ROWAN COUNTY, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — A new center in Morehead is working to give Kentuckians with disabilities greater independence through access to assistive technology.
The Appalachian Center for Assistive Technology is designed to help people living with disabilities that affect communication, mobility, or daily living. The devices and tools it provides can help someone perform tasks they might otherwise struggle to do on their own.
Donald H. Lloyd II, president and CEO of UK St. Claire, described the center's mission.
"Individuals who need assistive devices. This facility will be able to create customize devices specific for ones disability so they can thrive," Lloyd said.
Patrick Kitzman, the center's director, said the devices address some of the most basic — and most important — parts of daily life.
"If someone's not able to grab or hold on to their food or toothbrush. We have devices that allow them to hold on to it. So they can hold on to and being able to brush your teeth or comb your hair. Guess what I just gave you quality of life. Being able to feed yourself I just gave you independence," Kitzman said.
Kentucky's disability rate sits at 17 percent, according to DisabilityExchange.org — well above the national average of 13 percent. (Social Security Disability Statistics for Every State in America (2024) )The center was built to help close that gap.
Assistive equipment can be expensive. The center offers equipment loans, refurbished donated items, and can even build custom tools using a 3D printer. For occupational therapist Carlee Archibald, that accessibility is critical for the families she serves.
"A lot of families I have are below the poverty rate, so having this opportunity to help give them accessibility to the equipment they need to help them progress in life," Archibald said.
For Kitzman, the goal is dignity — giving every person the ability to live life on their own terms.
"It's just normalizing the situation. What we like to say is just leveling the playing field so everyone can play the best they can," Kitzman said.
You can find out more at the center at Home | The Appalachian Center for Assistive Technology
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