November 2013 Highlights

PROJECT WIDE NEWS

AT Act Entities Conference Planning Committee Call – December 17^th 2:00p.m. Eastern
The next call of the Conference planning group will be December 17^th at 2:00p.m. Eastern. This is the group responsible for planning the annual conference, and we’d love to hear from you! If you want to join and help mold the annual meeting into what is most helpful for your program, please contact Jason Luciano at jluciano@resna.org.

AT & Employer/Business Web Portal Update
http://atconnects.com/resources/at-for-employers. New additions to the Portal include a blog (available for AT Act Entities to post to) as well newly featured resources on the homepage. For those entities who have success stories related to AT & Employment, we want to hear from you! Additionally, AT Connects along with the RESNA Catalyst Project is available to provide a webinar tour of the Portal for your staff, advisory councils, employment partners, etc. Please email your success stories and webinar tour requests to Paul Galonsky at pgalonsky@resna.org.

Save the Date! 2014 AT Act Entities Meeting
The annual AT Act Entities conference is scheduled for July 14 & 15, 2014.
Next year’s conference will be held at the JW Marriott Hotel in Washington DC and will bring together statewide AT programs and Alternative Financing Programs (AFPs) to learn and share experiences, with an emphasis on collaborating between programs as well as with external organizations. A work group consisting of representatives from AFPs and Statewide AT Programs is working on developing agenda items. The RESNA Catalyst Project is pleased to offer this annual technical assistance event in collaboration with ATAP and CATADA. For more information please contact Joey Wallace at jwallace@resna.org.

AT for Employer/Business Web Portal Partners Call, November18, 2013
The RESNA Catalyst Project hosted a quarterly call for Portal Partners on November 18th. The call included a briefing and updates found on the AT for Employment Web Portal. Partners will continue to meet quarterly in 2014. Portal Partners include the United States Business Leadership Network, Job Accommodation Network, and the ADA National Network. Please visit the AT for Employer/Business Web Portal at www.ATConnects.com/employers.

STATEWIDE AT PROGRAMS

Statewide AT Program New Directors Webinar/Call- January 16, 2013, 3-4:00p.m. Eastern
The Statewide AT Program New Directors call takes place every other month. Under the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 (AT Act), as amended, statewide AT programs must provide a variety of assistive technology services consistently and in a quality manner. This upcoming webinar/call will feature information on Quality Services and Indicators found in the fifth module of the New Director’s Curriculum (http://www.resnaprojects.org/statewide/newdirectors/mod5quality.html). This call will also allow time for new directors to discuss issues they are currently facing. All new and veteran statewide AT directors and staff are welcome! Register today at https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/773388215.

PAAT PROGRAMS

REGISTER NOW – FREE TELECONFERENCE TRAINING-"Funding of AT through State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies" December 18, 2013 - 2:00 - 3:45 p.m. Eastern
Free continuing legal education (CLE) credits (1.5 hours)

• Speaker, Ronald M. Hager, Senior Staff Attorney, National Disability Rights Network
• Although this is free you must pre-register.
• Use this link for the full description and registration form (page 4), http://www.nls.org/files/Disability%20Law%20Hotlines/National%20AT%20Advocacy/TeleconferenceFlyerFundingATthruStateVRAgencies12-18-13.pdf (must print and fax, or scan and email; see instructions on registration form).

Great Attendance at Our Teleconference Sessions held on October 23^rd ("Funding of Cutting-Edge Equipment through State Medicaid Programs") and November 20^th ("Using Your State’s General Curriculum Mandates to Fund Assistive Technology in the Public Schools") – Handouts from earlier sessions available.

• We had 76 confirmed phone lines in October and 49 in November. We expect that actual attendance was at least 10 to 20 percent higher (since some participants had 2 or more persons attending from the same phone line).
• Combined we had individuals attending from more than 35 states, the District of Columbia, the Native American P&A;, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands with significant attendance from the PAAT, AT Project, and AFP networks.
• Handouts from the October and November training sessions are available at http://www.nls.org/Disability/TrainingHandouts.

This series is co-sponsored by: The National AT Advocacy Project and The Advocacy Center (New Orleans, LA). Contact Lynn Urquhart if you have questions (lurquhart@nls.org or 716-847-0650 ext. 271). All sessions approved for CLE credits through the State of Louisiana (check with your state for reciprocity). Will also provide certificates of attendance if that will help in getting other continuing education credits.

"INDEPENDENT LIVING SERVICES" – REMINDER - Let Us Know if Your State Uses the IL Services Category to Fund AT. (We will address this issue in our December 18^th teleconference training.)
The National AT Advocacy Project is always looking for the little-known AT funding source that individuals with disabilities might be able to turn to. Here is one you might want to look at.

