabilities?
- How do ATPs help family caregivers?
- How do ATPs benefit the other medical professionals on a person’s care team?
- What should a person expect when working with an ATP?
A person is not defined by their disability, and there’s a burgeoning body of tools and technology available to keep people moving – no matter their condition.
However, navigating this ever-growing list of options can be pretty challenging without an expert by your side, and that’s where an Assistive Technology Professional (ATP) can help.
Working with an ATP means you, your family, and anyone you care about have the best possible understanding of which technologies can enable you to have the best access to your world.
Alongside care teams, ATPs strive to find the perfect fit for a client’s individual goals – whether that be mobility-related, cognitively involved, or building a more independent everyday life. TweetWhat is an ATP?
Assistive Technology Professionals, or ATPs, are highly-skilled individuals specializing in various assistive technologies and rehabilitation equipment. But they’re also much more than that.
ATPs don’t just prescribe a specific tool or equipment. Instead, they center themselves in service. Alongside care teams, ATPs strive to find the perfect fit for a client’s individual goals – whether that be mobility-related, cognitively involved, or building a more independent everyday life.
What is assistive technology?
Assistive technology (AT) is everywhere – and you probably have one in your home right now. For example, eyeglasses, bookholders, and even regular smartphones are all considered assistive technology.
Despite sounding rather complex, assistive technology exists simply to make your life easier and more accessible than ever. It’s defined as any item, product, or piece of equipment designed to augment or uphold the functional capabilities of a person with a disability.
In short, they help people with disabilities perform better and achieve more.
Naturally, that means many kinds of assistive technologies exist across a wide array of categories. Let’s take a look at a few of these categories to get a clearer picture of how assistive technology helps people achieve a greater access to life.
Vision and hearing
These products are designed for people who are blind or deaf. They aid individuals with navigation, communication, and reading. (Ex. Braille, “talking” appliances, text-to-speech, hearing aids, and personal amplification systems)
Speech Communication
Speech-oriented assistive technology helps individuals verbalize or communicate in face-to-face contexts. (Ex. artificial larynx, voice amplifier, and text-to-speech software)
Learning and development
Learning-related challenges need special care, and that can be achieved with special tools and products for those who require assistance with learning and cognitive processing. (Ex. Graphic organizers, subject-specific remedial software, electronic workbooks)
Seating, positioning, and bodily mobility
This category of assistive technology deals with everything related to improving an individual’s mobility. (Ex. wheelchairs, walkers, canes, crutches, and scooters)
Aids for activities of daily living (ADLs)
These items promote independent living by targeting key activities like bathing, dressing, hygiene, eating, transferring, and so on. (Ex. shoe horns, book stands, adapted tools or appliances, reachers, dressing aids)
Environmental aids and augmentation
Accessibility is paramount, and these types of assistive technologies ensure that differently-abled individuals can get where they need to go – safely. (Ex. Automatic doors, ramps, lifts, wireless or switch-activated appliances)
Vehicle and transportation modifications
Designed with safe access to transportation in mind, these technologies are usually found in both private and public vehicles. (Ex. hand controls for maneuvering cars, tire locks for wheelchairs, ramps, and lifts, adaptive seat belts)
Leisure and recreation
Sports, recreation, and leisure activities should be inclusive, and that’s what these items and pieces of equipment aim to achieve. (Ex. adapted sporting equipment, automatic tools and appliances, switch-activated toys and games)
Every single one of these technologies are meant to address discomfort, pain, and difficulty engaging with life – factors which are closely associated with anxiety and depression.
By implementing the right assistive tech, a client doesn’t just gain greater everyday accessibility. Their overall quality of life improves, too.
Our ATP team at Action is among the best in the industry and ready to provide prompt service that fits your specific assistive technology needs.
Let's Work TogetherWhat special training or education must ATPs possess?
ATPs work closely with all sorts of families and clients, so they need to be well-trained and have a considerable understanding of the technologies they implement and the impact of that tech in the lives of their clients.
To show this expertise and mastery of their profession, all ATPs must undergo their official Assistive Technology Professional Certification administered by the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA).
With this certification, you have a guarantee that their ATP has fulfilled the requisite formal education and real-life experience to provide compassionate care. But it doesn’t end there.
Adaptive technology is a fast-changing industry, so ATPs must also enroll in regular continuing education courses (CEs) to ensure their knowledge and application of the latest tech stays sharp. These courses can be completed online or in-person and are oftentimes free!
How do ATPs help people with disabilities?
ATPs are an essential part of any care team because of their expertise with assistive technology – but their services branch out beyond finding the right solution for your specific condition.
Custom-fit assistive technology for clients
ATPs are masters at identifying the appropriate type of assistive technology for a client. But it isn’t about just matching people with products.
