UK Happenings

New UK Center Lends Assistive Technology to Community

Photo of HDI-CATS
The new center will have an open house and grand opening from 3-5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 9.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 5, 2018) — The University of Kentucky Human Development Institute has opened a Center for Assistive Technology Services on Nicholasville Road in Lexington. The center will provide information and training, along with a library of assistive technology devices that can be checked out for up to 30 days.

An open house and grand opening is planned from 3-5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9. Tours, demonstrations and refreshments will be available.

The center, called "HDI-CATS," is the newest Regional Assistive Technology Center in Kentucky. Assistive technology is any device that improves independence in the home, at work, at school or at play for a person with a disability. Examples of assistive technology include everything from enlarged buttons on a telephone or grab bars in a bathtub, to one-handed computer keyboards or a joystick-operated motor vehicle.

Through HDI-CATS, HDI is helping connect Kentuckians with the technology they need to succeed at school, work and in the community.

"This is a crucial component of the work of HDI," said HDI Executive Director Kathy Sheppard-Jones. “Assistive technology can be a game changer for people with disabilities. A unique element of this effort is that HDI-CATS is housed with Independence Place, our area Center for Independent Living, because independence and assistive technology go hand in hand.”

HDI-CATS is located at 2358 Nicholasville Rd., Suite 180, in Lexington. To learn more, call 859-218-7979 or email hdiatcenter@l.uky.edu.