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How Can We Improve AT Reuse?

Under the Assistive Technology Act, the Rehabilitation Services 

Administration—a component of OSERS—funds a statewide AT 

program in each of the 50 states and six territories, and the majority of 

these programs support AT device reuse activities. To find the program 

i n your st ate, visit the following W e b site: 

www.resna.org/taproject/at/statecontacts.html. 

Information and materials from the national conference on AT Reuse are 

accessible at www.resna.org/atreuse. To support ideas generated by 

the conference, OSERS is funding a national coordination center to 

provide technical assistance and networking opportunities for state 

agencies and other entities that are awarded grants to support AT reuse.

For more information on AT reuse contact:

Jeremy Buzzell

Rehabilitation Services Administration

202-245-7319

Jeremy.Buzzell@ed.gov

How Can We Improve AT Reuse?

Under the Assistive Technology Act, the Rehabilitation Services

Administration—a component of OSERS—funds a statewide AT

program in each of the 50 states and six territories, and the majority of

these programs support AT device reuse activities. To find the program

i n your st ate, visit the following W e b site:

www.resna.org/taproject/at/statecontacts.html.

Information and materials from the national conference on AT Reuse are

accessible at www.resna.org/atreuse. To support ideas generated by

the conference, OSERS is funding a national coordination center to

provide technical assistance and networking opportunities for state

agencies and other entities that are awarded grants to support AT reuse.

For more information on AT reuse contact:

Jeremy Buzzell

Rehabilitation Services Administration

202-245-7319

Jeremy.Buzzell@ed.gov

Recycling 

and reuse 

of assistive 

technology makes 

common sense.
(see www.resna.org/atreuse for grant information).

What Is AT Reuse?

For many people with disabilities, assistive technology (AT) is an essential 

support to daily living. A person may depend on a wheelchair, walker, 

special computer keyboard, speech generating device or other AT device at 

home, at school or at work. Finding ways to make AT more available is 

something with which few could argue.

Over many years, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special

Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) has supported

research in assistive technology, as well as making AT

more available to people with disabilities. More recently,

OSERS has supported a number of activities to encourage

and support AT reuse under the Assistive Technology Act. 

OSERS is now taking the lead on a national level to promote and

encourage AT reuse through its sponsorship of a national

conference on this issue, as well as through grants to state

agencies, non-profit organizations and other entities to support AT

reuse (see www.resna.org/atreuse for grant information).

Reuse of AT is emerging as one of the ways to make AT more available. To

the extent thatAT reuse is practiced today, it is generally done through:

4 Device exchange programs in which a “seller” and a “buyer” are 

connected directly with each other, as with classified ads;

4 Device recycling programs in which an organization accepts donated

AT items and stores them until new owners are found; or 

4 Device refurbishment programs, which are similar to device recycling,

except that the programs provide the additional service of fixing or

customizing used AT devices before the new owner receives them.

Why Reuse AT?

Who Is Involved in AT Reuse?

Recycling and reuse of assistive technology makes common sense.

Many people can’t get the AT they need because they can’t afford new

devices and can't get funding from private insurance or federal, state or

local sources. People in need of AT may turn to AT reuse programs

because these programs often do not have eligibility requirements. In

addition, used AT is generally more affordable, if not free.

Others may choose usedAT because they do not want to

invest in new devices if they will be needed for only

a short time.

AT reuse also benefits those giving away 

the AT. Passing on used devices means 

no longer needing to store them and 

sparing the environment the impact of 

throwing them away. In addition, those 

who donate AT know they are helping people 

in need. 

Hundreds of organizations around the country, large and small, are 

involved in AT reuse. From state agencies, to nonprofits, to hospitals, to 

churches, there are AT reuse programs in all parts of the country that meet 

all kinds of needs. 

Unfortunately, there is little promotion, coordination or networking of and 

among these programs to ensure an efficient and effective system for 

getting used AT into the hands of those who need it. 

NATIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE REUSE OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY