Roger Cicchese
Financing that Dream Device... for a Second Time
Nine years ago, Roger Cicchese purchased sophisticated hearing aides using the Alternative Financing Program operated by Easterseals MA. The hearing aids allowed him to continue his work as a sound designer despite significant hearing loss. Roger paid off that low-interest loan years ago, and last December he returned to Easterseals for assistance purchasing a device he'd been tracking for over two years: the Orcam MyEyes.
Roger is a technology enthusiast living in the golden age of assistive technology. Blind since birth, he uses screen readers and dynamic braille displays as well as high-tech hearing aids. He doesn't adopt technology lightly, but neither does he insist on doing things only one way. When he became aware of the Orcam, he recognized it could be a game-changer for his quality of life once the company worked out a few hiccups -- and assuming he could afford it.
The Orcam is best described as wearable OCR (optical character recognition). This means it can read aloud hard copy print. Clipped discretely to a pair of eyeglasses, it has a camera and speakers that audibly provide information it perceives (at the user's direction). Its other functions include the ability to read currency and bar codes and identify up to 150 faces. It can also tell a user if there's a person within the camera's field of vision (regardless of facial recognition). Roger would know if he were not alone.
Orcam's first version plugged into a battery pack and had no Bluetooth capability. Roger waited for the updated edition principally because it promised to pair with his hearing aids. When MyEyes hit the market, he arranged for a device demonstration with an Orcam representative.*
"I was so impressed," Roger says. "The quality of the voice had improved, as well as the speed of the processor. It reads so quickly and paired to my hearing aids, it’s discrete. It's really a joy to work with.
The price, however, was prohibitive. To own the Orcam MyEyes, Roger would need to borrow over $4,000. So he went back to Easterseals even though he wasn't sure he could get a loan again.
At Easterseals, AFP Coordinator Steve Crays reassured Roger that repeat customers are more than welcome. He also recognized Roger as an excellent "risk," proposing to the AFP Advisory Committee that Easterseals guarantee his loan so the bank would approve his application.
Roger was impressed. "I felt like Steve wasn't just doing a job. He clearly cared about what he was doing, the person he was working with, and the value in the technology."
Roger is delighted with both Easterseals Massachusetts and his new Orcam MyEyes. With the device clipped by his temple, he can now explore his environment in a way no other OCR technology allows.
"I know there are great smartphone apps, but this is hands-free, unobtrusive, and natural. I can sit down in a waiting room and pick up a magazine or catalog, learn what it is, and read it without drawing attention to myself. I can pull a jar from the refrigerator and find what I'm looking for. I can sit in my recliner and read my mail."
Roger laments he did not have a device like this while he was teaching college all those years and grading student papers. He imagines, too, the power of walking into a job interview now and showing how swiftly he can access hardcopy on the fly. To his surprise, he's even using it with his computer monitor, to help him figure out what has popped onto his screen to freeze his screen reader.
"There's almost no scenario where the Orcam isn't useful," he says.
The Easterseals Alternative Financing Program provides loans for the purchase of assistive technology and assistive technology services with a low-interest rate and favorable terms. There is also a no-interest loan option for amounts under $2,000 available to applicants with poor credit or no credit history. Both programs are designed to assist individuals with disabilities and their families to acquire the AT they want or need.
Roger says he's grateful for a way to purchase the personal wearable devices that are rarely otherwise funded. "This program is unique and more accessible than ever. Banking can be intimidating. Easterseals put me at ease and makes me want to work with them. Easterseals makes sure people have a good experience."
*The Orcam may also be seen at the Assistive Technology Regional Centers in Boston and Worcester as well as borrowed, free of charge, for a four week trial from the MassMATCH short-term device loan program operated by Easterseals MA and UCP of Western MA.
Lynne Tucker
It Takes a Village
Last fall Lynne Tucker realized, all at once, that she needed a whole-house generator. High winds had taken out the power in Pembroke and for three days she'd had to travel to where she could charge her son's durable medical equipment. "It was already unsustainable," she says. "And then I thought, what if this were January?"
Lynne is a divorced mom of two sons who both receive Disability. Tyler, her youngest, is 13 and relies on a food pump, two nebulizers, a suction machine, a cough assist machine, and an oximeter. His room was built on to accommodate his hospital bed and includes a mini-split for electric heat. Without power, Lynne realized, his room would freeze.
"The stress was too much. People would say, 'If you lose power just take Tyler to the hospital.' But he's big now, taller than me. Getting him up and ready, packing his bags, his meds, and 12 hours worth of food (it always takes the hospital 12 hours before they get his meds and food right), it's too much. Plus every time I go, my other son--who has Asperger Syndrome--needs someone checking in on him."
Just the year before, Tyler's care had transitioned to being "complex." He'd always had medical needs, but now his seizures had stopped responding to medication and he required the addition of a food pump. For Lynne, there was suddenly a lot to keep up with. Still, it took the high winds of September to get her to Easterseals.
"I'd known about them for years, so I decided to check them out. Easterseals is wonderful."
The generator cost over $9,000, unaffordable for a single mother who is a full-time caregiver. Easterseals and Lynne worked together to find a creative solution.
"The gentleman I worked with was communicative and caring," she emphasizes. "He helped direct me."
Easterseals manages the Mass. Alternative Financing Program (AFP). With its partner, Santander Bank, the AFP's AT Loan Program helps people with disabilities and families purchase the assistive technology and services they need with a low-interest loan and better terms than what is traditionally available. The program is overseen by a committee that understands the lives of individuals and families with disabilities, and works hard to find its way to "Yes."
"It's not always possible," admits Steven Crays, Easterseals AFP Coordinator, "but Lynne's case was urgent and her resourcefulness impressive."
Lynne reduced the loan amount she needed to $6,000. "I got $1,500 from BAMSI [Brockton Area Multi-Services, Inc] and another $1,500 from the Giving Angels. I came up with $500 in cash, myself."
Still, the bank wouldn't approve her application. "They didn't want to take on the risk," she says. "And it's understandable. I was already paying off $26,000 on my accessible van."
That's when Easterseals went the extra mile.
"I couldn't believe it. They took on the risk themselves. I was just amazed. Easterseals guaranteed my loan."
Lynne now has a Generac that kicks on automatically should the power go out. It can run everything: her fridge, lights and Tyler's heat, and equipment. She's making payments of $108/mo. and she's picked up transporting Tyler home from school, a reimbursable expense that is helping her afford the payments.
"Easterseals is a lifeline," she says. There are now two other families within a mile of Lynne who also have children with equipment but don't have generators. If there's a power outage, she says, they can come to her house.
"And I can be their lifeline too."
Dan Moore
Nothing is easy when you have MS. By the time you’re dressed and ready to get out the door, you’ve used up so much energy that you’re ready to turn around and collapse into your bed.
Equally difficult is the constant wrangling with healthcare providers, insurance companies, and agencies that are ostensibly there to help you, but too often burden you with red tape, endless waits, and exorbitant fees.
So I still can’t quite believe how easy it was to get help from Easter Seals MA and their “Mini-Loan” program for assistive technology. When I realized that my only chance of reclaiming my mobility and independence was to spend thousands of dollars out of pocket for a power wheelchair, I felt crushed. There was no way I could afford it, and the idea of adding to my existing medical and student loan debt was utterly terrifying.
I found Easter Seals MA during a desperate Google search session. I quickly got in touch with Steven Crays, the coordinator of their Alternative Finance Program. He was so understanding and responsive. He always got back to me immediately, and after discussing the options he thought the Mini-Loan program might be just what I needed.
How right he was! Steven put me in touch with another super competent and helpful team member there, Catherine Fradenburg, the manager of the Alternative Finance Program. Before I knew it, I had a check in hand that would cover the lion’s share of my wheelchair expense. The unbelievable terms of the loan—5 years at 0% APR—meant the difference between me getting the technology I needed and being housebound.
