MA Innovation and Technology Task Force: Technology Forward Report

We are excited to share the Technology Forward report from the MA Innovation and Technology Task Force and our role in supporting this important initiative. Proven’s Director of SLP, Paul Simeone is a member of the Task Force and was a contributing author of the report. The Task Force, a partnership between Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services (DDS), Massachusetts Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers (ADDP), and The Arc of Massachusetts (The Arc) generated recommendations for increasing access to supportive technology for people with I/DD and ASD which ultimately resulted in new DDS programs that were launched in July of 2021. The Technology Forward approach has the potential to shift the paradigm of services for individuals with I/DD and ASD, by ensuring that access to technology is considered a human right that is a central and necessary component of life.

While society as a whole has benefitted tremendously from emerging technologies, people with disabilities have often been excluded from this progress. Barriers to technology access increasingly serve to widen the gap in access to social, educational, and employment opportunities. The Technology Forward report provides recommendations and actionable steps to use technology to promote equity and focus on human and civil rights using technology. The report focuses on important goals such as increasing the number of people with disabilities who receive services, increasing independence of people with I/DD and autism, increasing effectiveness of services, and evolving a system of supports based on person-centered goals and needs. 

Read the report