An Evaluation of the Allocation of Funding for Assistive Technology: A case study

• Main Author: Ollis, Cindy L.
• Format: Others
• Published: DigitalCommons@USU 2009
• Subjects: Assistive Technology; Disability Resources; Evaluation; Sociology
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/234; https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1232&context=etd

Although benefits of assistive technology (AT) to people with disabilities are widely apparent, barriers, primarily funding, still inhibit access to needed AT. All agencies receiving federal funding are required to show no discrimination with regard to age, race, disability, and gender. This case study of a state run agency providing funding for AT to enable independent living among people with disabilities involved analyzing spending data from 2003 2008 to determine who used the fund, what was purchased, and whether it was equitably distributed according to age, ethnicity, gender, and population density. Additionally variables predictive of amount spent per person were also sought. Results indicated the fund was equitably distributed according to ethnicity and gender, but not age and population density. Age, gender, population density, and device type were found to have main effects with an interaction between device type and primary cause of disability in predicting the amount spent per person. (210 pages)