Thank you, Easter Seals MA!
Dawn Mendez
Sometimes the littlest things can be major obstacles for people with disabilities.
For Dawn Mendes, who suffers from a severe form of Osteoarthritis in her spine, the lip on the front door step of her Taunton home was just high enough to prevent her from taking her electric wheelchair out of the house. She could no longer take walks around the neighborhood with her daughters and when no help was available, Dawn spent a lot of time inside, by herself.
As Dawn’s Osteoarthritis progressed, using her hands to paint and type became harder and harder. Being productive is incredibly important to Dawn, a 5th degree black belt, hiker, writer and artist, who was forced to end her teaching carrier after 27 years. “Having a disability can be incredibly isolating if you are not aware of the resources available to you,” Dawn noted.
Fortunately the Rehabilitation Commission in Taunton, as well as a counselor at Independence Associates told Dawn about Easterseals MA and now, thanks to the Assistive Technology (AT) Program, Dawn now has several items on long-term loan so she can easily exit her home, write and create on a daily basis.
The AT Program changed her life. “I am so very grateful to Easterseals MA,” Dawn said. “Without my faith in God and Easterseals MA, my life would have consisted of lying on the couch and I would not have the opportunity to use my gifts or go on walks with my girls.”
Dawn is currently writing several books and designing their covers thanks the computer station and software programs provided the AT Program and set up by AT Specialist Jaimie Ballon. “Jaimie has an amazingly positive attitude, she has the astounding ability to be realistic, caring and empathetic all at the same time,” Dawn said. “She is a great support system, when I worry about my ability to continue writing and being creative, she calms me down and explains that the technology available through Easterseals MA can help me stay productive even as my condition worsens.”
Easterseals MA not only helped Dawn start living her life again, it also made a huge difference in her daughters lives, “My girls loved to go on walks around the lake we live on,” she said, “with crutches I could barely get down my driveway, but when my ramps were installed, we began enjoy the outdoors together again. I was able to go to parent teacher meetings and be part of their lives outside of the house. Easterseals MA not only expanded my life, but my children’s lives, too.”
Don Bradway
Don Bradway bought a mini-van a few years ago, thinking it would be good on gas. But it turned out that his power wheelchair was cramped in it, which caused him to develop migraines.
Don is currently unable to work and he knew it would be difficult to get a traditional loan to replace the van. So the former Easterseals employee turned to the Massachusetts Assistive Technology Loan program for help with the financing. Through the program, managed by Easterseals, he received a loan with rates he could afford.
“It has made all the difference in the world,” Don said.
His new van gives this articulate, funny and very determined Worcester resident, who also plays on a power-wheelchair soccer team, the independent life he wants.
"The van allows me to get out to doctors appointments, go to concerts with friends, and catch some nightlife," he said.
A city van service is available but stops running at 9 p.m., just the time when bands begin playing at local clubs, he pointed out.
"That means if I go to a club, I'd have to take a van home at 8:30 p.m.," Don said. "Am I going to do that? I don't think so! Life doesn't end at 9 p.m."
Don, 44, is also working with an Easterseals technology specialist, Oren Kuhn, to master voice-recognition software. He's using the software to write a book about his life that details, as he put it, "the trials and tribulations I've gone through to get me where I am today."
"I with I had the software when I was in college, tying 10-and 15-page papers with one finger," the Quinsigamond Community College graduate said.
Don recalled that a counselor once told him he didn't have what it takes for college.
"Oh, really?" he replied. "Stand back!"
Don couldn't wait to call the counselor after his first semester in college. He had an important piece of news for him: "I made the Dean's list."
Ben
Several years ago, a brutal assault based on mistaken identity left Ben (not his real name) with serious, permanent injuries that left him unable to walk. In the months that followed he lost his entire retirement savings.
Ben had escaped from persecution in his country in the Middle East to live in freedom. Now he, his wife, mother and five children – three of whom have autism – are living in crisis.