• Historically, this was known as "Independent Living Rehabilitation Services" and authorized by RSA regulation 34 CFR 365.37.
• The old ILRS regulations have disappeared and been replaced by the more generic "independent living services" or ILS category. See 34 CFR 364.4(b) (IL Services defined).
• Among the items specifically listed in the regulations are: rehabilitation technology, mobility training, provision of needed prostheses and other appliances/devices, and "any other services" necessary to move toward "functioning independently." Sound like room for funding AT‌
• We understand these services can be delivered through the state vocational rehabilitation agency, the Independent Living Program, or some other entity under contract with the VR agency. In most, if not all states it appears that the implementation of IL services is through the Independent Living Programs. Since services are not considered independent living "core" services it also appears that funding to support these services is very limited, with great discretion on how the money is spent.
• Based on limited anecdotal information, we know that individuals in a number of states have received funding for AT through the IL services category. If you know, please share with Jim Sheldon (jsheldon@nls.org) how funding for AT is delivered through this category of service in your state. If you know of any criteria used for approval we would love to see it.

UPCOMING AT ADVOCATE NEWSLETTERS
As this is written we have two newsletters in the final drafting stages.

• Our fall 2013 newsletter will feature a lead article that focuses on State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies as a funding source for AT. We expect to have this available in time to use as a resource for our December 18^th teleconference training.
• Our winter 2013-14 newsletter will focus on Medicaid Managed Care, particularly as it relates to funding of AT and specialized equipment.
• As most readers know, we no longer publish print copies of the newsletters but both will appear on our website and be distributed through multiple list serves.

ALTERNATIVE FINANCING AND TELEWORK LOAN PROGRAMS

Data Reports - Success Stories Wanted!
The RESNA Catalyst Project wants success stories from your programs! We are in process of developing data reports, similar to the ones published in 2011, and want to highlight all the successes your programs experience. Client stories and pictures are needed to make these reports as powerful as possible. Please contact Jason Luciano at jluciano@resna.org for more information and to submit your success stories.

AFP Funding Innovations Meeting – November 14^th
A joint venture between the National Disability Institute, Wall Street without Walls, and the RESNA Catalyst Project, this in-person and teleconference meeting brought together carious representatives of organizations and individuals interested in exploring creative and innovative ways to continue obtaining AFP funding. Work groups are forming to continue the exciting work that began at this meeting. If you are interested in more information, or to join a work group, please contact Jason Luciano at jluciano@resna.org.

New Grantee Call – November 21^st
The monthly calls bringing together the new AFP grantees continued in November. These calls are for those programs receiving funding under the recent competitions to discuss unique opportunities and challenges presented to new AFP grantees.

AFP New Directors Series – Monday December 16^th 12:00p.m. Eastern
The RESNA Catalyst Project will be starting up a series of New Director calls for AFP directors. New directors have been invited to attend, and this series is available for anyone who feels s/he may need a refresher on the basics of loan program operation. If you are interested in participating, and have not received an invitation, please contact Jason Luciano at jluciano@resna.org. The call in number is 1-800-211-4163 pass code 57 48 484#

New Grantee Call – December 19^th at 4:00p.m. Eastern
The next monthly call bringing together the new AFP grantees will be December 19^th at 4:00p.m. Eastern. These calls are for those programs receiving funding under the recent competitions to discuss unique opportunities and challenges presented to new AFP grantees.

AFP Steering Committee
The RESNA Catalyst Project will be convening the AFP Steering Committee in the near future. This group of representatives from AFPs helps guide the RESNA Catalyst project in the development of its technical assistance goals for the year, as well as planning for the annual conference. If you are interested in participating, please contact Jason Luciano at jluciano@resna.org.

OTHER RESOURCES

Access Board Webinar: Using WCAG 2.0 to Evaluate Document Accessibility
The next webinar in the Board's free monthly series will take place December 5, 2013, from 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. Eastern, and will cover how to evaluate the accessibility of electronic documents according to the current Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (also known as WCAG 2.0). WCAG 2.0, which is published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), is the internationally recognized standard for web accessibility. Accessibility features of word processing programs also will be addressed. Jutta Treviranus and Jan Richards of the Inclusive Design Research Centre at OCAD University will join Bruce Bailey of the Access Board in conducting the session. For more information, including registration instructions, visit www.accessibilityonline.org.

George Mason University Unveils Online AT Program
Recently, George Mason launched an Assistive Technology concentration and certificate online. This graduate program is offered by Mason’s College of Education and Human Development, and provides the latest information on how to use AT to open up new capabilities and opportunities for students, individuals in workplace and rehabilitative settings, and senior adults. In addition, the program is designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of general and special educators, related service personnel, families, caregivers, and many others who want to utilize AT to support those with special needs. Visit http://masononline.gmu.edu/news/story26/ to learn more about this exciting and new online program.

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.