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Highlights
February 2011 |
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PROJECT WIDE NEWS
New Publication
Personnel Directory 2011 - Now Posted
The new edition of the Personnel Directory is now available on the website in the Grantees Only section. There are separate tabs for each of the three AT Act Entities as well as a separate tab for RSA and the TA providers. To access the Directory, go to
http://www.resnaprojects.org/grantees/index.html.
The ID for the Grantees Only Section is grantee and the password is assist (both lower case). You can download the entire directory or each tab separately. The Catalyst Project welcomes edits to the pages.
Upcoming Events
Transition to the Community Work Group Call - March 16, 2011 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern
The Transition Work Group will meet again on Wednesday March 16. To
connect to the call, dial 1-800-351-6810, pass code 46172076 #
Transcripts and MP3 files from previous calls are available at the
Transition Wiki Site at: http://attransition.wikispaces.com/.
Web Ed - First Webinar New Products from ATIA - March 23 at 2:00- 3:30 Eastern
ATIA and George Mason University will be producing nine webinars this year, specially designed for AT Act Programs. The first in the series will be on New Products from ATIA scheduled for Wednesday, March 23. It will be a "what's new" webinar to discuss new products and trends in the field, based on the ATIA conference held in January. Instructions on how to access the webinar will be available closer to the event. Details of all the webinars will be posted soon on the Catalyst website. Each of these webinars will be free and open to all! CEUs will be provided for a small fee via RESNA.
Recent Event
Full Steering Committee Meets - February 17, 2011
The Catalyst Full Steering Committee met to discuss the goals of the Employment Summit that will be hosted in FY 2012. This discussion provided some direction as to the focus and goals of the Summit. An
Employment Summit Planning Work Group will be formed that includes AT
Act Entities as well as representatives from other interested agencies
and organizations. More details to follow throughout the year. | |
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STATEWIDE AT PROGRAMS
New Publication
Program Review Lessons Learned Publication Now Available
A
new Catalyst publication provides an overview of the RSA Program Review
process for both Statewide AT Programs and AFP/Telework Programs and
summarizes the lessons learned during the first review cycle. This publication is now available at http://www.resnaprojects.org/news/index.html.
Upcoming Events
Draft Agenda Available for Statewide AT Program Leaders Symposium - May 16-18, 2011
A draft agenda for the Symposium has been developed and is available on the website at http://www.resnaprojects.org/news/index.html. A registration form is also posted on the site. Please make your hotel reservations by April 16, via the online form at https://resweb.passkey.com/go/RSNA . You may also call the hotel directly to book your room at 301/657-1234 or toll free at (800) 233-1234.
Statewide AT Program Steering Committee Meeting - March 2, 2011
The
Statewide AT Program Steering Committee will meet on March 2 to discuss
the technical assistance plan for the year. It will also continue its
discussion of the goals of the Employment Summit.
New Statewide AT Directors Call - March 8, 2011 at 3pm Eastern
The
New Statewide AT Program directors will meet with the Instructional
Team for the Orientation Workshop to discuss the structure and content
of the Workshop. Instructors include Willie Gunther (Illinois) and Marty Exline (Missouri) and Rob Groenendaal and Brian Bard from RSA. The workshop will be held May 16, prior to the Symposium. To connect to the call, dial 1-800-351-6810, pass code 46172076 #
Resources
Transcripts and Handouts from Marketing Teleconference Series Parts 3 and 4 Available
Transcripts, MP3 files, and handouts from all the Marketing calls are available on the website at http://www.resnaprojects.org/statewide/teleconferences.html. | |
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PAAT PROGRAMS
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Save the Date
"Bridges to Better Advocacy" Conference - November 1-3, 2011
The 15th
Annual "Bridges to Better Advocacy" Conference will be held November
1-3, 2011 (Tuesday through Thursday) at the Hilton Garden Inn, Austin,
Texas (same site used since 2001). It will be a
three-day conference (first day, optional preconference) focusing on AT
funding and advocacy strategies. Planning has just started. Early bird registration should be available some time in June.
Upcoming Event
Upcoming Training on Funding
Diana
Straube will be presenting at the pre-conference of the 8th Annual
Assistive Technology Expo, to be held in Fargo, North Dakota on April 27
and April 28, 2011. Organizers of the Expo include
IPAT (Interagency Program of Assistive Technology), ND Protection and
Advocacy, Connections of Moorhead, Inc., and Fraser, Ltd. The all-day pre-conference will focus on Funding of AT through the Ages.
Resources
Did You Know? - New Series
This is a new information series of the National AT Advocacy Project, started January 2011. The intention is to provide important information in small chunks. Because
these are designed to be very short, the postings may not cover every
possible issue; rather, the intention is make the reader aware/remind
the reader of key information to support your AT advocacy.
