AT at the National Level
Beyond Virginia are some outstanding AT resources. One of the oldest and best resources is the Closing the Gap conference which is held in Bloomington, MN (a Minneapolis suburb) in October each year. Topics cover a broad spectrum of assistive technology as it is applied to all disabilities and age groups in education, rehabilitation, vocation, and independent living. People with disabilities, special educators, rehabilitation professionals, administrators, service/care providers, personnel managers, government officials, and hardware/software developers share their experiences and insights.
Another popular conference is sponsored by ATIA, the Assistive Technology Industry Association, which features manufacturers, sellers and providers of technology-based assistive devices and/or services.
At California State University at Northridge, the Center on Disabilities sponsors the annual CSUN conference in assistive technology.
The RESNA (Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America) is an interdisciplinary association for the advancement of rehabilitation and assistive technologies (AT). RESNA sponsors a conference that offers a public forum for presenting research, design work, and clinical findings to service providers, researchers, educators and consumers from across the nation and around the world.
In addition to the conferences, the following web sites offer comprehensive information about assistive technology. WATI (Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative) is a state-funded project to help schools improve their assistive technology services. The site includes resources, lending library information, and related links. QIAT’s (Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology), mission is to guide the development and delivery of quality assistive technology services in a way that provides users with a gateway to the Quality Indicators, Matrices, and QIAT in Action documents. CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology) has earned international recognition for its development of innovative, technology-based educational resources and strategies based on the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The mission of CAST is to expand learning opportunities for all individuals, especially those with disabilities, through the research and development of innovative, technology-based educational resources and strategies.
