More Charities that Provide Adaptive Equipment to Children

In addition to the various loan closets throughout the country that help disabled children and adults--and various ways of financing or receiving donations for adaptive equipment that I've found in the past--there are some charities that accept applications for adaptive equipment for children.  Here are three nationwide programs:

Firsthand Foundation covers many medical needs for children, but also vehicle modification and adaptive equipment.  They don't do van purchases or home modifications, but will finance many smaller things.

Wheel to Walk Foundation provides many adaptive devices that may not be covered by insurance, like shower chairs, therapy tricycles, etc. 

Variety, the show business charity, has a program called Kids on the Go, which provides mobility equipment for disabled children, including tricycles, car seats, stollers, van lifts, house ramps, wheelchairs and more.  Variety suggests that if there is a local chapter of their organization near you that you apply there first,  but if not, you apply to the national office.

Rebate Money to Buy Mobility Equipment for New Cars

Awhile back, I wrote an entry on a program that helps disabled veterans buy adaptable vehicles.  However, many automobile manufacturers have programs of their own to make it easier to put mobility equipment into their cars and vans.  Most have a program that will give rebates of up to $1000 cash back for the cost of installing adaptive equipment.  These include Toyota, Ford, Lexus, Honda, Acura, Chrysler, General Motors, Mercedes Benz, Hyundai, Jaguar, Volvo, and Scion.  Volkswagen and Kia do not have a companywide program, but individual dealers might.  Ask a dealer if he or she does.   

Here’s two good websites on buying adaptive equipment.  One is from the National Mobility EquipmentDealers Association on where to find equipment dealers and other possible sources of funding, and one from Disaboom on how to choose equipment.

Finding Money for Telework and Business Starts for the Disabled

A constant question that runs across my desk is “all the grant money that is out there for disabled people to start businesses.” Once again, there is an ounce of truth lying under a ton of baloney. There have indeed been grants given for self-employment for the disabled, but once again, they've been given to state, local, and regional nonprofits and government agencies to create programs for the disabled. They can be identified by finding groups that have received funds from the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 and Access to Telework Loan programs (money for adaptive equipment that makes it possible for the disabled to work from home).
And these grant-receiving groups have mostly created programs that provide low-interest loans, as opposed to grants, for disabled consumers.  There are occasional exceptions, but that's mostly the rule.

Also remember a couple of things: first, this is federal funding that can change from year to year, and even disappear, depending on the whims of politicians. So if you are a big supporter of cutting federal funding for “all that useless crap?” Remember that this might be one of the things considered "useless crap." Also, the organizations themselves can run out of funds, as individuals seek money for their needs.


That having been said, here’s a list of state organizations that have received money from these funding streams, courtesy of RESNA (the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America ). This is clearly an old link, because many of the links within it are dead. The root links to organizations are o.k., but the links to particular programs are dead, meaning that the state organizational websites have changed, but RESNA did not check and update. So, when you run across a dead link, just backspace until you get the website of the organization, then click it on and search for the low-cost loan program, or contact the organization via the phone or email information provided. (I dunno. That could be outdated, too). But once you have identified the organizations that have received these federal funds, you’re in fat city, because you can then google them to find their current website and program information. For a more exhaustive listing of statewide programs that work in providing adaptive equipment programs for the disabled, including equipment loans, see this RESNA list.  As a bonus, here's a link with a list of grantees to the telework programs.  These organizations may have funds to help disabled people who need resources to do telework.

Adaptive Equipment and Housing for Disabled Veterans

There are some special grants available for disabled veterans from VA.  One is for a car with adaptive equipment, or the adaptive equipment itself.  To qualify, you must lose both hands or both feet, or the use of them, or suffer some impairment of vision in a service-related disability.  The grant for the car itself is up to $11,000, and is one-time only, and the adaptive equipment grant can be obtained more than once.  For more information, call 1-800-827-1000.

Besides the adaptive housing help I outlined before, the VA also has a program for veterans who are disabled due to a service-related injury.  This can include blindness, severe burns, or loss of the use of the upper or lower body.  Currently, the amount is about $68,000 (to purchase a house), or over $12,000 to adapt a house currently owned.  Also, veterans are eligible for smaller grants to help retrofit the home of a relative with whom they live.   For more information, call 572-272-0091.

A New Place to Find More Low Cost Computers

While picking around looking for freebies and cheapies on the internet, I found this website http://computers-for-kids-free-low-cost-computers.app-just-trying-to-help-1.aidpage.com/ on Aid Page, a sort of social network that allows its members to be online mavens, giving free advice on various things.  The particular page deals with finding free or low cost computers for kid and adaptive computers and equipment for the disabled.  There is some worthwhile stuff--just remember that the nonprofit type things are in the meat of the article--the stuff on the edges of the page are commercial sites.  Check it out, and thank you, online maven.  You did good.

Financial Help for Adaptive Equipment for the Disabled

"Adaptive equipment" for the disabled covers a lot of ground. It can be anything as simple as equipment to aid mobility, prosthetic equipment, or software to help those with hearing or vision loss to use a computer. Financial assistance for equipment can be varied and creative, too. It can range from donation, to partial payment of the cost of equipment, loans, equipment exchanges, and resale of older equipment.

Among the places where you can find assistance is this site at AbleData, listing contacts for statewide agencies that run these programs. For amputees, the Barr Foundation provides some financial help in getting prosthetic devices and an amputee assistance fund.  The Given Limb Foundation has a program for amputee veterans.  The Association of Blind Citizens has a program that subsidizes software and adaptive equipment (running in cost between $200 and $6,000) for those who are legally blind and who are within certain income restrictions. It's aimed at equipment or software that will help blind people enhance their employment or become more independent.