Latest News

28 January 2020

A brief note to congratulate Mel Noonan, past ARATA Board member and active member of ARATA, who is the Founder and CEO of Limbs4Life and on Australia Day received an Order of Australia for her significant service to people with disability.

18 December 2019

The December 2019 issue of ARATA News is now available. Read this issue for the latest news including dates for AATC20, Board Report including the 2019-20 Board Structure, using the Practitioner Directory, about GAATO ... and much more.

02 December 2019

ME-067 Held meeting number 52 in Brisbane on 17 & 18 June.

ME-067 is the Standards Australia committee that works on drafting, reviewing and updating national and international standards relating to assistive technology products for persons with disability.

26 September 2019

The September issue of ARATA News is now out! Please click on the link to read all the latest from ARATA. - Inside the newsletter is the Board report, the call to sign the Bologna Declaration, launch of the ARATA Practitioner Directory, launch of GAATO and much more ...

20 September 2019

The 2019 GReAT Consultation held in August was the first of several consultations to inform the Global Report on AT. ARATA was at the table and our international committee will continue to keep members posted on the GReAT Report.

16 July 2019

ME-067 Held meeting number 52 in Brisbane on 17 & 18 June.

ME-067 is the Standards Australia committee that works on drafting, reviewing and updating national and international standards relating to assistive technology products for persons with disability.

06 May 2019

ARATA submitted a response to the TGA’s recent consultation on the Proposed regulatory scheme for personalised medical devices, including 3D-printed devices.

06 May 2019

ARATA has been referenced in a recent report on general issues around the implementation and performance of the NDIS

07 March 2019

Introducing our new look ARATA News .. now out! Please click on the link to read all the latest from ARATA

24 December 2018

The Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS Assistive Technology inquiry included a written submission from ARATA, and an invitation to ARATA to attend a hearing on Thursday, 22 November 2018.

24 December 2018

07 December 2018

ME-067 is the Standards Australia committee that works on drafting, reviewing and updating national and international standards relating to assistive technology products for persons with disability. An information page on ARATA’s work in Australian and International Standards can be found on the ARATA homepage at the following link http://www.arata.org.au/about-at/standards/

1. Review of Australian standards : AS/NZS 3856 part 1 and 2 : Hoists and ramps for people with disabilities—Vehicle-mounted 2. Review of AS/NZS 3973:2009 Shower/toilet chairs (mobile and static) 3. Strategy to deal with media inquiries 4. Aged Standards Review :AS/NZS 3696.2:2008 Wheelchairs determination of dynamic stability of electric wheelchairs 5. AS 3954-1991 (R2014) : Motor vehicle controls - Adaptive systems for people with disabilities 6. AS/NZS 3695 Wheelchairs Part 2: Requirements and test methods for electrically powered wheelchairs (including mobility scooters) 7. International Participation of the ME-067 committee members

01 December 2018

ARATA recently submitted a response to the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) Accessible Housing Project on the possible inclusion of a minimum accessibility standard for housing in the National Construction Code. The ABCB’s intention is to seek broader stakeholder input and refine the details of the objectives, options and terminology that will be considered in a formal Regulatory Impact Statement.

01 November 2018

ARATA was represented by Dr Graeme Smith (ARATA member and former board member) from Ability Technology at the TGA’s Low Risk Working Group meeting on 5th October 2018 at Alexandria, NSW. Please read on for Dr Smith’s summary of the meeting.

16 October 2018

As we prepare for November’s AGM, we reflect on a year of policy traction, international representation, national networking, and local practice. As always, this has been communicated and discussed on the ARATA listserv. The outgoing Board, including outgoing members, have two key messages for ARATEE’s this month regarding Board Nominations and AATC18.

08 October 2018

ARATA was recently invited by freedom2live to comment on the Senate Committee Report into the ‘Need for regulation of mobility scooters, also known as motorised wheelchairs’ as tabled on 20 September 2018.

07 September 2018

The August - September Board Report: Call for Nominations to the ARATA Board. ARATA informs the NDIS on matters of pricing. Member input for the ARATA submission to the NDIS Joint Standing Committee Assistive Technology Enquiry. ARATA members lead on human rights submission.

