SPRINGFIELD –– Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse
White has announced that the Illinois State Library has received
a record total of 529 Assistive Technology grant applications for
Fiscal Year 2001.
White says the record number of grant applications can be
attributed in large part to a series of 10 Assistive Technology
Vendor Fairs held around the state in September and October.
Approximately 400 citizens, mostly librarians and special
education teachers, attended one or more of the fairs.
"These important grants allow Illinois libraries to improve
technology and provide state-of-the-art computers and networking
equipment," White said. "These state funds are awarded each year
through the State Library’s Educate and Automate Program, and I
anticipate this year’s grants will be awarded in January."
White said the number of applications this year is nearly
two-and-one-half times the number of applications received in
1999, when 203 libraries applied for funding. Last year, 195
Illinois public libraries were awarded grants.
This year, in recognition of the 10th anniversary of the
signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Secretary
White doubled from five to 10 the number of Assistive Technology
vendor exhibits to demonstrate assistive technology products for
use in local libraries.
"These vendor exhibits included adaptive technology for
computers, software and furniture to suit the physical and
working conditions of the user," White said. "In an effort to
help libraries fund equipment for the disabled, my office will be
offering grant awards of up to $2,500 each to individual school
and public libraries to assist them in obtaining adaptive
equipment, with no matching money required."
White commended staff from the state’s 12 regional library
systems for working with the State Library to greatly facilitate
attendance at the vendor fairs by both librarians and vendor
representatives. Individual vendors each said that Illinois was
the only state they were aware of that went into small local
communities to attract potential applicants and customers.
