March 2013 Highlights

PROJECT WIDE NEWS

Time is running out! Register today for the RESNA Catalyst Project’s Employment Summit and Two Project Director Meetings in Bethesda, Maryland May 6-9, 2013
The RESNA 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 RESNA 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. Book your hotel room before April 4, 2013, to avoid additional charges at
https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID;=9696971.

See you in Bethesda next month!

ATIA and RESNA Catalyst Webinar Coupon Code
The RESNA Catalyst Project continues to partner with the Assistive Technology Industries Association (ATIA), to offer live and archived webinars to all AT Act Entities. It’s easy to register online with for Live Broadcasts or Archives using coupon code CATPR13. There are 45+ recordings available in the Archives portfolio. Additionally, individual states may purchase a subscription for additional seats directly from ATIA. For more details on the program, including the new Catalyst Webinar Subscription option for sister agencies not covered under the AT Act Entities access criteria, go to: www.atia.org/catalystwebprogram, or contact Joey Wallace, joeywallace@resna.org.

AT for Employment Work Group Call, Thursday, April 18, 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.

Registration Now Open and Save the Date! Three Upcoming RESNA Catalyst Project Webinars!
Below are webinar details and save the dates. All webinars will have live captioning, will be archived, are free, and CEUs will be available for a $16 fee.

Webinar One-April 25, 2013, 3:00-4:00 p.m. Eastern: Security Screening and Traveling with Assistive Technology. The RESNA Catalyst Project is honored to sponsor this free webinar presented by Jeremy Buzzell, formerly the Program Specialist responsible for AT Act Programs at Rehabilitation Services Administration, U.S. the Department of Education! To register, visit: https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/334587447.

Webinar Two-April 23, 2013, 3:00-4:30p.m. Eastern: Negotiating Access to Assistive Technology after High School: Planning Strategies & Civil Rights. To register, visit www.adaconferences.org/RESNA.

Webinar Three-Save the date. July 17, 2013, 3:00-4:30p.m. Eastern: Accessibility of Web Information: Implications for how the Public and Private Sector Conducts Business.

Webinar: A Brain in the Palm of your Hand: Handhelds and Tablets as Cognitive Aids for People with Brain Injury March 27, 2013
This webinar was cosponsored by the Nebraska Veterans Administration’s Vocational Rehabilitation Program, the Nebraska Brain Injury Advisory Council, and the Nebraska Assistive Technology Partnership. An archive of this webinar will be posted on the RESNA Catalyst Project website soon. AT Act programs will be notified once an archive of the recording is posted on the RESNA Catalyst Project Website.

STATEWIDE AT PROGRAMS

Save the Date: Statewide AT Program New Directors Webinar/Call- May 23, 2013, 3-4:00p.m. Eastern
The New Directors call takes place every other month. Under the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 (AT Act), as amended, statewide AT programs must establish and maintain advisory councils to help plan, implement, and evaluate activities. This upcoming webinar/call will feature information on advisory councils, found in the second module of the New Director’s Curriculum (http://www.resnaprojects.org/statewide/newdirectors/mod2advcouncils.html). This call will also allow time for new directors to discuss issues they are currently facing. All new and veteran statewide AT directors are welcome to participate! Reserve your Webinar Seat Now at: https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/751958623.

RSA Webinar: RSA’s Assistive Technology Programs and State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies – Working Together for Success, March 21, 2013
Rob Groenendaal and Brain Bard with RSA presented a webinar on state vocational rehabilitation agency partnerships with RSA’s assistive technology programs. The webinar featured case studies describing how state vocational rehabilitation agencies have partnered with statewide assistive technology programs. A complete recording of the webinar is available at https://ncrtm.org/moodle/mod/page/view.php‌id=4203.

Purchasing Forums Work Group – March 28^th
The Purchasing Forums Work Group met to discuss the purchasing forum and continue to finalize access into the forum for all statewide AT programs. More information will continue to be disseminated though the SGAT listserv as it becomes available.

PAAT PROGRAMS

Briefs are now available in Koenning v. Janek, the Medicaid standing wheelchair case pending in Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
This case involves Texas Medicaid’s policy of categorically denying coverage of mobile standers (including standing wheelchairs), without consideration of medical necessity. The U.S. District court held that this policy violates various federal Medicaid Act provisions and is preempted by the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause. The State’s appeal is now pending. The following briefs are available on our National AT Advocacy Project’s website at www.nls.org/Disability/NationalAssistiveTechnologyProject/WhatsNew:

• Brief of Plaintiffs
• Brief of Texas Medicaid
• Brief of Amicus Curiae (the Arc of the United States, the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, the National Disability Rights Network, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America, the Spina Bifida Association, and the United Spinal Association) – Brief co-authored by Diana Straube and Jim Sheldon through NY PAAT program; focuses on the medical benefits of therapeutic standing as achieved through the standing wheelchair.
• Brief of Amicus Curiae (Constitutional Accountability Center) – Brief focuses on the use of constitution’s Supremacy Clause as a means of enforcing Medicaid Act provisions.