04 August 2018

The Global Disability Summit featured a Charter for Change, and announcement of £10m global programme AT 2030 - Life Changing Assistive Technology for All.

03 August 2018

RESNA (Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America) RESNA’s Annual Conference was held in Arlington, Virginia. RESNA 2018 was the first conference in which an ARATA President was an invited speaker. Read on for more details including : - ARATA’s Presentation, and the graphic which RESNA couldn’t get enough of - Certification and Accreditation in North America and beyond

21 July 2018

ARATEE’s are reminded to register before the AATC Early Bird offer closes end August, and to make their plans for spring in Melbourne. Highlights include joining the Board to share ARATA’s birthday cake for at the Annual General Meeting at the close of Day 2.

06 July 2018

The 71st World Health Assembly in May 2018 in Geneva, Switzerland passed an important Resolution on Improving Access to Assistive Technology. This Resolution will be a game-changer for governments internationally, calling for action to improve access to high quality and affordable assistive products for those who need them.

Please click more to read the full news item.

06 July 2018

Assistive Technology is an important element within the WHO workplan around Rehabilitation. The background documents, definitions and a call to arms for practitioners and governments globally are summarised within WHO (2017). Rehabilitation 2030: A Call for Action. Geneva

Key definitions for ARATA from the Rehabilitation 2030 document: • Rehabilitation is characterized by interventions that address impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions, as well as personal and environmental factors (including assistive technology) that have an impact on functioning (p2) • Assistive products can have a profound impact on safety, level of functioning and independence. To realize the full benefits of recent growth in the development and availability of such products[1] access to providers who are proficient in assessing, prescribing and training in the use of the products is necessary (p4)

Click more for the list and links to the key resource documents.

06 July 2018

Members of the African AT Community have expressed interest in ARATA’s structure and purpose, and are looking to build a similar organisation. This initiative delivers on ARATA’s Strategic Goal to develop, strengthen and support local and global assistive technology communities. Read on for information about activities over the last year to support our African colleagues.

Any ARATA members with specific interests in and capacity to contribute to this community, please inform president@arata.org.au to join the list.

06 July 2018

ARATA works closely with the National Aged Care Alliance, a community of over 50 peak bodies and aged care providers who inform government and the sector on aged care issues.

06 July 2018

ARATA President Dr Natasha Layton contributed an Australian perspective to the following OPEN ACCESS article just published

06 July 2018

Motivation Australia recently launched the Samoan National Health Service's Mobility Device Service (MDS) film. Watching this, you will see some of the men, women, children, families and communities who have been positively impacted through the provision of appropriate mobility devices.

15 June 2018

Special Issue: Position Papers from the First Global Research, Innovation, and Education on Assistive Technology (GREAT) Summit .

14 June 2018

Read the June Board Report for an update on our strategic actions including AT sector representation, international capacity building, and credentialing.

20 May 2018

The Seminar was held as a free public event after the first ever International Standards Meeting of Technical Committee 173 (assistive products) to be held on the African continent.

25 April 2018

The ARATA Board met face to face on Friday, April 13 and Saturday, April 14. Thanks to Swinburne University for hosting us. Read on for the latest on Australian Assistive Technology Conference, RESNA Conference, Assistive Technology Practitioners Directory, Strategic Plan Review and Board Renewal Planning for 2018/2019

01 September 2017

2017 has seen focal Board training with Associations Forum in April, enabling us to review our skills and processes. Building from this, a Constitution Review occurred and the revised Constitution will be taken to the 2017 AGM. Many Board members participate in the Foundations of Company Directorship course with our colleagues from the assistive technology sector, with thanks to AOPA for the invitation to attend.

01 September 2017

ARATA members David Hobbs, Rachel McDonald and Natasha Layton were among 200 invited AT leaders at the inaugural Global Research, Innovation, and Education in Assistive Technology (GREAT) Summit, on the 3rd - 4th August 2017 at WHO headquarters in Geneva.