Instead, it’s about tailor-fitting products to people. Everyone experiences their conditions and disabilities in a different way, meaning that oftentimes, they require unique solutions to address their specific needs.
That’s when ATPs harness their technical know-how to re-fit existing tech or build an entirely new piece of equipment from the ground-up.
Education and expert support
Information is everything when learning how to manage life with a disability, and a capable ATP has the requisite knowledge to keep you informed throughout your journey. Moreover, they can also provide expert support when you need it most.
So whether you’re having trouble with your new tech or simply want to understand the possible trajectory of your condition, your ATP will be a reliable source of information.
Address the emotional factors
Disabilities can often sap many people of their feelings of independence, leading to depressive symptoms over time. That’s why ATPs don’t deal in one-and-done appointments.
They build lasting relationships with their clients to ensure they know the ins and outs of their assistive tech to improve their independence and, in turn, their self-confidence. Their service doesn’t end with the technical medical stuff.
In short, an assistive technology professional helps their clients reach their individual goals – whether newfound independence or increased functionality – from planning to execution and beyond.
We consider family caregivers to be an irreplaceable part of the care team.
Get the best technology for your loved oneHow do ATPs help family caregivers?
Caring for a person with a disability can be challenging. However, ATPs have a deep understanding of how easy it is to burn out as a caregiver, especially over long stretches of time.
Earlier, we mentioned that ATPs do more than just find the right assistive technology for their clients. They also act as sturdy, disability-informed pillars for the caregivers around them.
They mediate.
Sometimes it’s tough talking about the important things with even your closest family members. Unfortunately, when you’re in constant close contact with a caregiver or your loved one with a disability, things can get lost in miscommunication.
Thankfully, most ATPs are proficient mediators and can clear a path for open and honest conversations between clients and their families. They can also redirect everyone’s energies to the main goal: achieving the best possible mental, emotional, and health-related outcomes for their loved ones.
They educate.
Whether a loved one’s disability manifests as the result of an accident or has been a part of their life since birth, knowing how to provide the care they need – and how their assistive tech plays into that care – can often feel overwhelming.
However, ATPs understand that it’s easy to feel exasperated by the barrage of new information about a specific condition. ATPs can help by educating family members and caregivers in a digestible and straightforward manner.
Everyone can become proficient at providing high-quality care for a loved one – sometimes, it just takes a little bit of compassionate guidance.
They support.
Just because a person acts as someone else’s rock doesn’t mean they don’t need their own support system. Caregiving is a challenging undertaking, but ATPs can provide relief by supplying families with a deep understanding of different conditions.
It all boils down to the value of person-to-person interaction and support. When you work with an ATP, you’re not signing up for a one-time transaction; you’re building a relationship with an expert who wants the best for your loved ones.
How do ATPs benefit the other medical professionals on a person’s care team?
The best care plans are approached from several angles, which usually requires working with several experts to develop a holistic solution. So naturally, your assistive technology professional must work in tandem with your doctors, physical therapists (PTs), and occupational therapists (OTs). But how do they do that?
It all starts by keeping the primary goal in constant focus: to achieve the best possible health outcomes for the patient in question.
With the goal ever in focus, the ATP will work alongside the medical professionals on the team to understand the nature of the diagnoses and how they might affect the patient’s health, growth, and access to life.
From this knowledge, they’ll work with the care team to connect the patient with the best assistive technologies possible, even crafting completely custom-made solutions from the ground up.
Beyond this initial implementation, ATPs continue collaborating with the care team to work toward long-term goals. This may also involve discussions on how a disability’s progression may influence future care plans.
What should a person expect when working with an ATP?
Everyone wants the best care for themselves or their loved one, so knowing what to expect when working with an ATP sets you (and your care team) up for success.
The first thing you can expect from your assistive technology professional is expert knowledge about different kinds of ATs and how they can be implemented to address your chief concerns.
Moreover, an ATP should ensure you understand what’s going on every step of the way. From building an implementation plan based on your doctor’s recommendations to setting goals centered around the client’s needs and desires – you’ll be in the know from start to finish.
Conclusion
Assistive technology professionals are highly-trained individuals who aim to find the right fit for people with all sorts of disabilities.
As an essential part of a person’s care team, they can also help navigate the difficulties of adapting everyday life to suit a client’s ideal health outcomes – and finding one is easier than ever if you live in Oklahoma, Colorado, or Arkansas.
For years, our passionate team of professionals has specially fitted thousands of seating, mobility, and positioning technologies to help folks live their lives the way they want to.
We’re always ready to serve – and we’re just a phone call or email away.
Contact our team of expert ATPs today!
Let's Work Together