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"We really use that national network to solve problems and
for new ideas," Sack said. If the legislation had been allowed
to expire, it would have left a big void in the network of assistive
technology centers.
In 2003-04, 20,138 requests for services were met for consumers,
family members and providers in Kansas, and 4,222 consumers and
professionals trained on the use of assistive technology devices
and 1,176 Kansans received assistance in developing a funding solution
for needed devices, according to information from Assistive Technology
for Kansans, a statewide project coordinated by the Kansas University
Center on Disabilities at Parsons.
The federal legislation allows Kansas to operate five assistive
technology access sites, including one at Southeast Kansas Independent
Living in Parsons. Each is a demonstration site that gives users
a chance to see the product before buying.
The legislation also funds new technology, training and other
resources as well as the Kansas Equipment Exchange Program, which
allows users to buy used equipment. Each state will get a minimum
of $410,000 from the federal government for its programs.
Assistive technology equipment can include any device that helps
a disabled person live more independently. Equipment ranges from
magnification systems for people who can't see well to communication
devices and powered wheelchairs.
It wasn't easy getting the legislation passed.
Sack and several of her peers traveled to Washington, D.C., to
testify on behalf of the legislation before the Senate's Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee. Sack testified to that
committee twice and was the lead presenter.
"That was quite an experience. It actually turned out to
be fun if you can believe it. It was nice," she said.
She and about a half dozen other speakers were allowed 10 minutes
to give speeches to the committee. They then had a question-and-answer
period that lasted several hours.
"It gave you a lot of appreciation for all the work our legislators
and their staff do. I have utmost admiration," she said.
Sack also served on two working committees and was the chairman
for one, meeting several times in the spring.
"Most were held by teleconference, but throughout this process
I've been to Washington probably monthly," she said.
Sack said Sen. Pat Roberts and his staff were interested in the
legislation and how it helped Kansans with disabilities. She said
the bill might not have passed without Roberts pushing for it.
Roberts was a co-sponsor of the bipartisan bill originally introduced
in June by Sens. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., and Tom Harkin, D-Iowa.
Sack was in Washington again last week at the John F. Kennedy Center,
at which she is a finalist for a one-year public policy fellowship.
If she receives the fellowship, she would live in Washington next
year and work on disability-related legislation.
"It's a really tough competition, and most of the applicants
have a public policy background and I have more of a programmatic
background. I have a lot of experience in disability issues but
more on the program side, so I'm probably a different candidate," Sack
said.
Sack was a speech language pathologist for many years before starting
the technological program for the KU Center on Developmental Disability
in 1992 after the legislation began providing funding.
Kansas was one of the last states to join the technology network.
"Kansas has a very, very strong program and a good foundation,
and once we got funding we used it well," she said.
The state is highly respected throughout the nation, and many
people call Sack looking for solutions or information. The national
association of technological programs has chosen Sack as president-elect.
Sack said that finding solutions is her favorite part of her job.
"I like helping people solve their personal access problems.
I like helping an individual so they can be as independent as they
want to be and live their lives the way they want to live them," she
said.
For more information contact project staff at 620-421-8367 or
go to their website at www.atk.ku.edu.
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