Capitol Correspondence - 05.20.19

Tech Lovers, Mark Your Calendars! Congress to Hold Hearing on Potential for Tech in Disability Space

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ANCOR is flagging a hearing by the Senate Special Committee on Aging that will take place on May 21 at 9:30am ET titled “Aging and Disability in the 21st Century: How Technology Can Help Maintain Health and Quality of Life.” ANCOR members have long expressed interest in the development of assistive technologies to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities as well as frontline staff’s ability to support individuals. In response, ANCOR has engaged with federal policy-makers to ensure policy development reflects the availability of new technologies, including a Congressional letter requesting more guidance on the topic from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which funds and regulates most disability support programs.  

We expect video and witness testimonies will be added to the page after the event. At this time, listed speakers are:

  • Joseph Coughlin, PhD, Director of MIT AgeLab.
  • Cara McCarty, Curatorial Director at the Cooper Hewlitt Smithsonian Design Museum
  • Brenda Gallant, RN, Executive Director of the Maine Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program
  • Robert Mecca, Executive Director of Life and Independence for Today (LIFT)