Findings

Findings. (a) There are approximately 2,200,000 persons with disabilities residing in the State of Illinois, most of whom need assistive technology for daily living, education, independence, and employment. (b) There is a serious lack of resources within the State of Illinois, especially outside of the Chicago metropolitan area, for comprehensive evaluations, training, and hands-on experience with assistive technology to determine the appropriateness of assistive technology for persons with disabilities before they purchase assistive technology devices. (c) As a result of the serious lack of evaluation and training resources, a great number of persons with disabilities in Illinois will do without needed assistive technology or will purchase inappropriate assistive technology, thereby diminishing their educational and employment opportunities and increasing their dependence upon federal and State support and forcing them to unnecessarily rely upon community based resources and family members for financial support and daily living assistance. (d) It is almost always more cost-effective to purchase appropriate assistive technology for a person with a disability to enable that person to reach his or her potential for independent living, education, and employment than to provide public assistance and government-funded personal care assistance for that person. (Source: P.A. 90-428, eff. 1-1-98.)