When Ben lost his car, he applied for a loan to buy a van that was compatible with his power wheelchair, but bankruptcy had ruined his credit rating and numerous loan applications were rejected.
All that changed, however, when he discovered the Easterseals Assistive Technology Loan Program, which provides low-interest cash loans and equipment loans that enable people with disabilities and their families to live more independently.
Through the program, Ben not only got the car loan, but also ramps to make it easier for him to get his wheelchair in and out of his home in Springfield.
“Having dealt with discrimination, hate crimes and injustices that have affected my family, all of a sudden we’re dealing with Easterseals,” Ben said. “Now there is an organization that truly cares about us. Easterseals is totally humane, totally caring and color blind. This is one organization that truly believes in their mission.”
Ben is currently bedridden and unable to use his car loan. Easterseals has put the loan on hold for him until he is able to use his wheelchair again.
“It wasn’t just helping me with the process,” Ben added, “it was the tone of the voice, the professionalism and the speed of the process. Easterseals changed the quality of life for my family and gave us peace of mind – the greatest gift anyone can give. If every organization was the same as Easterseals, our society would be a better place.”
Ginny Messmore
I am a brain injury survivor from acute carbon monoxide poisoning. The damage done to the area of my brain left me with a number of problems—in addition dealing with poisoning presents a whole new layer of medical complications in daily living.
God blessed me with the help of several carbon monoxide experts—who helped with specialized testing and most of highly specialized vision rehab treatment. The vision rehab has been a series of specialized glasses/lens to bring the brain back into alignment, help me with lighting issues, and helps to minimize the other problems I deal with. This includes leg buckling with mini-seizures after certain noises or dealing with excessive overstimulation increasing fatigue, muscle weakness or sudden drops in vitamins.
The glasses are not covered by insurance, Medicare, etc. and yet are essential rehab assistant devices. There are only a handful of specialized neuro-optometrists in the entire country using this specialized and highly successful treatment. For 12 years, I have been receiving this treatment at a significant cost and Easter Seals has given me two loans over the past few years for the glasses.
These glasses have been life-saving and life-affirming for my life and recovery. While there is no official cure for CO poisoning, the chance to have vision restored, balance, and walking helped, has been and was essential to be able to improve in the many other rehab treatments. For instance, being able to read again helped me with the PT, speech, and OT therapies. Correcting the vision/balance/depth perception has led to improving daily living—everything from going into a grocery store and finding items on a shelf to reducing anxiety pertaining to doing so. By correcting the vision, it has helped me to adjust to the hearing issues—which takes great effort and planning in daily living.
God Bless all of you for helping not just myself but so many others in our needs for medical and assistive devices—all of you are angels on earth and we couldn’t make without you.
Sarah Stroehlin
I really love the Ottlight portable task lamp. It is my favorite! The lamp helps me to read the newspaper while I am sitting in my favorite chair. I can move the lamp to the kitchen to do my bills. I hope to soon use it to complete my favorite activity of jigsaw puzzles. The magnifier helps me to complete puzzles, read my church bulletin, and sort my mail.
Without this device, I would need assistance to do these tasks. Now I can do these things without asking for help. Thank you to Easter Seals for helping me.
Jerry Ganley
Easterseals has provided me with many helpful things; some of which were medical, others not, but all needed. These things, provided by the Easterseals, have made it possible for me to remain in my home and to be as independent as I can. If it were not for Easterseals, I would have been totally dependent years ago. My long association with Easterseals has been very positive and my wife, my kids, my grand-kids, and my friends than you.
Anonymous
I have Repetitive Strain Injury in my upper back, shoulders, arms, and hands. This is a chronic condition that causes pain in these parts of my body when I use a computer keyboard or mouse. If I push through the pain, my arms become stiff and clumsy and I have difficulty completing or am unable to complete activities of daily living like dressing, eating, etc.
