Cross Town Bus and Hearing Aids

What a beautiful day! My computer thermometer indicates that the temperature is currently 62 degrees. It feels like Spring . I had hoped that I would be in my office all day. I even trained into work only to find that I had a meeting over at Buffmire. I was fortunate enough to have the time to plan a bus trip across town for this lunch meeting. Of course once I got to the UTA web site the trip planner refused to work—I wasted twenty minutes of failed software before calling the Authority and speaking to a ‘scheduler’. She gave me a route which would get me to my meeting on time, but I would have to go three blocks out of my way. I knew there was a closer route but I did not have time to fight with her.

The meeting I have today is Assistive Technology Foundation. Another spin off of the think tank also know as UATP (Utah Assistive Technology Program.) The program is located up North in Logan at Utah /state University. I sit on the board of directors and essentially we meet to authorize loans and grants to people with disabilities trying acquire assistive technology. Dr Marilynn Hammond directs the project and I think she does a pretty good job. I refer one or two people a week to her program, usually, for assistance in getting help in modifying a van conversion or a car with hand controls, or for a specialty walker for a kid with CP. When I see the results of the quarter’s loans at these items I get kind of dismayed. What I a finding is that 90percent of the loans are going to old farts, like me, for hearing aids. Hearing aids are items which most insurance programs will not pay for. Why? I cannot tell you. The little suckers are expensive too over a $1000.0 a piece.

We became plagued with these requests for funding for the hearing aids over night it seemed. What happened is that one of the audio places which sell these items found out about the Fund and the rest as they say is history. What is really sad I cannot be too pissed off as of yet because the people with disabilities, who truly need this funding, do not come forward and apply for the funding. This fund will loan money for anything which can be justified as to being a form of assist technology. I mean I have used the program twice: once, for buying my hand bike and the second to purchase a major computer upgrade. So, I know the money is available. So I guess if the folks with disabilities are not smart enough to take advantage of this program then give it to the seniors, t really there should be a program which should help these people out with there hearing needs. I complained about this when I first noticed this trend but alas my complaints fell on deaf ears. Seriously this program is a great program that really tries to work with the person with a disability who can carry a loan.