The Idaho Assistive Technology Project (IATP) celebrated 30 years of service this October! The Project has been an integral program at the Idaho CDHD and in the state of Idaho.

IATP was initiated by Dr Bryce Fifield in 1992 – funded through Technology Act appropriations, which were reauthorized in 2004 as the AT Act. Since that time, it has provided invaluable services, training and resources to people with disabilities and older people across the state. This includes:

The goal of the project has always been to help Idahoans of all ages with disabilities acquire the assistive technology they need to live more independent lives. Dedication to this goal has helped to make a real difference in many people’s lives.

“As we celebrate and reflect over the past 30 years, we are humbly grateful to those who have had a hand in building IATP. We look forward to a bright future of continued growth in our mission to serve Idahoans with disabilities, their families and older persons as they live, work and play within their communities,” said Dr Janice Carson, Project Director.

Join us in thanking the IATP for 30 years of amazing work! This includes all the staff, families and friends of the Project – past and present – for their time, knowledge and skills along the way.

A new year of artAbility has kicked off! With two workshops down and two more to go before the end of the semester, it has been an exciting and productive start.

There are still two workshops to go before the winter break. Focusing on Collage, this two part series will welcome local artists Lorie Higgins and Elizabeth Sloan.

Registration is required. Contact Areli (amorfin@uidaho.edu, 208 885 6094) for more information or to reserve a spot.

Areli Morfin has returned as the Project Coordinator for the 2022-23 academic year. Originally from southern Idaho, Areli is in her final year of her Urban Planning degree.

She hit the ground running, kicking off the semester with Spin-off Art on September 25.

This outdoor activity took full advantage of the warmer fall temperatures. Participants created colorful, abstract artwork by using air currents to move paint across their boards. Blowing the paint with a straw was an option; however, tossing the boards like frisbees proved even more popular amongst participants.

This was followed up by an Assemblage workshop on October 16. This is the art of assembling different everyday items into a single piece of art. Used items can be found or store bought. The approach dates back to the early 1900s with Pablo Picasso’s three-dimensional cubist constructions.

Visit the artAbility webpage to get all the details on upcoming workshops and stay up-to-date on artAbility news.

Customer Support Specialist

The CDHD has welcomed another group of University of Idaho students to our trainee program, with 12 students helping us across our many projects this fall.

There are some familiar faces returning after a well-deserved summer break, and a few new students as well.

Join us in welcoming them to the CDHD!

Movement in the Park – formerly Adaptive Movement – has kicked off with a new fall schedule:

Classes are held at East City Park (corner of Third and Hayes Street). Note that as the weather gets cooler, they will be moved indoors to the 1912 Center on Third street.

Movement in the Park is part of the Healthy Active Lifestyles initiative. It is a series of fitness classes that focus on getting the body moving in a fun and inclusive environment.

Each session runs for 20-25 minutes under the instruction of a CDHD student trainee.

Participants can expect to complete a series of exercises that can easily be adapted to suit all levels of fitness and abilities. Our instructors work hard to create classes that offer healthy movement with plenty of fun!

All adults of all abilities are welcome to join.

Our instructors share a passion for Movement in the Park. In fact, all three will be travelling to Washington DC this November to the annual AUCD conference.

They'll be sharing the Movement in the Park model with network partners, organizational partners and experts across the disability field, showing them how to implement classes in their own communities.