communicATor

After an emergency or disaster, repairing and/or replacing a lost or destroyed assistive device comes with many challenges and can be a lengthy process. Much can be done ahead of time with the proper planning to ease the stress of the situation and reduce the amount of ‘down time’ of being without a personal device. Depending on the type of equipment and complexity of the modifications, this process can take anywhere from 60 to 120 days.

To make the process easier, CIDE’s Outreach and Emergency Preparedness Program Coordinator, Julia Beems, has prepared an extensive tip sheet and checklist for tracking, operating, and replacing assistive technology and durable medical equipment.

If you own assistive devices, these documents can be downloaded, printed, filled out, and kept handy in the event your assistive technology or medical equipment becomes lost or damaged. They are also valuable resources for caretakers if equipment needs to be charged or manually operated during a power outage, or if you become unable to directly answer questions about operating your equipment during other emergency situations.

Click to view and download the replacement AT and durable medical equipment tip sheet and the equipment checklist.