I received the SmartNav 4 through Easter Seal’s Long Term Device Loan Program. The SmartNav is a camera mouse that allows me to move the computer’s mouse cursor by turning my head. I live on a very limited income and could not have purchased the device on my own. Every single day I am grateful to have access to the device through the Long Term Device Loan Program. I can’t imagine going back to life without it.
The SmartNav has been life-changing. For the first time in years, I have minimal pain in my upper back, shoulders, arms, and hands. With the device, I am able to efficiently complete the responsibilities of my job; independently complete computer-based personal tasks like paying bills and responding to emails; and even use the computer to do fun things like make my podcast and watch movies. Now that I have the SmartNav, I don’t end up pushing through pain to get computer-based responsibilities done. And I don’t live in constant fear of the periodic limitations to my ability to independently complete activities of daily living that occurred before I had access to the device.
The Long Term Device Loan Program is an incredible program that has dramatically improved my quality of life, increased my independence, and expanded my life choices. It stills feels too good to be true!
Anonymous
My oldest sister often told the story of how I came home from the hospital talking in full sentences. Whether true or not, I always liked to talk. My ability to communicate was an important contributor to my success. Then at age 66, after several bouts with pneumonia, it was determined that I would need a tracheostomy. With the trach, for the first time in my life, I could not speak. It was awful. After a long time, I was able to master the speaking valve and enjoyed immensely my ability to talk to my son, my daughter, my friends and my beloved partner, Betsy. It was short-lived as I developed a fistula in my esophagus and aspirated into my lungs, requiring the cuff of my trach to be fully inflated at all times. Once again, I could not speak. After some time and the good fortune of having speech therapist Shayna Smith, I began using text to speech. Betsy was ecstatic as for some reason she never picked up the ability to read lips.
We never fought but her frustration when I didn’t write or type clearly illustrated her disdain with me. Well, for me it was an improvement but any euphoria was short-lived as I type slowly and experienced how most people did not have patience for very long. Any conversation with more than one person found me typing while they were changing subjects. In one important meeting with the vendor for my home equipment that was critical for me, once again by the time I got done typing, a new topic was being discussed. I remember breaking down and having a good cry after the meeting was over. The next day, I decided that an electrolarynx might be the solution. I had disregarded them as too expensive for my non-existent cash flow. However, I thought maybe I could find a way and so I called on Shayna. Miraculously, she found that Easter Seals provided loaners that individuals could try for free to make sure of compatibility.
Bingo, immediate success. I had a voice again. Then Shayna informed me that Easter Seals had a program, that if I qualified would provide a leased unit at no cost to me. Off we went and shortly my very own unit arrived fifteen minutes before I was taken by ambulance to the emergency room to replace my g-j tube that had malfunctioned. Well I talked all the way to the hospital where you can imagine how much my new voice made my visit much less stressful. So many good stories since. Every day, I talk to Shayna. I talk to my nurses. I talk to my doctors. I talk to my friends. I talk to my kids. I went to the eye doctor and managed the “which looks best #1 or #2”. Best of all, I talk to Betsy. Yes, thank you Easter Seals. For me, your program is truly a “Life Changer”.
THANK YOU EASTER SEALS, THANK YOU FOR MY ELECTROLARYNX!
The Tarbell’s
“As you may or may not know the sticker shock of a new or used handicap accessible vehicle would choke anyone up. It was not until it was suggested to us to reach out to our local Massachusetts Easter Seals who might be able to help us through the finance process and that is when we spoke with Steven.
Steven was very kind, thorough, caring and compassionate throughout the entire process. He kept in touch with us every step of the way and made the process extremely easy and stress-free. We got the BEST rate and the BEST service through the Easter Seals and we recommend everyone go through them! Thank you again for all your help.”
K.R.
“I was able to go to the Great Wolf Lodge with my daughter and grandchildren for my birthday. Thanks to Easterseals and the Long Term Device Loan Program for helping me get the ramp needed to move my scooter into my van. A great big THANK YOU!!
