Overview
The Assistive Technology (AT) Act and its federal funder (the Administration on Community Living, US Department of Health and Human Services) have requirements that AT Act Programs must consider when providing services. Programs have diverse lead and/or implementing entities (e.g., state agencies such as Vocational Rehabilitation or Education; nonprofit community-based organizations, and universities including but not limited to University Centers of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities [UCEDD]) that influence the administration of the AT Act Program. Further, AT Act Programs vary according to the needs and challenges presented by their state or territory. Each program’s circumstances influence whether the program is centralized, decentralized, or hybrid and the extent to which the program uses partners and subcontractors to deliver statewide assistive technology services for all ages and disabilities.
For more detailed content information on a program administration topic, choose an active link listed below to go directly to that page.
Required Federal Reporting
This page provides information related to the required federal reporting, including:
- State Plan for Assistive Technology (SPAT) – Once every three years, each funded program is required to develop and submit a State Plan for Assistive Technology. This plan is updated annually by submitting required annual assurances and by revising the plan whenever there are significant changes.
- Annual Progress Report (APR) – The APR reflects the implementation of the State Plan during a given federal fiscal year.
- Data Reporting – Specific data elements and “performance measures” are collected by each program and entered into the National Assistive Technology Act Data System maintained by the Center for Assistive Technology Act Data Assistance (CATADA).
- Using Data for Program Improvement
Fiscal Management
This page provides information and guidance on addressing AT Act requirements for categorizing, tracking, and reporting expenditures based on the “split” (60-40 or 70-30) of funding resources between State level and State leadership activities as outlined in the State Plan. Technical assistance documents include information on budget “cycles” and how to manage the expenditure of the total grant award each year, as well as fiscal assurances.
Advisory Councils
The AT Act describes the requirement to establish an advisory council “to provide consumer-responsive, consumer-driven advice to the State for, planning of, implementation of, and evaluation of the activities carried out through the grant.
Program Administration General Resources
Grant policies and regulations, ACL resources, and content that is more general to Program Administration and is not specific to federal reporting, fiscal management, and/or advisory councils can be found here.
New Directors Road Map
The Road Map was created to help new Section 4 AT Act Program Directors understand federally required AT Act program administrative duties and services.