Date: Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Category: General
Hi everyone,
As my tenure as RESNA President begins to winddown, I’ve been thinking about all that we’ve achieved together over the last two years. We’ve developed a successful model for our Virtual Annual Conferences, launched RESNA Connect to encourage communication among our members, developed pathways to the ATP, and strengthend our core programs., I truly believe we’ve made it easier for our members to achieve our overall goal: to maximize the health and well-being of people with disabilities through technology. I’m so proud of the collaboration we’ve fostered throughout our community. Bringing together researchers and practitioners to share ideas, address challenges, and push each other is how we will continue to advance the field of assistive technology. Carmen DiGiovine has been instrumental in implementing all that we’ve been doing, and I am looking forward to seeing how he builds on our work during his next two years as President.
I’m also excited for the new innovations around this year’s RESNA 2022 Virtual Conference. We’re expanding the variety of our normal subject matter and bringing in new industries to push AT forward. For the first time in a long time, we have major, mainstream companies involved in the conference. One of the designers of Waymo’s self-driving car will be a keynote speaker, and we’ll be featuring Volkswagen in one of our Master Class Sessions, which really fits into our theme of ‘Driving the Future of Assistive Technology’. We’re bringing in companies like Google Research and Project Relate to show how Big Tech is beginning to recognize and address the challenges of inclusion. We’re happy to host and welcome these companies, who are recognizing RESNA as a thought leader in AT innovation.
Not only that, but we’re also getting together for some fun. Thanks to our partner NMEDA, several NMEDA dealers are hosting happy hours and get togethers for local RESNA members and conference attendees in six different cities. Check out this link and see if there’s one happening in your city! All events are free.
The annual RESNA Membership Meeting will be held virtually the week after conference, on July 19th at 4pm ET. Come hear more about what RESNA’s recent accomplishments and what’s next. All RESNA members are invited, but please register in advance at this link.
If you haven’t already, I encourage you to secure your spot today for our RESNA 2022 Virtual Conference, July 13-15, 2022. My tenure as RESNA President may be coming to an end, but you better believe my involvement in RESNA will not. Let’s connect during the conference and share some ideas about how we can continue to push AT forward!
Best,
Maureen Linden, MS