The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) Foundation will award more than $500,000 in grants to nine organizations that use innovative solutions and technology to further the Foundation’s mission of linking seniors and people with disabilities with technologies to enhance their lives. The CTA Foundation is pleased to support the following organizations:

• Beneficent Technology: Their flagship literacy initiative, Bookshare, is the world’s largest digital library of accessible materials. Funding will enable seniors with disabilities to access books, periodicals and other materials.

• CareWheels: Developed the CareBank: a cloud and mobile sensing platform that allows small peer groups to monitor one other’s well-being through mutual safety monitoring and remote care for older adults.

• Easter Seals of Greater Houston: BridgingApps, a program of the Easter Seals of Greater Houston, will expand content on their website, which is a digital compendium of apps specifically targeted at seniors and those with disabilities. These apps aim to improve physical, cognitive and/or social health of seniors and those with disabilities

• Front Porch: Its Hearables for All Project is a 12-month program to develop technology education and track user feedback to integrate the next generation of wearable hearing devices into daily activities for hearing-impaired older adults.

• Lighthouse Guild:  Programs give students with vision loss the ability to produce, compose, arrange, record and perform music through the use of accessible technology. The Henry A. Grunwald Technology Center helps older adults maximize everyday consumer technology to help them live more independent and creative lives.

• OASIS Institute: Offers lifelong learning classes and will expand its reach by offering them through an online platform. Similar to an online classroom, this will create an “on demand” learning experience for older adults in the comfort of their own homes. The OASIS Institute reaches more than 24,000 older adults in nine cities through a variety of classes.

• Older Adults Technology Services (OATS): Populates Senior Planet U, an online learning platform providing free multimedia content to older adults on how to use consumer technologies, with more thematic content related to health and wellness. Through the use of consumer technologies, OATS aims to make aging a more engaged, productive and healthy experience.

• Research to Prevent Blindness: Runs research awards that provide seed funding for innovative research initiatives to address urgent needs in understanding and treating low vision.

• San Diego Futures Foundation: The Senior Tech Ambassador Program utilizes tech-savvy older adult volunteers to teach free, community-based technology classes to peers including those with low vision and other disabilities. San Diego Futures Foundation uses technology as a means to combat social isolation and improve the quality of life for each of the seniors who engage in this program.  

• Selfhelp Community Services: A Virtual Senior Center uses easy touchscreen interfaces, so participants can easily join classes and enjoy cultural experiences and social activities as if they were in the room.

“Technology is changing our lives for the better – and we’re now seeing more and more organizations using technology to improve the lives of the older adults and people with disabilities they work with,” said Stephen Ewell, executive director, CTA Foundation. “The CTA Foundation is thrilled to support organizations that help seniors and people with disabilities lead more independent lives.”

For more information, visit CTAFoundation.tech.