35 Years of Promoting Independence
Man organizing AT hanging on a peg wall.
LOGAN, UT — The Utah Assistive Technology Program (UATP) is hosting a free community fair on Saturday, August 24, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., to mark its 35th anniversary of empowering individuals with disabilities through assistive technology (AT). The event will be held at the Logan UATP lab, located at the West Entrance of the Janet Quinney Lawson Building, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322.
The fair promises fun for all ages, featuring a wheelchair obstacle course, adaptive gaming, art stations, raffles with exciting prizes, free snacks, and much more. Attendees will have the chance to try out a wide range of AT and learn about UATP's services, which include financing aid, device loans, training, and device reuse and refurbishment.
Founded in 1989 by Marvin Fifield following the passage of the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act, UATP was initially focused on advocating for policy changes to improve access to AT. Since then, the program has expanded its services significantly, helping thousands of Utahns achieve greater independence through the use of AT.
Between 2021 and 2023, UATP has provided 1,485 trainings, loaned 739 AT devices, and has refurbished and/or repaired 1,470 devices. Each year, the program continues to grow.
Don McMahon, parent and UATP loan recipient said he has “seen the Utah Assistive Technology Program make a difference in people’s lives and give them freedom to be involved in the community by providing technology that changes peoples lives.”
UATP strives to create solutions for independence when there isn't one yet to be found XX. For example, UATP was able to modify a saddle to provide greater support and safety.
One client of the UATP, Alison Layton, was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis which made hiking difficult for her. UATP was able to craft a carrier that would allow her to participate in a youth hiking trip.
Ismael Rojas received a wheelchair through a subsidy and device loan provided by UATP, after his cancer treatment left him constantly exhausted.
To Rojas, the benefits of the wheelchair were innumerable. “This wheelchair opened the door for me to be able to go to the doctor and attend all the different treatments I needed. If I hadn’t had one, I wouldn’t have been able to do it.” It also made it possible for Rojas to buy food, go to classes, and enjoy the park.
This wheelchair opened the door for me to be able to go to the doctor and attend all the different treatments I needed. If I hadn’t had one, I wouldn’t have been able to do it.
A lab was opened in Salt Lake City in 2006, and Vernal is 2015, to serve the Wasatch Front and Uintah Basin. More recently, UATP obtained a van filled with tools and room to transport AT that will service Southern and rural areas of Utah.
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It was really cool! For once I was able to do something that I otherwise couldn’t do. It was really nice to be included. … I wasn’t left behind thinking about what everyone else was doing.
“It was really cool! For once I was able to do something that I otherwise couldn’t do. It was really nice to be included. … I wasn’t left behind thinking about what everyone else was doing.”