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Wheelchairs, which typically cost from $500 to $2,000, get beat up with use. Most insurance companies will only pay for a replacement once every five years. But they’re not the most

requested item by CARAT’s clients. That honor goes to bath benches (also known as a shower seat or bath-and-shower transfer bench), which Medicare and most insurance companies won’t cover

since the seating is not considered to be medically necessary. “The bathroom is the most dangerous room in your house because it gets wet," says Kitzman. "Getting in and out of

your tub is dangerous, especially if someone doesn’t have good balance or movement. A bath bench is _not _a luxury.” Children with a range of disabilities and differences are often in need

of customized toys. “A standard off-the-shelf toy might not be usable by children who have motor, visual or sensory issues,” says Kitzman, who explains that adding weighted bags to some

toys, such as a stuffed animal, can be helpful to a child who has sensory challenges. “It's the same as when we put weights on a cane or a walker for older clients who don't have

good sensation in their extremities," Kitzman notes. Students from several of the university’s departments, including engineering, assist with the toy revamps. “Toys we’re working on

have lots of components, like multiple switches,” explains Kitzman. “The students figure out how to turn the sound down for individuals who don’t like loud sounds, or how to make lights

brighter for kids with low vision. Students are even creating handsfree connections to toys.” SEE THE SUPPLIES Anyone can use Kentucky’s Assistive Technology Locator to see the inventory of

assistive and durable medical equipment that's available for clients to borrow and try or receive at no- or low-cost. The toy work, says Kitzman, “let's us make the world a little

bit easier for kids." RESULTS LEAD TO FUNDING CARAT has eight sites across Kentucky. The organization has refurbished and distributed some $3.5 million in equipment since its founding.

Kitzman reports that CARAT’s 2022 AARP Community Challenge grant led to the organization receiving additional public and private grant funding ($156,000 and $125,000, respectively). The

latter came in March 2023 from Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky to support the new Appalachian Center for Assistive Technology, or ACAT, located in Hazard at the Center of Excellence in

Rural Health.  The center will serve the disability population in eastern Kentucky through education, demonstrations and loans of assistive technology. The makerspace allows for the rapid

adapting of equipment to meet individuals’ needs. The ACAT will also serve as a training site for aspiring disability and accessibility aides and professionals, such as speech-language

pathologists, physical therapists and occupational therapists. _Reporting by Amy Lennard Goehner | Page published May 2023_ WATCH A VIDEO ABOUT PROJECT CARAT  _YOUTUBE UNIVERSITY OF

KENTUCKY_ [embedded content]    LEARN MORE