More disabled students will be able to hold onto the technology that helps them communicate, thanks to a bill pushed by Tallahassee Representative Lorrane Ausley during the recent lawmaking session.
That bill’s passage brought Ausley special honors from the Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology (FAAST). On Wednesday (5/17), Ausley was with the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce delegation in Nashville, so her District Secretary Mark Hodges accepted the FAAST Legislator of the Year award on her behalf.
“She’s always worked to remove barriers to assistive technology for Florida students. She’s proud to have sponsored another bill that will accomplish this goal,” Hodges said during the presentation.
FAAST Board Co-Chair Karen Clay explained the legislation will allow disabled students to keep the devices that help them communicate when they switch schools or otherwise move around.
“It’s so imperative that that technology be able to follow them from school to home to community and that is really what our mission is,” Clay said.
FAAST estimates more than 300,000 Florida students with disabilities could benefit from such technology.
