About PATF

The mission of the Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF) is to provide financing opportunities for older Pennsylvanians and people with disabilities, helping them to acquire assistive technology devices and services that improve the quality of their lives.

Program Background:

PATF was established as a non-profit organization in 1998. Originally a spin-off from the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University, PATF has grown dramatically since those early days. PATF has received funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation; the PA Department of Community and Economic Development; the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency; the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration; numerous foundations, and from individual donations. To date, PATF has helped more than 2000 Pennsylvanians and has extended more than $21 million in loans.

Guiding Principles:

From the beginning, the Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF) was founded as an option for individuals who wanted to pay for the needed assistive technology devices themselves. PATF was not to be thought of as a program of last resort, meaning that all avenues of potential payers did not have to be exhausted before an applicant would be considered for a loan. Key principles are:

• Individuals with disabilities and/or family members make the decision to apply for a loan. It is one's choice to seek financing to purchase assistive technology and to select the assistive technology equipment and services needed.
• There is no requirement that a loan applicant must have been turned down by other funding resources before s/he can apply for a loan.
• Consumers can purchase the equipment and/or service he/she wants. The consumer also chooses the vendor or contractor with whom they want to work. PATF does not require multiple bids for goods and services.
• PATF does not require that the applicant provide proof of disability. Applicants must describe how the device or service they wish to purchase is assistive technology.
• No one will be excluded because his/her income exceeds a specific income range.
• PATF will provide services to all residents of Pennsylvanians, regardless of disability diagnosis, age of onset, county of residence, age, or income level. A borrower must be willing and able to repay a loan.

Staff and Board:

PATF is run by an Executive Director under the supervision of a volunteer Board of Directors. Visit the Board of Directors and Staff page to learn more about our Board and staff.

Funding Assistance Centers:

You can contact PATF directly or call a local Funding Assistance Center in Pennsylvania (FAC) to learn more about the loan program. The FACs also help consumers, families and advocates learn about other funding resources that may be available to help them obtain assistive technology devices and services.

Results:

Since PATF began, over 2000 Pennsylvanians have been helped and more than $19 million in loans have been extended for the purchase of adapted vehicles, ramps, roll-in showers, hearing aids, seat lift chairs, computers with specialized hardware and/or software, wheelchairs, scooters, CCTVs and other devices. Almost one-third of the borrowers have their loans backed, or “guaranteed” by PATF dollars. PATF’s default rate is much lower than industry standards, and is currently under 1%. Visit the Personal Stories page and learn more about who has been helped by this unique program and how the assistive technology they have purchased has improved the quality of their lives.

Application:

The application for the loan program is easy to fill out. To download a copy, visit the Loan Application page.