STOWE PA – A who’s who of state and local officials will gather Wednesday (March 13, 2024) at a West Pottsgrove Township home to see and discuss technology that helps disabled Pennsylvanians live more independently.
Scheduled to attend the mid-morning media event are Montgomery County state Reps. Joe Ciresi, Joe Webster, Paul Friel, and Donna Scheuren; Philadelphia Rep. Tarik Khan; state Sen. Katie Muth; and Steve Miller, president of the West Pottsgrove Township Board of Commissioners.
All are interested in what is described as “assistive technology,” an array of devices ranging from the simple – a wheelchair is one example cited by the World Health Organization (WHO) – to the more complex, such as computer-driven speech recognition software. More than 2.5 billion people globally need or rely on assistive tech, the WHO reports.
The Stowe residence the group will visit reportedly is equipped as a SMART home. Years ago the acronym referred to “self-monitoring, analysis, and reporting technology,” but now is often a catch-phrase encompassing digital, usually internet-connected devices and procedures that simplify, ease, or automate tasks.
Those devices, depending on their levels of sophistication, are becoming both more complex and expensive. Ciresi said he hopes to introduce legislation that would raise a current $10,000 lifetime cap on state funding for assistive technology, potentially allowing more state residents to benefit from SMART living. Other officials may address the topic, too.
Ciresi notes that assistive tech could help disabled individuals to cope with a shortage of direct care workers available to provide assistance. Additionally, a 2022 study by ATScale, a United Nations-supported global partnership for assistive technology, concluded that every dollar invested in such devices yields $9 in economic benefits.
Photo from Getty Images on Unsplash+, used by Travels With The Post under license
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