No scheduled date for arguments at this time.

AT-Related Training Offered at the National Disability Rights Network Conference, June 3-6, 2013, San Antonio, Texas
For more information or to register for conference, see http://www.ndrn.org/en/events/events-calendar/icalrepeat.detail/2013/06/03/22/-/ ndrn-2013-annual-meeting-june-3-june-6.html (referenced on page as NDRN Annual Meeting) Sessions provided:

• Preparation of a Medicaid Assistive Technology Case: From Fair Hearing to State Court Judicial Review (Monday, 6/3/13 Institute) Presenters: Diana M. Straube & James R. Sheldon, National AT Advocacy Project; Marge Gustas, NY PAAT Project; and Jennifer Giesen, Minnesota P&A; Project

• Tackling the Legal Issues Presented by Medicaid Waivers and Medicaid Managed Care (Wednesday, June 5, 2013, 10:30 to noon) Presenters: Diana M. Straube & Marge Gustas

• A Simulated Interview and Simulated Case Review (Wednesday, June 5, 2013, 3:30 to 5:00) – using AT-related case scenario Presenters: Diana M. Straube and James R. Sheldon, National AT Advocacy Project; Marge Gustas, NY PAAT Project; Edward Myers, Arizona Center for Disability Law; and Ron Hager, NDRN

• Using AT to Promote Independent Living: Brainstorming on How to Fund It (Thursday, June 6, 1:30 to 3:00) Presenters: Diana M. Straube and James R. Sheldon, National AT Advocacy Project; Edward Myers, Arizona Center for Disability Law

Work, Assistive Technology, and State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies -- The VR Agency’s Obligation to Fund AT to Support Employment Preparation
http://www.nls.org/files/Disability%20Law Hotlines/National%20AT%20Advocacy/VRFundingofAT2013.pdf. This 44-page publication fully updates and replaces a similar publication 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 with a focus on AT-related special education and vocational rehabilitation issues).
This is part of our Funding of AT manual series (see www.nls.org/Disability/NationalAssistiveTechnologyProject/FundingofATManualSeries).

ALTERNATIVE FINANCING AND TELEWORK LOAN PROGRAMS

SAVE THE DATE! – AFP Director Meeting- 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. See above information under Project Wide News to register for this meeting.

Teleconference Series Schedule for 2013
You’ve spoken – and we’ve listened! Based on your needs assessment and feedback you’ve given us at the RESNA Catalyst Project, we have created a draft teleconference schedule for 2013. Subject to change:

• 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

Sustainability Teleconference for AFPs – April 16^th 2:00p.m. Eastern
Sustainability has been an ongoing concern for all programs and especially for AFPs and Access to Telework programs. For this installment of our Loan Program Teleconference series, speakers will talk about their own strategies to sustain programs in perpetuity. To join this call please call 1-800-351-6810 with pass code 80573760#.

Financial Literacy Part I - March 19^th 2p.m.
This teleconference introduced loan program directors and staff to financial literacy as an option for loan programs. Kathy Gilman from Washington spoke about how financial literacy training has been successfully incorporated into AFP and other loan programs, and how this can strengthen the integrity and portfolio of a program. This call was recorded and archived on the RESNA Catalyst website at http://www.resnaprojects.org/documents/AFPprintDocInfo.php?ID=589

Data Work Group Call – March 12^th
The Data Work Group held its monthly meeting to discuss and develop recommendations for changes to the MIS 662. To join this work group please contact Jason Luciano at jluciano@resna.org

OTHER RESOURCES

Links to FY 2013 RFA AgrAbility and Youth Farm Safety

NIFA Funding Opportunity Page: http://nifa.usda.gov/fo/agrabilityandyouthfarmsafety.cfm. This page includes links to the request for applications (RFA), the NIFA Grants.gov
Application Guide, the application package, and abstracts of funded projects.
Grants.gov Synopsis Page: http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do. This page includes a synopsis of the funding opportunity, a link to the full announcement (RFA) and the application package.
Grants.gov Application Package:
http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/jsf/downloadApplicationPackage.faces‌id=170890. This page links to the application instructions and the application package.

2013 Southwest Conference on Disability
The 2013 Southwest Conference on Disability Call for Papers is now open! The conference, held October 8-11, 2013 during the forty-first International Balloon Fiesta, is accepting proposals on the following themes:

• The Rehabilitation Act at 40: Promises Kept, Promises Still to Keep
• Assistive Technology: Opening the Door for People with Disabilities
• When the Community, Business and Government Collaborate, People with Disabilities Work!
• Access to Health for Women with Disabilities
• Brain Injury: A Family Affair Across the Lifespan

For more information on the conference themes or to submit a proposal, visit the conference website at http://cdd.unm.edu/swconf/.

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/on-air/.
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.