January 2013 Highlights

PROJECT WIDE NEWS

RSA Submission FY 2013 State Plan for AT Due
Rob Groenendaal and Brian Bard with RSA announced earlier this week that FY 2013 State Plans for AT (RSA-664) are due to be completed and submitted in the MIS by C.O.B. Friday, March 1, 2013. An email detailing specific instructions was sent along with the above announcement. If you did not receive information and instructions on submitting the RSA-664 in the MIS, please contact Brian Bard (brian.bard@ed.gov) or (robert.groenendaal@ed.gov) for additional information.

RESNA Catalyst Project’s Employment Summit and Two Project Directors Meetings - Bethesda, Maryland May 6-9, 2013
We have already received a great registration response for the three meetings that are planned for the spring of 2013 for AT Act Entities! The Catalyst Project will host an Employment Summit May 8-9, 2013 for all AT Act Entities at the Bethesda, Maryland Hyatt Regency. Two Project Director Meetings will be conducted in conjunction with the Summit. ATAP and the Catalyst Project will co-host a Statewide AT Program Directors May 6-7, 2013. In addition, there will be a Financial Loan Best Practices Institute May 7, 2013 for AFP/Telework/Title 1 loan program staff. All three meetings are open to all AT Act Entities!
RESNA Meeting Registration and or Hotel Booking. If you have not already registered for the RESNA Meeting, or need the registration form for any of the meetings, please contact Paul Galonsky, pgalonsky@resna.org to receive via email. If you need to book your hotel room or the meeting, visit
https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do‌mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID;=9696971&utm;_source=14877&utm;_medium=email&utm;_campaign=21505414 to book online. Register soon and see you this May!

CEUs for RESNA Catalyst Project Webinars
Back by popular demand, the RESNA Catalyst Project will be offering CEUs for most live and archived webinar sessions. The RESNA Catalyst Project is an approved authorized provider for CEU credits by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). You can receive 0.1 CEUs for a sixty minute webinar. To apply for CEUs for a specific webinar, just download the form, complete it, and send it to RESNA as the directions indicate. There is a $16 fee to receive credits for each webinar. To learn more about CEUs or to apply for CEUs from an archived webinar, contact Paul Galonsky, pgalonsky@resna.org.

AT for Business/Employer Portal Update

• New Portal Marketing Materials. In the next few weeks, a couple of press releases will be available for distribution to businesses, employers, and those who work to get people with disability employed. The first press release is a general release that the RESNA Catalyst Project and AT Connects will distribute widely. The second press release is a “Swiss Cheese” press release, which will allow individual AT Act programs to customize and tailor the release to constituents. Look for these press releases soon!
• Upcoming Portal Partner’s Meeting. The RESNA Catalyst Project and AT Connects will host an AT for Business/Employer Portal Partners Meeting on Monday, February 4, 2013 via webinar. This meeting is designed to tour the Portal as well as to talk with the Portal Partners about website updates, content suggestions, and marketing strategies. We are grateful to the partners who have contributed to the development of the Portal including AT Act Programs, the United States Business Leadership Network, Job Accommodation Network, the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation, Southeast TACE, and the U.S. Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration. Visit the Portal today at www.atconnects.com/employers.

AT Program News Winter 2013 Edition
AT Program News serves the Statewide AT Act Programs, Alternative Financing Programs, and their community partners. The 2013 Winter Edition features articles on Cognitive Assistive Technology. Access AT Program News online at http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/‌u=e96897714b9d9d83d03182247&id;=31ffce05da&e;=.

AT for Employment Work Group Call, February 21, 2013 3-4:00 p.m. Eastern Time The AT for Employment Work Group call provides opportunities for participants to get briefed on national updates related to AT for Employment, as well as opportunities to share what is happening in your state. To join this call, dial: 800-351-6810 Pass code: 46172076#. Reminders and call agenda to follow as we get closer to this call.

Three RESNA Catalyst Project Archived Webinars
Webinar: Assistive Devices for D/deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Populations-
January 9
The RESNA Catalyst Project hosted a webinar featuring Valeria Stafford-Mallis, from Alternative Communication Services. Ms. Stafford-Mallis provided training on hearing impairment devices, costs, new innovations, and resources. An archive of this webinar can be found at http://www.resnaprojects.org/statewide/webedarchive.html. Note: CEUs available for this webinar.

Webinar: Introducing the Assistive Technology for Employer and Business Web Portal- January 22
Sönke Dornblut and Anne Long with AT Connects along with RESNA Catalyst Project Staff Paul Galonsky provided a webinar tour of the Assistive Technology for Business/Employer Web Portal (www.atconnects.com/employers). This webinar formerly introduced attendees to the Portal and discussed how to take advantage of the information it contains. An archive of this webinar can be found at http://www.resnaprojects.org/statewide/webedarchive.html.

Webinar: Assistive Technology and the Interactive Process of Employee Accommodations-January 23
The RESNA Catalyst Project, Southwest ADA Center, and ADA National Network presented a webinar on how AT demonstrations, equipment loans, and support and technical assistance from the ADA National Network that may enhance an interactive employee accommodation process. An archive of this webinar can be found at http://www.adaconferences.org/RESNA/Archives/. Note: CEUs available for this webinar.