01 September 2017

David Harraway – Occupational Therapist (Yooralla) ARATA Member and Carl Thompson –Project Officer (AFDO - Australian Federation Of Disability Organisations) ARATA Board Member attending the Melbourne Hearing on 6 July 2017

29 June 2017

16 May 2017

The Board has switched to a second-monthly meeting cycle, with active subgroups working to progress the Strategic Plan.

The May meeting finalised Constitutional amendments which will be taken to the AGM in September. We also reviewed options for contracting some of the operational work of ARATA, as currently all tasks are undertaken by voluntary Board members. This would enhance our strategic focus and streamline many of our systems. The Board are working towards the new membership renewal cycle and the AGM in September - stay posted for more details.

09 April 2017

ARATA's Board met for a 2 day strategic planning weekend in Melbourne on 1&2 April.

24 February 2017

This month’s Board report focusses on national and international activities.

Volunteers Required! Nationally, the upcoming Sydney and Brisbane ATSA EXPO's are an opportunity for ARATA members to connect, contribute and earn CPD points! Volunteer to staff the ARATA booth and participate in the workshop HERE

International Representation: ARATA was one of the few AT Professional Organisations to be invited to the Rehabilitation 2030 Summit in Geneva, Switzerland. ARATA was represented by a longstanding member and past Board member, Dr Emma Friesen, who currently resides in the Netherlands. Read on for ARATA's message to the Summit and Submitted Statement.

ATSA EXPO SYDNEY 10 & 11 May & ATSA EXPO BRISBANE 24 May

1. Seeking ARATA members to spend 2 hours with your ARATA colleagues, staffing the ARATA Stand - if you can help us out, please fill your name in here

2. Contributors to the ARATA Workshop in the Clinical Programs: add to your CPD points by contributing to a Workshop in the Clinical Program: Please join us on a panel for the ARATA Workshops Strengthening our Assistive Technology Sector: a tour of ARATA’s resources and community of practice in either Sydney or Brisbane. Indicate your interest and Sue or Natasha will be in touch with more information about the session, to hear your ideas, and to work with you in getting these workshops off the ground.

What are the workshops about? See the Abstract below. To let us know you are available, please fill your name in here

ABSTRACT

The Australian Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Association, ARATA, is a national peak body including AT users, AT practitioners from all allied health professions, AT suppliers, AT researchers, policymakers and others. ARATA supports and promotes best practice for rehabilitation and assistive technology provision in Australia by:

Serving as a peak body and national forum for rehabilitation and assistive technology stakeholders; Undertaking, supporting and promoting scientific, literary, professional and educational activities; and Promoting active participation of AT users in the community. This paper introduces you to members of ARATA’s Board and Community of Practice, and will update you on: - Current ARATA resources and projects - Membership profile and reflections from the 2016 Australian Assistive Technology Conference - Policies affecting AT provision in Australia

Come along, connect with your peers, and provide your perspective on AT today and into the future.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

ARATA made a written submission in support of the Millennium Goals and emphasising the key role of assistive technologies as a rehabilitation intervention. ARATA also championed the skills in collaborative, outcome-focussed practice and in researching and measuring complex interventions, which AT practitioner hold and can contribute to other aspects of rehabilitation practice in the context of the Rehabilitation 2030 Call to Action. Read ARATA’s statement to the Assembly here.

Emma Friesen's report back to the Board emphasised the global world in which we operate. The Summit included policymakers and funders, AT journal editors, lead AT academics and researchers, as well as AT users from across the globe. A range of technical and focus meetings adressed the specialist / CBR approaches to rehabilitation, the need for global leadership and how to implement a global rehabilitation agenda. These connections will inform ARATA's international and global contributions towards equity and access to AT.

