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Center for Technology and Disabilities Studies

General Information

Center for Technology and Disabilities Studies
University of Washington
Box 357920
Seattle, WA 98195-7920
(206) 685 4181
uwctds@uw.edu
https://uwctds.washington.edu/about_us

Brief Description

UWCTDS is an interdisciplinary program within the Center for Human Development and Disability and the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine in the School of Medicine. Our work is supported by grants from the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and other funding sources.

Services Offered

  • Employment/Job Training
    • Provides a wide variety of community-based services for individuals who have a developmental, or other, disability, and are looking for work. Services include functional assessments on actual work sites, job development and matching, on the job training, and long-term follow up.

  • Daily Living Skills/Independent Living Skills Training
    • Blind Skills Services for Adults is a Department of Services for the Blind (DSB) program. Since 2009, CTDS has been managing all aspects of the program, including subcontract management, federal and state reporting, and risk management. Every year, Blind Skills Services provided services to over 1500 Washington State residents who are losing vision or blind.


  • Travel/Orientation and Mobility
    • Teach the skills our clients need to get around independently in their home and community using a cane or other techniques.

  • Low Vision Services
    • Help clients maximize remaining vision by providing magnification devices, training in the use of these devices, and providing proper lighting. In addition to magnification devices, we also can supply low vision aids and other devices (like a talking watch or a cane) if those aids will be beneficial.

  • Counseling
    • We offer emotional adjustment counseling for our clients who are experiencing grief, fear, or even anger as their vision declines.

  • Information and Referral
    • We help connect our clients to other services that they may qualify for and benefit from, such as talking books, recreational activities, peer support groups, or para-transit services.