Susan Tachau 

Susan Tachau, MA, co-founded Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF) in 1998 and has served as its Chief Executive Officer since 2003. PATF’s mission is to provide financing opportunities, education, and advocacy for people with disabilities and older Pennsylvanians, helping them to acquire the assistive technology devices and services that improve the quality of their lives.  

In 2021, Susan founded the Appalachian Assistive Technology Loan Fund (AATLF), PATF’s wholly-owned subsidiary. ATLF has a mission to provide microfinancing opportunities to people with disabilities who live in the Appalachian region.  

Susan is a co-author of PATF’s publications Smart homes Made Simple: Your Guide to Smart Home Technology, Cents and Sensibility: A Guide to Money Management, and Funding Your Assistive Technology: A Guide to Funding Resources in Pennsylvania.  

Susan serves on several Boards of Directors and Advisory Committees, including National Disability Institute, National Disability Finance Coalition, PA Statewide Independent Living Council, and Montgomery County’s Office of Senior Services. Susan is chair of National Council on Independent Living’s Technology Subcommittee.  

In 2021, Susan was awarded the AARP Purpose Prize as well as the Ned Gramlich Lifetime Achievement Award for Responsible Finance from the Opportunity Finance Network. Susan received a B.A. from Colorado College, a M.A. from the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Colorado College. Ms. Tachau and her husband are the parents of three adult children, one of whom is an assistive technology user. 

Current Project(s):

Co-Investigator, Funding and Policy Study
Co-Investigator, Smart Home Service Delivery