AT3 Center & Pass It On Center AT Reuse Community of Practice Kickoff Kathy Laurin, AT3 Center Carolyn Phillips & Liz Persaud, Pass It On Center February 22, 2017

Agenda for Today Meet your AT3 & Pass It On Center Team Communities of Practice (CoP) Goals & Vision of Your AT Reuse Community of Practice And the Survey Says Next Steps: Sub-Committees Work Groups

AT3 Center Reuse CoP The Reuse CoP is a partnership of the AT3 Center and the National Pass It On Center at Georgia Tech who will serve as co-facilitators The community of AT Act programs and their affiliated partners are critical team members Other interested programs are welcome to participate

Your AT3 & Pass It On Center AT Reuse Team Kathy Laurin Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs AT3 Technical Assistance Center Specialist kathy.laurin@ataporg.org Carolyn Phillips Director, Tools for Life Carolyn.Phillips@gatfl.gatech.edu Danny Housley AT Funding & Resource Specialist Danny.Housley@gatfl.gatech.edu Samantha Peters Program Specialist Samantha.Peters@gatfl.gatech.edu Liz Persaud Training Coordinator Liz.Persaud@gatfl.gatech.edu Martha Rust AT Specialist Martha.Rust@gatfl.gatech.edu

What is a Community of Practice (CoP)? “A community of practice (CoP) is a group of people who share a craft and/or a profession. The concept was first proposed by cognitive anthropologists Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger in 1991. A CoP can evolve naturally because of the members' common interest in a particular domain or area, or it can be created deliberately with the goal of gaining knowledge related to a specific field.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_of_practice

AT3 Communities of Practice AT3 will facilitate four CoPs: Device Demonstration and Loan Reuse State Financing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Promote cross sharing and problem solving Deepen knowledge and expertise through ongoing interaction to support quality implementation of AT Act programs

Goal of the AT Reuse Community of Practice Provide technical assistance and training to the Assistive Technology Act Programs in the area of AT Reuse so they can conduct safe, appropriate and effective reuse activities for individuals with disabilities.

Vision of the AT Reuse CoP Create positive change through safe, appropriate and effective AT Reuse CoP by: Responding rapidly to AT Reuse Program needs and inquiries Decreasing the learning curve of new and growing AT Reuse Programs (PIOC IQ-ATR) Reducing rework and preventing "reinvention of the wheel“ through sharing of ideas, resources and experience (PIOC KnowledgeBase, PIOC YouTube Videos) Spawning new ideas for AT Reuse

Immediate Activities Identify priority training and technical assistance (TTA) issues to be addressed Update Reuse knowledge base for AT3 web portal to ensure a comprehensive one-stop location for all state level activity information Seek input and direction for priority reuse training sessions

Immediate Activities, continued Share expertise with other state AT programs Help identify quality and innovative Reuse programs and efforts that can be adopted and implemented by others Identify states with an interest in implementing a Medicaid reuse program

Future Activities Identifying specialized areas of reuse with high interest by grantees and high consumer need (e.g. electronic low vision equipment, hearing aids) Investigating the feasibility of and potential for a national online AT device exchange system Identifying new priority areas through proactive training and technical assistance (TTA)

Reuse CoP Survey Disseminated survey to Director’s of AT Act Programs Intent was to obtain one response from each state/territory program grantee Responded to by Director’s or their designated staff member Received responses from 41 of 56 Programs

Thank you for Participating in the AT Reuse Survey On January 23rd AT Reuse Survey was sent to AT Act Director’s of each state/territory And the Survey Says…

Does your AT Program directly operate AT Reuse activities?

What type of AT Reuse activities?

AT Program contract with other organizations

Top Technical Assistance & Training Needs

What are the top 3 types of AT that your program currently reuses?

What resources have you accessed on the Pass It On Center (PIOC) website?

What resources on the PIOC website have best met your program needs?

I prefer to receive AT Reuse Training via:

How would you prefer to receive CoP updates & info regarding AT Reuse?

How often would you like to receive AT Reuse CoP updates and information?

Please, identify any quality and/or innovative program activities that your reuse program conducts that you believe could be of benefit to other programs. 28 comments: Outreach Marketing techniques Community presence Annual fundraising event Partnerships Hospitals Therapy Centers Local ALS International nonprofit (overseas donations) Employment Services Rotary Clubs Alternative Financing Programs (AFP) Online Resources Online Equipment Exchange/Classifieds AT Databases Minimize Shipping Costs Partnership with Statewide Centers for Independent Living (CILS) Utilizing a network of programs across the state

Do you have any other suggestions regarding AT Reuse TA and/or Training? 19 comments: Explore new marketing strategies AT Exchange program and website updates Information in language to protect customers who sell equipment online Recruiting and maintaining volunteers Best practices for equipment inventory Medicaid partnership Learning and growing from each other in the AT Reuse community!

Do you have any suggestions regarding the collaborative efforts of the Reuse CoP group? 18 comments Successful collaborations with Alternative Financing Programs (AFP) Statewide sharing of resources, ideas, concepts and strategies Publishing industry best practices in AT Reuse More AT Reuse conferences Document templates for MOUs, checklists, etc. Utilizing postsecondary educational institutions - students donate time to assist with refurbishment and other program duties in exchange for "service learning" exposure and sometimes credits towards their degrees

Please, identify any areas of reuse expertise you are willing to share with the group. 19 comments: Donations to other countries Low cost AT modifications Computer reuse Establishing a partnership with DME dealer AT Exchange sites - maintenance and support Documents with safety precautions Sharing reuse program proposal language Community based reuse partnerships Emergency preparation and equipment reuse information

23 requested to add additional contacts to our CoP group – and we did! If you prefer that someone other than the Director of your state AT program be the contact person for the Reuse Community of Practice, please provide their contact information (name, position, email, phone) 23 requested to add additional contacts to our CoP group – and we did!

AT Reuse CoP Sub-Committees Proposed AT Reuse CoP Sub-Committees: PIOC IQ-ATR Revision to AT3 IQ-ATR PIOC Knowledge Base Review & Revise Medicaid & AT Reuse Please, let Liz liz.persaud@gatfl.gatech.edu know if you would be interested/available to serve on these Committees.

We Need You! Many of you spoke up and helped set our AT Reuse CoP Sub-Committees. They will be: Outcome Oriented Short-term (3 -12 months) Focused on a specific topic, activity and/or area of need.

For the Next Month Please respond to webinar survey Distribution list will be compiled by respondents providing contact information Sub-committees will be formed to begin work on priority activities

Our Question to You: What additional input do you have for the Reuse CoP?

Webinar Evaluation Please take 5 minutes to complete the webinar survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/at3pioc

Contact Us Your AT3 & Pass It On Center - AT Reuse Team Kathy Laurin Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs AT3 Technical Assistance Center Specialist kathy.laurin@ataporg.org Carolyn Phillips Director, Tools for Life Carolyn.Phillips@gatfl.gatech.edu Danny Housley AT Funding & Resource Specialist Danny.Housley@gatfl.gatech.edu Samantha Peters Program Specialist Samantha.Peters@gatfl.gatech.edu Liz Persaud Training Coordinator Liz.Persaud@gatfl.gatech.edu Martha Rust AT Specialist Martha.Rust@gatfl.gatech.edu

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