RESNA 2013 - Call for Participation

RESNA 2013 Annual Conference - June 19-24, 2013

RESNA 2013 will take place at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue in Bellevue, WA, Seattle's desirable Eastside. Nine miles from downtown Seattle, the conference hotel has more than 250 shops, restaurants, day spas, and entertainment venues within walking distance, plus easy access to Seattle's main attractions. 

The Call for Participation
schedule is as follows:

High quality submissions covering all aspects of assistive technology are welcome. Areas that the RESNA conference includes are:

• Augmentative and Alternative Communication
• Computer Access and Applications
• Job Accommodations and Ergonomics
• Public Policy, Advocacy, and Education
• Cognition and Sensory Impairment technologies
• Outcomes & Quantitative Measurements
• Wheelchair Seating & Mobility
• Home Modifications
• Clinical Best Practices

Workshop proposal and instructional course proposal submission instructions are available on the RESNA website. More

 

• June 20 & 21: Fundamentals in Assistive Technology course
• June 21: Full-day and half-day Instructional Courses; First-timers reception, SIG/PSG Open House, and Exhibit Hall Opening Reception.  
• June 22, 23 & 24: General Conference
• June 24: Conference sessions overlap with ICORR 2013, the International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics, featuring the world's leading research labs and clinics in the field.

RESNA 2013 will include all of the features that members have come to expect, including the popular Developers Forum, product demonstrations, assistive technology "show-and-tells" and more.

For advance notice about the program, registration, and special events, sign up for the conference mailing list.

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RESNA advocates for public policy initiatives that improve the health and well-being of people with disabilities by increasing access to technology solutions.

United States  

Now that Congress is back in session, the fall advocacy season is in full swing. Currently, RESNA is actively supporting these policy initiatives on the federal level:

• Senate ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilites (CRPD) - 67 votes are needed to ratify this treaty signed by President Obama in 2009. This treaty guarantees basic rights for people with disabilities around the world. More
• HR 4378, the Complex Rehabilitation bill - this legislation would create a separate benefit category under Medicare for complex rehabilitation technology, which would allow for unique coding, coverage, payment rules and policies. More
• Affordable Care Act Essential Health Benefits - the RESNA Government Affairs Committee provided comments and signed on to an "Open Letter to States" regarding the provision of rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices as part of health care reform. More

RESNA is also helping to get the word out about the National Forum on Disability Issues, which is scheduled for September 28, 2012 in Columbus, OH. Both presidential campaigns have been invited to discuss disability issues at this non-partisan event. Register for the free live webcast and find out more.

Canada

In Canada, RESNA has signed on in support of Barrier-Free Manitoba, a non-partisan, non-profit cross-disability initiative advocating for strong and effective legislation in Manitoba that requires the removal of existing barriers and prevents the creation of new ones. More

New Government Affairs Committee Chair

RESNA Board President Alex Mihailidis has appointed Nathan W. Moon, PhD, the Associate Director for Research of the Center for Advanced Communications Policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology, as the new chair of the Government Affairs Committee. Moon's primary research interests are workplace accommodations for people with disabilites, disability policy, accessibility, inclusion in postsecondary education, and system interventions to improve postsecondary STEM education. Thank you to the previous chair, Paul Baker, PhD, for his service. If you are interested in serving on the GAC committe, please e-mail Nathan at nathan.moon@cacp.gatech.edu.

Fundamentals in Assistive Technology course

October 18-19 at the Medtrade Conference in Atlanta, GA

RESNA's popular two-day course, Fundamentals in Assistive Technology, travels to the Medtrade conference in Atlanta, GA on October 18 & 19. The deadline for registration is October 11, 2012. Specifically designed to broaden the knowledge of AT service providers, the course covers all areas of assistive technology, from seating and mobility to communication devices to computer access. RESNA is authorized by IACET to provide 1.4 CEUs for the program. Click here for the agenda.

