Julie Dutchess, an assistive technologist with NCDHHS, received this year’s Joy Zabala Spirit Award in recognition of her dedication and passion for utilizing assistive technology in the workplace for people with disabilities. The award was presented to her at the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) Conference last week in Orlando, Florida.
Julie’s ATIA conference presentation, Combining DIY and Purchased AT for Possible Workplace Solutions, focused on high- and low-tech assistive technology, presenting videos, images, case studies as well as do-it-yourself materials, and assistive technology items to demonstrate ways that the technology can be used in the workplace.
Julie has spent her career in dedicated service to people with disabilities. After earning her degree from Marshall University, where she studied communication disorders, she worked in the field of speech therapy in school settings in West Virginia, Florida and Tennessee. Inspired by continuing developments in the field of assistive technology, Julie shifted her focus to assistive technology. She came to work for the NCDHHS' Assistive Technology Program (NCATP) in 2008, and this January she celebrated 16 years with the program.
Julie is an assistive technologist certified through the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) and works out of NCATP’s Sanford office, which provides assistive technology services in nine counties.
“I work with individuals to find ways for them to be more independent in the stages of life where they are,” said Julie. “I also help jobseekers, along with current employees and their employers, understand how assistive tools and devices can support their success in the workplace.”
It is especially meaningful that ATIA selected her to receive the Joy Zabala Spirit Award because Julie has long been inspired by Zabala’s work.
“Her work in advancing inclusive practices for individuals through various assistive technology frameworks, such as SETT, QIAT, and CAST, is why she was so near and dear to my own heart. I learned about the methods and strategies she had developed while I was in college, and I’ve kept going with her throughout my career,” said Julie. “Her work has influenced everything I’ve done, so this award means the world to me.”
Having been awarded the Joy Zabala Spirit Award, Julie has no plans to slow down. In March, she traveled to Anaheim, California where she presented her lecture on combining assistive technology solutions in the workplace at California State University's Northridge’s Assistive Technology Conference.
Julie will be co-chairing an NCATP pop-up event at Fort Liberty (formerly known as Fort Bragg) for the second year in a row. The event will be held in April, and NCATP will partner with Fort Liberty’s Exceptional Family Member Program group to showcase various exhibitors representing adaptive gaming and recreation services and equipment.