29 January 2017

The January ARATA Board report includes updates on Member engagement opportunities; International News; the Board in action

Member engagement opportunities to progress ARATA’s strategic objectives

Thanks once again to the ARATEE’s who let us know they were willing to support our 2017-2018 work towards ARATA’s strategic objectives. Depending what you put your hands up for, you will be contacted shortly by the AATC Conference Co-convenors, or by our Education leads. ***Join us in Sydney or Brisbane! We are seeking ARATA members to co-present with us at the Brisbane and Sydney ATSA Expo’s (see ‘The Board in Action' update for more details)

The ARATA Board in Action: Come and join us as part of an ARATA panel at Sydney or Brisbane ATSA Expo’s. Members of the Board will be running sessions within the ATSA program at both ATSA Sydney (10 May from 1:15 – 2 pm) and ATSA Brisbane (24 May from 9:15 - 10:00 am).

SESSION ABSTRACT: The Australian Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Association, ARATA, is a national peak body including AT users, AT practitioners from all allied health professions, AT suppliers, AT researchers, policymakers and others. ARATA supports and promotes best practice for rehabilitation and assistive technology provision in Australia by: - Serving as a peak body and national forum for rehabilitation and assistive technology stakeholders; - Undertaking, supporting and promoting scientific, literary, professional and educational activities; and - Promoting active participation of AT users in the community.

This paper introduces you to members of ARATA’s Board and Community of Practice, and will update you on: - Current ARATA resources and projects - Membership profile and reflections from the 2016 Australian Assistive Technology Conference - Policies affecting AT provision in Australia

Come along, connect with your peers, and provide your perspective on AT today and into the future.

ARATA Board Planning Meeting 1-2 April in Melbourne: ARATA’s Board will hold their annual face to face strategic meeting in Melbourne. This will include a governance training session with Associations Forum. We welcome member contributions to our agenda and, if there is sufficient member interest, can make the Board available for a teleconferenced Q&A session during the meeting.

REHABILITATION 2030 SUMMMIT ARATA have been invited to WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, to attend the Rehabilitation 2030 Summit in February. We will be ably represented by past ARATA Board member Dr Emma Friesan. ARATA have been invited to make a statement at the Summit and will be involved in the two day program to progress the goals of accessible and equitable rehabilitation, including access to assistive technologies, by 2030. ARATA members can contribute by emailing your responses to the following Call to Action questions: - What are the three things international and nongovernmental organizations can do in a coordinated effort to raise awareness about rehabilitation among international and nongovernmental organizations? - What are the three things international and nongovernmental organizations can do in a coordinated effort to raise awareness among policy makers of the need for rehabilitation? - What are the three things international and nongovernmental organizations can do in a coordinated effort to raise awareness among civil society of the need for rehabilitation? - What are the three things international and nongovernmental organizations can do in a coordinated effort to raise awareness among the private sector of the need for rehabilitation?

Responses to president@arata.org.au by COB Friday 3 January

GLOBAL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION IN AT (GREAT) SUMMIT

ARATA member Natasha Layton is part of the organising committee for the inaugural GREAT Summit, 3-4 August in Geneva. Details below. The GREAT Summit will bring together 100 top global researchers, educators and innovators who are carrying out research or offering training programmes related to assistive technology policy, products, personnel, provision, and use.

The GREAT Summit is intended to be transformative through: 1. advancing the global priority research agenda 2. establishing thematic research collaborations in effects, costs and economic impact of assistive technology; assistive technology policies, systems, service delivery models and best practices; high-quality and affordable assistive technology; human resources for the assistive technology sector; standards and methodologies for the assessment of assistive technology needs and unmet needs. 3. identifying new research funding opportunities 4. accelerating innovative education and certification 5. working towards a common impact assessment tool and 6. show-casing groundbreaking research and education.

Selected proceedings from the Summit will be published in the journal of Disability & Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology. Those interested in attending should email Wendy Hamzai: hamzaiw@who.int

The ENTELIS Network – resources and commitments

ARATA members are reminded of the extensive resouces available at http://www.entelis.net/.The European Network for Technology Enhanced Learning in an Inclusive Society is also calling for commitments to enact change at local and systems levels. ARATA are considering our capacity to commit, and suggest our members do to!

20 December 2016

December's Board meeting highlights include announcement of our 2018 AATC Conference co-convenors; plans for 2017 Board governance training; and a constitution review.

