We are proud to announce that 2024 was our biggest year yet! PATF provided more than 450 new loans to people with disabilities and older Pennsylvanians worth $3.8 million. This raised the total that PATF has extended since 1998 to more than $50 million.

In addition, we have supported more than 11,000 people with information and assistance about funding resources and 14,800 people took advantage of our financial education curriculum. This is fantastic news – but that's not all!

This spring, PATF will publish the new edition of Funding Your Assistive Technology: A Guide to Funding Resources in Pennsylvania, empowering Pennsylvanians to help them navigate the complex process of finding funding. We remain committed to financial education with the latest edition of Cents and Sensibility: A Guide to Money Management, which has expanded in size and scope with contributions from Pennsylvania personal finance educators and content experts across Pennsylvania.

Tracy Beck

PATF's Senior Lending and Operations Director

This is a bittersweet time for PATF. Tracy Beck, our long-time Senior Lending and Operations Director who has been vital to PATF’s growth and a consistent leader in our mission, will retire this month.

Our organization is grateful for her years of service and friendship, and we wish Tracy all the best as she begins her next chapter in life. Her persistent advocacy will continue to inspire our work.

Thanks for the Support!

We remain committed to our partnerships with PNC Foundation and Univest! With their support, PATF will be able to present more webinars and extend more grants to people in our community.

Many thanks to the Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) for continuing our collaboration to provide funding sources to make assistive technology more affordable.

We also recently received a grant from the Administration for Community Living (ACL) to expand lending and financial education programs in Pennsylvania and Kentucky.

We look forward to the new opportunities we will be able to create for our borrowers, thanks to these partnerships!

PATF would like to acknowledge the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, which now formally recognizes people with disabilities as a targeted population for funding opportunities. Our organization actively participated in advocacy efforts on national and state levels that resulted in this recognition.

Lastly, we couldn't have expanded our reach in our community without the continued support and impactful work of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Register for Our Upcoming Webinar

Join us for an informative webinar about Pennsylvania’s ABLE program which provides individuals with qualifying disabilities a way to save and invest without impacting their benefits.

Diana Fishlock of the Pennsylvania Treasury Department will discuss the details of Pennsylvania’s ABLE program. A lot has happened in the last few months and more is to come. What we'll cover:

• What PA ABLE is
• How it helps individuals with disabilities
• Who is eligible
• How much people can save
• What they can purchase from their PA ABLE account
• Pennsylvania and federal benefits protections and tax benefits
• How individuals who are working can save even more

Here's what's new with ABLE:

• ABLE age expansion beginning in 2026
• Employer tax credit for matching employee contributions
• Money market investment option

This webinar will be fully accessible, and recordings and slides will be made available after the webinar. A link to the recording will be sent to everyone who registers.

Prior registration for the webinar is required. ASL, CART, and Spanish interpretation will be provided. If you require additional accommodations, submit the request with your registration prior to April 9, 2025.

Click to download the flyer and share it with others.

If you have any questions or need assistance with registering, please contact PATF at 484-675-0506 or communications@patf.us.

Recent Webinar

Smart home technology has quickly become ubiquitous in homes across the world for entertainment, safety, and convenience; but for people with disabilities, this technology is far more impactful in its role to empower people to live more independently, safely, and securely.

Smart wearables, like smart watches, offer more solutions that are always at your fingertips. Did you know that there are now hearing aids that have fall detection, can count your steps, and monitor your heart rate? With these technological advancements, hearing aids are crossing into the world of smart wearables.

Read more of the blog.

Click to watch our webinar Real-Life Stories: Smart Wearables and Smart Home Technology for Everyday Life.

PATF Joins University of Pittsburgh's Clinical and Translational Science Institute for

Artificial Intelligence Project

We are excited to announce our collaboration with Dr. Dan Ding and Dr. Gina Novario at the University of Pittsburgh's Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) for the Implementation Lab Pilot Award (ILPA) Competition.

The project, “AT Navigator: Enhancing Access to Assistive Technology Solutions and Funding”, was selected for one of three $50,000 grants as part of the ILPA Competition.

Together, PATF and CTSI will work to develop an AI-powered web tool that aims to simplify the process of exploring assistive technology solutions and funding opportunities in Pennsylvania.

Read more in the Accessible SmartTech Research Group Center Updates and SmartTech News newsletter

Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF) helps Pennsylvanians of all ages, all disabilities and health conditions, all income levels, and all communities and cultural backgrounds. We offer information about acquiring assistive technology (AT), funding resources, financial education, and financial loan programs. For more information, call 484-674-0506 or visit www.patf.us.

PATF is a state and federally-certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and is the Commonwealth's designated Alternative Financing Program (AFP) under the federal Assistive Technology Act.