The Assistive Technology Act of 2004

By Garrett Dudzik

The Assistive Technology Act of 2004 was the third reauthorization of the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988. This act drastically improved the efficiency of states and territories in receiving funding for assistive technology and advocacy. Largely, the main change in this act from the past three was how funding was distributed to the states from the federal government. States and territories would be given more control over how funds would be allocated to programs within their respective state or territory. Governors of each state would decide which agency to manage this process.

The main purpose of the first act, the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988, was to introduce programs relating to technology-based assistance for individuals with disabilities to the public, and would be comprised of two titles on how to distribute grants and the types of programs that could receive grants. The 1994 act built on the first by revising the first two titles and adding a third title that introduced other ways to gain federal funding. The 1998 act, renamed to the Assistive Technology Act, built further into funding programs to help make them permanent and maintain them through the four titles making up this act. The three acts paved the way to introduce the need for assistive technology to people in need to the public and maintain the need for programs that help individuals who need such technology.

The 2004 Act, once again, shifted its focus from the last AT Act. This time, it focused mostly on how funding would be distributed to each state and territory. It also changed the titles that comprise the act into sections and what they focus on. The first three sections are about the table of contents, findings and purposes, and definitions [1]. There are five sections that make up the rest of the act. In order are: State grants for assistive technology, State grants for protection and advocacy services related to assistive technology, National activities, Administrative provisions, and Authorization of appropriations [2]. The fourth section, State grants for assistive technology, allows grants to be given to states to maintain programs that distribute assistive technology to anyone who qualifies to receive such technology, as pointed out in the act. This section allows Governors to decide in their respective states what agency will carry out the distribution of received funds to individuals [3]. The fifth section, State grants for protection and advocacy services related to assistive technology, serves to maintain and protect programs in each state and territory by allowing the Secretary to make grants to ensure programs are not failing [4]. The rest of this section goes into detail on how grants will be given and reported. The sixth section, National activities, aimed to improve the then-current administration through competitive grants or contracts through the National Public-Awareness Toolkit. These could be given to build new programs, research and development of assistive technology, state training and technical assistance, national websites, and data collection [5]. The last two sections under this act, Administrative provisions and Authorization of appropriations, describe how limitations of much funding can be used and received that can be given through grants, and how the Rehabilitation Services Administration will handle the execution of this act. Instead of the Secretary distributing grants to states directly, they would instead make sure the administration and states were correctly following everything highlighted in this act [6].

The act was introduced in the House on May 5, 2004, and eventually passed on June 14. The Senate received it the following day. They added an amendment to the act and passed the act on September 30 [7]. It was then sent back to the House for reapproval and passed on October 8, sent to the President on the 13th, and signed on October 25, 2004 [8]. There has not been another reauthorization that has become public law since. However, the 21st Century Assistive Technology Act is supposed to modernize the prior AT acts. It was introduced in 2021 and has been stuck in Congress for consideration.

Sources

[1] Text - H.R.4278 - 108th Congress (2003-2004): Assistive Technology Act of 2004 | congress.gov | Library of Congress. Accessed November 10, 2025. https://www.congress.gov/bill/108th-congress/house-bill/4278/text.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Text - H.R.4278 - 108th Congress (2003-2004): Assistive Technology Act of 2004 | congress.gov | Library of Congress. Accessed November 10, 2025. https://www.congress.gov/bill/108th-congress/house-bill/4278/all-actions.

[8] Ibid.