AATC: ARATA are pleased to announce the co-convenors for the Australian Assistive Technology Conference will be Tracey Bode, Speech Pathologist and Principal with Zytec and Libby Callaway, Occupational Therapist and Researcher with Monash University. Planning has commenced and appointment of a PCO and announcement of Partnering organisations are pending. During our call for convenors, ARATA recieved many expressions of interest in the conference organising generally. This list of interested ARATEE's have been provided to our co-convenors, and another call will go out in the new year to finalise the organising committee.

Board Training and Constitution Review: ARATA's Board are spread across Australia, from Perth to Darwin and the East Coast. We meet face to face once per year for strategic planning, and this year are negotiating some formal Board training to improve our strategic approach. Aligned to this is a constitutional review to look at the potential for organisational membership. The Associations Forum specialise in supporting non-profits and have been engaged to assist ARATA.

27 November 2016

November's Board Meeting progressed our planning around potential grant applications to further ARATA’s strategic goals. The Self-Credentialling Directory is nearing completion of the alpha version, and members will hear more of this in early 2017. The Board are planning their next face-to-face strategic planning event early in 2017 which will include some governance training. It was pleasing to see action in the electronic assistive technology space on the listserv and in recent PD events, well supported by ARATA’s membership. ARATA members are reminded to utilise the community of practice which our listserv represents, and to connect with us regarding your PD needs.

30 October 2016

October's Presidents Report contains details of AATC POSITION STATEMENTS; International developments for WHO ICF and ISO 9999, and more

AATC POSITION STATEMENTS: The Board and I are pleased to share with you some deliverables from the AATC Conference. The 2016 Statement on AT Good Practice, and the 2016 AT Issues Statement, have been made available under the News tabs and Conference tabs. Based on a foundations document written by ARATA members Emily Steel, Desleigh de Jonge, Michelle Verdonck and myself and developed by over 200 AT stakeholders attending the AATC, these papers summarise a 'state of the science' for AT in Australia in 2016. It is hoped the Statement on AT Good Practice will be useful as a summary of key practice principles and supporting literature, while the accompanying Issues Paper points to future work to be done.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS: I had great pleasure this month in attending the WHO FIC meeting in Tokyo, discussing a review of the Products and Technology chapter of WHO International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (2001). This meeting coincided with the ISO 9999 meeting,which I attend as the Australian expert. This meeting saw the culmination of four years of review work with the publication of ISO9999: 2016.

Tokyo was also hosting its Home Care and Rehabilitation Exhibition, slightly larger than Australia's ATSA exhibition (!) and a bit of an eye opener in terms of the robotic technologies coming our way. It was a great pleasure to meet international colleagues from ARATA's sister organisation RESJA who had a stand at this event.

JOIN US AT 2017 ATSA EXPO: ATSA have Sydney and Brisbane Expo's coming up in 2017 and the Board and I hope that you, the ARATA membership, will join us in having a greater presence at these events (and perhaps a stand!). Abstracts have been submitted for both 10-11 May 2017 Sydney Olympic Park and for 24 May 2017 Royal International Convention Centre, Brisbane, and if accepted, members of the ARATA Board will be calling for ARATA members to join us on the podium to make these sessions vibrant and productive.

28 September 2016

The ARATA Board are working apace on a range of strategic goals including communications, a potential constitution review to improve our equity and our membership reach, finalising the AATC,including policy papers, and visioning for our next conference.

Connections during September occurred on a range of levels: internationally with fellow Presidents of the international AT Professionals Alliance, nationally with bodies such as ATCAN NSW, the Dept of Media and Communications at the University of Sydney, and with many individual AT users and AT practitioners at the recent Internaional Polio Conference in Sydney.

ARATA input on ICHI: I look forward to progressing AT related connections and discussions at the World Health Organisation Family of International Classifications in Tokyo in early October, and direct interested ARATA members to the latest work on naming the human factors or soft technologies of 'what we do' in AT interventions, as defined by the draft International Classification of Health Interventions. The most relevant sections to our work are under Activity and Participation, or under Environmental Factors: Products and Technology, when you search the online platform. I will be meeting the authors of this classification and welcome contact from ARATA members who have comments or improvements to offer.