Within a year, The STAR Center was able to rapidly begin adding more paid staff. As 1999 comes to a close, the STAR Center has added an additional 2500 square feet which was totally paid for at the time of completion and is in the process of purchasing land for additional parking and a third facility to be constructed in the future. Due to the rapid success of The STAR Center in the rural area of West Tennessee, the way was paved for two more major assistive technology facilities to be developed within the State of Tennessee in the metro areas of Nashville and Knoxville. For all of us, technology can make the things we do easier and faster. To a child or adult with a disability, the right technology simply makes things possible.
Assistive technology is any device or assistive aid which provides access toward independence.
Just as glasses are an assistive aid to someone with vision needs or a cane is an assistive aid to someone who has difficulty walking, computers and other equipment can help someone communicate, learn, work, or just become a little more independent. If someone is blind, there are computer programs which will read the screen for them, or if someone was involved in an accident and can no longer move their arms or legs, they can operate a computer by a voice input system. If a child is having trouble in the classroom with math or reading, software programs can help the child understand and address specific skill areas. Assistive technology has many different faces with many different applications which meet a variety of needs, and that is the amazing thing about what Margaret and The STAR Center has accomplished over the past twelve years. Granted, she had a specific need in her family.