The first four postings:
Coming Soon:
- "PAAT Programs Can Provide a Significant Range of Services Advocating for AT Devices and AT Services"
- "Individuals
Receiving Medicaid Through a Managed Care Organization are Entitled to
the Same Services They Would be Entitled to Under Traditional Medicaid"
AT Advocate Issue on Consumer Rights
The
"AT Advocate" Newsletter is a longstanding publication of the National
AT Advocacy Project is published a minimum of three times per year. The most recent newsletters and lead articles:
- Fall 2010, "Consumer Rights in the Medicaid Process: Understanding and Protecting those Rights Should Ensure More Access to Assistive Technology," available at http://www.nls.org/av/fall%2010.pdf
- Spring-Summer 2010, "Practical Ethics for the Disability Attorney: When Can You Interview the Employees of Your Adversary?"; available at http://www.nls.org/av/summer%2010.pdf
Recent Technical Assistance Delivered
The
national AT Advocacy Project is providing technical support to a
private attorney whose granddaughter was denied Medicaid waiver funding
of a medically necessary platform lift after the hearing officer found
the lift was excluded from coverage as an elevator. An
additional issue is whether the item meets the definition of durable
medical equipment under the state's traditional Medicaid program. |
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ALTERNATIVE FINANCING AND TELEWORK LOAN PROGRAMS
New Publication
Program Review Lessons Learned Publication Now Available
A
new Catalyst publication provides an overview of the RSA Program Review
process for both Statewide AT Programs and AFP/Telework Programs and
summarizes the lessons learned during the first review cycle. This publication is now available at http://www.resnaprojects.org/news/index.html.
Save the Date
AFP/Telework Best Practice Institute - September 7-9, 2011
Save
the date for the Best Practice Institute for Financial Loan Programs
September 7-9, 2011 at the Ed Roberts Campus Building in Berkeley,
California, hosted by the RESNA Catalyst Project. The first two days will be designed for all loan programs. A Telework Workshop will be conducted September 9. Details will follow.
National Telework Webinar - Exploring Entrepreneurship - April 27, 2:00 - 4:00pm Eastern
Kathy
Gilman of the Washington Access Fund will be presenting a national
webinar April 27 from 2:00 - 4:00 eastern for budding entrepreneurs from
around the country so that they can learn about entrepreneurship and
the basics of business planning. Telework programs are encouraged
to market this to their clients to begin the process of becoming
loan-ready consumers. Contact Jason Luciano (jluciano@resna.org ) if your program wants to participate.
Upcoming Events
New Telework Program Directors Conference Call Series:
-Second Call - Monday, March 14 at 3:00pm Eastern
Directors
new to Telework Loan Programs will meet in March to discuss the
Technical Assistance Circular (TAC) that RSA issued that provides
guidance to the Telework Loan program. Discussion will center on how the program's focus has broaden as a result of the TAC and recent interpretations. To access the call, dial: 1-800-351-6810, pass code 80573760#.
-Third Call - Tuesday, April 5 at 2:00pm Eastern
Continuing the series of conference calls for directors new to Telework Programs, the third scheduled call will be held April 5th at 2:00pm EST. Kathy
Gilman, of the Washington Access Fund, will present on Microdevelopment
Organizations and discuss how these may be a beneficial aspect to
Telework Loan Programs. To access the call, dial: 1-800-351-6810, pass code 80573760#.
New AFP Program Directors Conference Call - Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 2:00pm Eastern
This call begins the series of Lending Basics for new directors.
Discussion
will center on the AT Act requirements for AFPs - how the loan programs
are structured and what partners the programs have to help people with
disabilities obtain needed AT. While the calls are intended for
new directors, all are invited. To access the call, dial: 1-800-351-6810, pass code 80573760#.
Recent Event
Using
Tax Benefits and Credits as a Catalyst for Economic Independence for
People with Disabilities - Webinar Thursday, February 17
The archive of the
webinar featuring Johnette Hartnett, National Disability Institute; Don
Dill, Internal Revenue Service; and Jackie Wilks-Weathers, Georgia
Center for Financial Independence & Innovation is available at: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/atia/view.
The Recording ID is CATALYSTWEB01. There is no key required to
access the recording. The archive is available in two formats:
Microsoft Office Live Meeting Replay format Microsoft Office Live
Meeting High-Fidelity Presentation format. It is advisable to use
the Microsoft Office Live Meeting Replay format as it is smaller and
therefore easier to view online or download.
You may also access the transcript and power point presentations at http://www.resnaprojects.org/afp/teleconf/index.html . | |
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The
RESNA Catalyst Project is a project funded by the U.S. Department of
Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration under the Assistive
Technology Act of 1998, as amended. The project is
operated by RESNA. The information contained herein does not necessarily
reflect the position or policy of RSA/ED or RESNA and no official
endorsement of the materials should be inferred.
RESNA
is the grantee funded to provide technical assistance and training to
those programs funded under the AT Act and to others.
Contact Information: RESNA Catalyst Project, 1700 North Moore Street, Suite 1540, Arlington, VA 22209-1903; (703) 524-6686 (voice), (866) 342-6572 (voice), (703) 524-6630 (FAX), (703) 524-6639 (TTY). Email: catalyst@resna.org; Website: http://www.resnaprojects.org |
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