Special Needs Advocate
Arjan is driven to share the power of technology with people with special needs: blindness, cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, autism, and more. He helped develop the Alliance for Technology Access (ATA) in the 1980’s, co-founded the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA), and helped pen The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the law that defines special education, in 2002.
AyudaTec. Arjan started the non-profit AyudaTec in 2007 to bring the benefits of assistive technology (AT) to the Latin American world, where he has traveled numerous times throughout his life. His work started in Guatemala (photo) and spread to a regional effort. For six years, AyudaTec hosted the most comprehensive web-based AT service in the Spanish language world, and organized summer workshops in South America.
Leadership Positions. He has served on various boards of directors and committees to promote the effective use of technology for people with disabilities:
| 2005 – 2009 | Board of Directors, Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) |
| 2004 – 2006 | Accessible Technologies for All Students Committee, Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) |
| 2004 – 2006 | Global Policy Committee, Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) |
| 2002 – 2003 | Advisory Board, National Center for Technology Innovation (NCTI), American Institutes for Research |
| 2001 – 2003 | President, Board of Directors, Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) |
| 1998 – 2003 | Board of Directors, Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) |
| 1997 – 2002 | Board of Directors, Alliance for Technology Access |
Arjan trains teachers in Mexico.