Smart Home Technology for Individuals with Accessibility Needs
Tuesday, September 16, 2025 | 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM Eastern Time | 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM Central Time
Description:
Equipping a home with a smart home system and technologies specifically designed to enhance safety and accessibility can help increase independence and autonomy for older adults and people with disabilities. For many, smart home devices and technologies often seem unattainable due to the potential high cost of systems and devices, as well as an overwhelming variety of options available. Resources such as the State Grant for Assistive Technology (AT) Program can help individuals access and try out smart home devices that meet their needs.
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) Housing and Services Resource Center will host a webinar co-facilitated by the Office of Interagency Innovation and the AT Program, which will explore:
- What smart homes are and how they can increase independence and make housing more accessible
- Common barriers to obtaining smart home technologies, including cost and access to services, and successful solutions to overcome those barriers
- What programs and grants exist to provide access to smart home technologies
- What advancements we might see in the future of smart home technology, and how individuals, both providers and consumers, can be involved in future technology design and enhancement
A smart home technology professional from Inglis, a nonprofit in Pennsylvania that utilizes AT professionals, will discuss their efforts to provide in-home assessments on smart home devices that might enhance independence and provide community living support. Speakers from Oklahoma ABLE Tech, the state’s AT program, will discuss their Smart Home Demonstration Sites model, which allows individuals the ability to explore, both in-person and virtually, options for smart home technologies that meet the accessibility needs of older adults and people with disabilities. Finally, speakers from the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology, a Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center program, will discuss their research in smart home technologies and efforts to expand access to smart home solutions using evidence-based models.
English