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Member News
 
February, 2012- Vol 1, Issue 1
In This Issue
RESNA members logo
U.S. federal funding update
Policy update
New staff member
Government Affairs staff support
RESNA conference update
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Greetings!

Welcome to the new RESNA member newsletter, our latest member benefit. This quarterly e-news will feature articles, news, and information for members only. We hope you will find it valuable. Your RESNA membership is a very important part of your professional life. We are continually improving and expanding our services and products to our members. I encourage you to let me, or any Board member, know what you think of this newsletter and any ideas you have for how to make your RESNA membership more valuable to you. Thank you very much for your continuing support of RESNA.

Sincerely,

Jerry Weisman, MSME, ATP, RET
President, RESNA
 
Annoucing the RESNA members logo
Member logo 
 
 

Members can now show their RESNA pride with the new member logo. Use it on business cards, in signature lines on e-mails, and on social media pages. To preserve the integrity of the logo and track use, interested members are asked to please request it by e-mailing staff member Andrea Van Hook. Logo guidelines and an easy-to-read "Logo Do's and Don'ts" flyer are posted on the member section of the website. We hope that this new member benefit is something you will find useful. Please let us know any feedback or comments. More 

 

Obama's 2013 budget proposal and disability programs

 

President Barack Obama unveiled his budget for Fiscal Year 2013 on February 13, 2012.  The budget keeps most disability programs level-funded for 2013.  To learn more, the White House has developed a factsheet that specifically outlines disability program funding. More

 

 

Policy update: Global disability rights organization and more

RESNA recently became a member of the United States International Council on Disabilities (USICD), which is a federation of US-based non-governmental organizations, federal agencies, and individuals committed to advocacy and action on behalf of the global disability rights agenda. More 

 

RESNA participates in public policy activities through memberships, affiliations, and coalitions. Recently, RESNA's Government Affairs Committee (GAC) decided to have RESNA sign on to support three position letters on policies that affect or may affect people with disability, their families, and professionals in the field. Two of the letters comment on what should be allowed or included in the "Essential Health Benefits" package as required by the U.S. Affordable Care Act (health care reform). The third letter supports the U.S. Department of Labor's regulation changes which would improve employment opportunities for people with disabilitiesMore 

 

 

RESNA welcomes new staff member
 

 

Eric Nepomuceno has joined RESNA as the Certification & Education Manager. In this position, he will have day-to-day management responsibilities for the certification programs (ATP, SMS, and RET) as well as professional development offerings, such as webinars. If you are attending the International Seating Symposium (ISS) in Vancouver, Canada (March 7-9) you can meet Eric in person at the RESNA Open House on March 8, 5:30pm at the Westin Bayshore's President's Room. More

Government Affairs Committee now has dedicated staff support
second photo 
 

RESNA staff member Paul Galonsky is now the dedicated staff liaison to the Government Affairs Committee, providing up to four hours a week in support of the committee's activities. Paul is the Project Associate for the RESNA Catalyst Project, where he coordinates technical assistance for the 56 statewide Assistive Technology (AT ACT) programs. He holds a masters' degree in public administration from the University of Delaware. Prior to RESNA, Paul was the 2010 Disability Policy Leadership Fellow of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities, and he spent nine years at the Mental Health Association in Delaware.

RESNA 2012 Conference Update
Baltimore waterfront
Baltimore Harbor
 

Mark your calendar for this year's RESNA 2012 Conference, June 28-July 3, in beautiful Baltimore, MD. Registration is now open for all pre-conference, general conference, and post-conference courses and workshops. This is a great opportunity to meet fellow SIG and PSG members, find out about the latest research and developments in assistive technology, and soak up that multi-disciplinary, cross-functional, "let's do it because it's the right thing to do" RESNA vibe. Highlights include:

 

  • Fundamentals in Assistive Technology 2-day course, offered as a pre-conference session June 28 and June 29;
  • SIG and PSG open house event on June 29;
  • First-timers reception on June 29;
  • Developer's Forum on July 1 - "speed dating" for developers to get input on their ideas;
  • Field trip to the Kennedy Krieger Institute, internationally recognized for improving the lives of children with disorders and injury of the brain, spinal cord, and musculoskeletal system;
  • Student Design Competition and the Student Scientific Paper Competition;
  • Exhibitor's Hall with product demonstrations;
  • General Conference - over 36 workshops to choose from, plus platform sessions and plenaries;
  • Post-Conference Instructional Courses on July 3 - choose from full-day and half-day courses in power wheelchair assessment, computer access, speech recognition, and more. Plus Dr. Willkomm's popular "AT in Minutes" workshop is back - become an AT MacGyver!

 

Members enjoy substantial discounts on registration fees. Make your hotel reservation soon to get the conference discount. More

 

 

RESNA, the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America, is the premier professional organization dedicated to promoting the health and well-being of people with disabilities through increasing access to technology solutions. Find out more at www.resna.org.