Maryland becomes Technology First State – The Southern Maryland Chronicle

Baltimore, MD—Maryland Division of Well being’s (MDH) Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) at present hosted a kickoff occasion highlighting Governor Larry Hogan’s August 15, 2022 proclamation making Maryland a Know-how First State. Maryland turns into the eighth U.S. state to launch the initiative, which goals to learn folks with mental and developmental disabilities (IDD) by increasing entry to know-how to enhance the standard of their lives.

Beneath the Know-how First initiative, the DDA has assembled a job pressure made up of fellow state businesses, supplier organizations, advocacy teams, stakeholders and households to make sure that know-how is taken into account a part of all service and assist plans for folks with IDD.  “Making Maryland a Know-how First State implies that each time we encounter a barrier to dwelling an impartial, productive and community-based life right here in our state, we guarantee that the usage of know-how is taken into account within the dialogue of assist choices,” mentioned DDA Deputy Secretary Bernard Simons. “We all know it received’t take the place of conventional providers, however it should assist folks get higher entry to their communities, get hold of employment and safe accessible housing.”

Through the kickoff, attendees have been invited to go to with 18 distributors and several other state businesses providing technology-based options to create accessible properties, transportation, healthcare units and different providers designed to extend independence and high quality of life. As a result of quantity of requests from the general public to attend the invitation-only occasion, organizers opened up a particular session for households to go to the seller show room from 1–3 p.m. 

Supportive know-how is usually categorized as both distant assist or assistive know-how. Distant assist provides an individual direct assist from a supplier via real-time communication means akin to distant sensors or video chat. Assistive know-how consists of services and products that help an individual in gaining private independence like smartphones with accessibility options, voice-controlled synthetic intelligence assistants, sensible smoke detectors and video doorbells.

“We’re thrilled to declare Maryland a Know-how First State, added Deputy Secretary Simons.  “We consider in bringing consciousness, entry and autonomy to all of our residents in order that current obstacles to communication and assist finally grow to be eradicated in our state.”