This is a great course for new professionals and those that want to expand their AT horizons. Glen Ashlock, MS, ATP, a rehabilitation engineer at the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living, and Barbara Crane, MA, PT, ATP, coordinator for the Wheelchair Assessment Service at Gaylord Hospital in Connecticut are the expert faculty members. RESNA members save $115 on the course fees. More

Assistive Technology Research Symposium

January 30, 2013 at ATIA Orlando

The RESNA and ATIA research committees are co-hosting this Second Annual AT Research Symposium on January 30 as a pre-conference session at ATIA Orlando.

This all-day event will address critical issues facing the AT research, manufacturing, and vendor communities. It is designed to specifically bring together leading AT manufacturers, service providers and researchers to discuss strategic issues, learn about successful practices, network, and possibly forge new partnerships. Topics include:

• Research and design considerations
• Trends and hot topics in the use of cloud computing, mobile computing, and apps for assistive technology
• Expanded opportunities for networking

 5% discounts are available to RESNA and RERC members. The registration fee, which is separate from the conference, is:

• $275 through November 16, 2012
• $300 after November 16, 2012

Use code ATRS13 for the discount. More

Conferences 

RESNA will have a booth presence at the following conferences:

• Medtrade Conference, Atlanta GA, October 16-18, 2012
• ATIA Conference, Orlando FL, January 30 - February 2, 2012
• International Seating Symposium, Nashville, TN, March 6 - 8, 2012

Stop by and say hello. Also, let the RESNA office know if you are a conference presenter. We'd be happy to promote your session on the website and social media, and with a flyer available in the booth.

 RESNA will be featured in a regular column starting this month in Directions magazine, a publication of the National Registry of Rehabilitation and Technology Suppliers (NRRTS). The first column is by RESNA member and Professional Standards Board chair Carmen DiGiovine, PhD, RET, ATP/SMS about the Seating & Mobility Specialist certification.

RESNA is affiliated with NRRTS as an Association Friend, and the two organizations work together on advocacy efforts, promoting professional education, and outreach to the complex rehab industry. Thank you to NRRTS for this opportunity to be a part of the magazine. Subscriptions are free; click here to sign up.  

As a RESNA member, you gain access to a wide range of benefits. Are you taking full advantage of all of your member benefits?

RESNA members reconnected at the First Timers Reception.

The annual RESNA conference was one to remember! First, it was hot - temperatures outside hovered in the high 90's - and second, there was a freak storm called a "derecho" on Friday night (June 29) which knocked out power up and down the Eastern Seaboard, except for the RESNA conference hotel, the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront. 

Nothing could dampen the spirits of the 540 conference attendees from 44 states and 11 countries who descended on Baltimore June 28 - July 3. The conference had an all-time high of 114 first-timers, who were welcomed at the opening night reception on June 29. Photos are available on RESNA's Facebook page.

Approximately 50 conference attendees took advantage of the Kennedy-Krieger Institute tour, getting the chance to see a world-class rehab facility that serves 17,000 children and adults a year. The Young Marines of Central Maryland, the only Young Marines unit in the nation comprised of students with special needs, presented the colors at a stirring opening ceremony, which also featured keynote speaker Kareem Dale, Special Advisor to President Obama on disability issues.

At the opening ceremony, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launched a new program, the Wheelchair Service Training Package, which is designed to help personnel in developing countries acquire the minimum skills and training to practice effective wheelchair service delivery. Watch a video about this effort here.

The workshop sessions were very well attended, especially the Mobility-RERC State of the Science open sessions, where attendees spilled out into the hallways. The sold-out exhibit hall was packed at the opening night reception, as was the Developers Forum on Sunday night, which included all of the Student Design Competition semi-finalists. On Monday, RESNA recognized outstanding volunteers at the Awards Luncheon, and announced the winner of the Student Design Competition TREAT Prize - AlphaBraille, a project by students at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Seong-Hee Yoon, Lina Carballo, and Quetrell Hayward won a $500 prize and a three-week internship at the TREAT facilities in New Hampshire developing their idea for the commercial market.

The RESNA 2012 Conference Proceedings are now available on the website, along with the webcast archive of the three plenary sessions, featuring the presenations of Kareem Dale of the White House; Dr. Doran Edwards of Advanced Healthcare Consulting and Rita Hostak of Sunrise Medical on how science and research influences public policy; and Dr. Hermano Igo Krebs on rehabilitation robotics.