Equipment grants improve quality of life for people with disabilities

Disability Services Minister Simon O'Brien today presented Western Australia's Independent Living Centre with a Lotterywest grant of $1.275million to assist them to fund their disability equipment grants program.

Mr O'Brien said this important scheme was designed to assist people with disabilities to access specialist equipment which improved their quality of life.

The Independent Living Centre made approximately 500 grants available to people with disabilities each year to purchase equipment such as:

·        modified driving controls

·        computer equipment for people with a communications impairment

·        hardware or software producing spoken information or information in a tactile format for people with a vision impairment .

"The right equipment and technology can make an enormous difference to the quality of life for a person with a disability," the Minister said.

"Many of us take for granted our ability to speak and communicate, however, for some people with a disability, simply doing that is a daily challenge.

"The Disability Equipment Grants Program is important because it assists people with disabilities to obtain the technology they need to improve their day-to-day lives."

This is the seventh year the Independent Living Centre of WA has run the Disability Equipment Grants Program. 

The Independent Living Centre of WA is a not-for-profit organisation staffed by health professionals who provide people with disabilities; and mobility and accessibility problems, assistance to find the best solution for their needs.