STATEWIDE AT PROGRAMS

Statewide AT Project Director’s Meeting Planning Call- February 18, 2013 3:00p.m. Eastern Time
The Planning Committee will continue to work through recent draft agendas for the 2013 Statewide AT Project Directors Meeting. Committee Members may call 800-211-4163 and pass code 0521244# the day of the meeting to join the call.

Statewide AT Program New Directors Call-January 10
A recording of the January 10^th call is now available. You can access the MP3 at: http://www.resnaprojects.org/statewide/newdirectors/index.html. The next Statewide New Director’s Cal is scheduled for Thursday, March 14, 2013, 3p.m. Eastern Time.

PAAT PROGRAMS

AT Advocate Newsletter
The Fall 2012 issue of AT Advocate Newsletter – Medicaid, Assistive Technology and the Courts, is now available at http://www.nls.org/files/AT%20Advocate%20Newsletters/AdvocateFall2012_.pdf. This electronic only newsletter updates and replaces an earlier version with the same title. It was used for a session delivered at our October 2012 “Bridges to Better Advocacy” conference. However, due to some start-up delays with our revised website going live, this was not posted until very late December.

Updated Publication: Work, Assistive Technology, and State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies- The VR Agency’s Obligation to Fund AT to Support Employment Preparation
This new publication will be available in February, 2013. This publication will fully update and replace a similar one done by Ron Hager in 1999, when he worked with Neighborhood Legal Service (Ron continues to work with us through the National Disability Rights Network and is responsible for this update). This is part of our Funding of AT manual series (for more information, visit www.nls.org/Disability/NationalAssistiveTechnologyProject/FundingofATManualSeries).

ALTERNATIVE FINANCING AND TELEWORK LOAN PROGRAMS

SAVE THE DATE – May 7^th 2013
The RESNA Catalyst Project is sponsoring a one day AFP Director Meeting in Bethesda, MD. This will be the day before the RESNA Catalyst Project Employment Summit for AT Act funded programs. For more information, scroll to the top of this page.

Teleconference Series Schedule for 2013
You’ve spoken – and we’ve listened! Based on the AFP needs assessment and feedback you’ve given us at the RESNA Catalyst Project, we have created a draft teleconference schedule for 2013. More details to follow (Note-Schedule subject to change).
February 19^th 2pm – New Project Staff Orientation
March 19^th 2pm - Financial Literacy Part I
April 16^th 2pm – Sustainability for AFPs
June 18^th 2pm – Preparing for RSA Review
July 16^th 2pm – Collaborating with other AT Act Programs
August 21^st 2pm – Needs Assessment for 2014

Teleconference Series: New Project Staff Orientation – February 19^th 2013, 2:00p.m. Eastern
Robert Groenendaal and Brian Bard from RSA, and Joey Wallace and Jason Luciano from RESNA will present on the history of the AT Act funded projects, and the roles each of them have in the interplay of providing continuity of services. This teleconference is intended to assist new staff persons in understanding the interconnectedness and collaborations amongst various AT Act funded activities. To join this call, please dial 800-351-6810 with pass code is 80573760#. This call will be recorded and archived on the RESNA Catalyst Project website.

Data Work Group Call – Monday, February 4^th 2013, 11:00a.m. Eastern

The Loan Program Data Collection Work Group will have a conference call on February 4th. Members will continue to develop recommendations for the next changes to the MIS 662, with the hope that it will closely align with other data collection instruments. The progress of this Work Group will be reported during the AFP Director’s Meeting in May.

OTHER RESOURCES

NIDRR AbleData Contract
The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) issued a request for capability statement for the new AbleData contract for 2013 -2018, (which closed for consideration on 1/28). Be on the lookout for more information on who will oversee the AbleData contract in the future.

NCART/NRRTS Conference
The National Coalition for Assistive and Rehab Technology (NCART) and the National Registry of Rehabilitation Technology Suppliers (NRRTS) will host the National CRT Leadership and Advocacy Conference on April 9-11, 2013 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia.

The goal of the conference is to allow CRT stakeholders to come together in one place for high value education, networking, and advocacy. Program details and registration information are available at www.nrrts.org or www.ncart.us. For additional information, contact Don Clayback, NCART Executive Director, at 716-839-9728 or dclayback@ncart.us or contact Simon Margolis, NRRTS Executive Director, at 763-494-6774 or smargolis@nrrts.org.

Intern Creates Website to House Historical Records of Disability Law
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Sierra Gregg, an intern with the Office of Presidential Libraries in Washington, D.C., has created a website offering digital, accessible copies of historic documents related to individuals with disabilities. Gregg -- who is visually impaired -- created the project to highlight the 22nd anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The site features 56 documents, including letters Helen Keller wrote to President Herbert Hoover. Visit http://www.archives.gov/research/americans-with-disabilities/ to access the archives.

New AT Radio & Podcasts in Indiana
INDATA has launched an internet radio station. AssistiveTechnologyRadio.com broadcasts 24/7 and includes a wide variety of AT programs. Programs include INDATA’s two podcasts as well as various AT training sessions. To view and listen to the growing list of episodes, visit: http://www.eastersealstech.com/content.aspx‌pId=492.
INDATA will include audio content from other AT projects. To submit radio content or to learn more about INDATA's AT radio and podcasts contact Wade Wingler at wwingler@eastersealscrossroads.org.