S.C. Assistive Technology Program receives grant

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The S.C. Assistive Technology Program, part of the Center for Disability Resources at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, has received a $74,000 grant from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

The High Impact Innovative Assistive Technology grant will be used in the program’s eye gaze communication solutions project, which aims to increase access to devices that improve the communication abilities of individuals with paralysis, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, ALS and cerebral palsy.

The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Paralysis Resource Center’s HIIAT qualify of life program has awarded more than $23 million in grants to 3,000-plus projects since its 1999 inception. Funding is made available through the Paralysis Resource Center under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Community Living.

“In our third year of awarding these grants, it is exciting to see the new and innovative projects proposed to improve quality of life for underserved and rural populations that are living with paralysis,” said Maggie Goldberg, the foundation’s vice president of policy and programs, in a news release. “The improved access to assistive technology results in a significant impact for individuals living with paralysis and their families and towards our goals of increasing inclusion and independence.”