On Tuesday afternoon the Ocean State Center for Independent Living (OSCIL) held their first of many Lunch and Learn workshops.

OSCIL, an organization dedicated to helping individuals with various disabilities reach independence with numerous programs and technologies, plans to hold the workshops on the last Wednesday of every month. This workshop was focused on assistive technology for those with a hearing impairment or loss.

There were special alarm clocks, reading systems and telephones with screens where the conversation can be read as well as heard to help those who may have a difficulty discerning conversations over the phone.

Lorna Ricci, executive director of OSCIL, said, “These lunches will be an opportunity for individuals with hearing loss to come to the center, see a demonstration of assistive technology and a chance to try it out for themselves.”

Six people had signed up for the first two-hour workshop. Normally, the workshops can be run with two people and up to 10.

“With smaller crowds we are really able to give everyone the individual attention they need to see what is right for them,” Ricci said.

James Litvak, who has run similar workshops for 10 years before coming to OSCIL, opened the workshop. He was born with a hearing impairment and shared the story of his first interaction with assistive technology. He was a paperboy and to wake up his mother had fashioned an alarm clock with a lamp and a security timer that would flash a blinking light to wake him.

Litvak said that, although the workshops are a way to learn about different devices, many people begin sharing their own personal experiences.

He said, “It’s an opportunity to learn, but it is also a component that incorporates peer support.”

Litvak believes the workshops are essential because since “these products aren’t on the shelves at Wal-Mart” it can be difficult to know about them without help from a friend or group.

Ricci said, “People just don’t know what’s available for them and they deserve to.”

The workshops are hosted at the last Wednesday of every month, the next happening on March 25. The workshops are free, but you must register a week prior, and if you need any special accommodations OSCIL asks you register several weeks in advance. To register or for more information on the program call 738-1013, ext. 13.