Press Release
The SC Assistive Technology Program at the University of South Carolina is proud to announce that it has been awarded $74,542 as part of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center (PRC) 2020 High Impact Innovative Assistive Technology (HIIAT) grants program.
Four HIIAT grants totaling $299,542 were awarded. The Quality of Life Grants Program, of which includes the HIIAT program, supports nonprofit organizations that empower individuals living with paralysis. Since the Quality of Life Grants Program’s inception, more than 3,250 grants totaling over $30 million have been awarded. Funding for these new cycles of grants were made possible through a cooperative agreement with the Administration for Community Living (ACL grant #90PRRC0002-03-00).
The Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center has several grant programs under the Quality of Life program awarding grants in different category areas, varying in different amounts. The HIIAT Quality of Life grants program funds one-year grants of up to $75,000 to state and territory AT programs funded through the State Assistive Technology Act for innovative, one-time programs or services that through assistive technology devices or services, increase access to services, increase the independence or inclusion of people living with paralysis, their family members and caregivers.
“In every way imaginable, 2020 has been a very difficult year for the organizations we support and those living with paralysis that we serve,” said Mark Bogosian, Director, Quality of Life Grants Program at the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. “It is my deepest hope that these high impact, innovative projects and the assistive technology they deliver will alleviate some of those difficulties that many within our population have faced and will continue to face. These are promising endeavors being carried out by great leaders in our field, I have great faith in their success.”
The SC Assistive Technology Program will use the grant for the purchase of six wheelchairs. These manual and power wheelchairs will be loaned to people with paralysis while they are waiting for their personal mobility equipment to be delivered.
