WRA Newsletter Archive
 WRA
Newsletter, Fall 2008 |
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A Busy Slate of Events in 2008!
Assistive Technology Expo! It’s that time of year again. The 2008 AT Expo will be held on Thursday October 2nd from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Engineering Centers Building on Engineering Drive (near Camp Randall). Admission is free. See the latest in rehab robotics, voice recognition systems, innovative design, adaptive sports equipment and more. New this year is a computer technologies showcase that will feature hands-on exhibits of the latest in assistive computer technology. There will be a Keynote speaker at 12:00 P.M. Free wheelchair maintenance training will be featured at this Expo. Two sessions will be presented from 10-12, and from 1-3 p.m. This is a hands-on experience where you will learn what tools you need and how to use them, parts of the wheelchair and how to maintain them, and when to call for a repair. This event is sponsored by the Assistive Technology Resource Center, and co-sponsored by the Wisconsin Rehab Association, UW-Madison, DVR, UW-CREATe, Pathways to Independence and the UW Madison College of Engineering. |
 Be sure to visit the computer technologies showcase at the 2008 Assistive Technology Expo Inside this issue: |
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Legislative Affairs Day for the Youth Leadership Forum |
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 On June 24th, 30 members of the Youth Leadership Forum attended a “Legislative Affairs Day” sponsored by WRA and the Governor’s Committee for People with Disabilities. This is a unique event that allows the participants to understand the legislative process, meet with their legislators, tour the capitol and experience State Street. Cindy Cain, WRA Vice President, kicked off the day and welcomed keynote speaker Senator Mark Miller. Mike Bachhuber educated the delegates on disability legislation, and Alicia Boehme spoke about voting rights and the importance of voting. We were surprised to hear how many times just one vote made a difference! After the presentations, delegates had lunch with their mentors. The “mentors” were WRA members and other volunteers who provided support to the delegates as they saw their State representatives at the capitol, and helped them put together questions to ask. The delegates shared a bond with the mentors, and educated the mentors in turn about their perspective on legislation. This was a great experience for the delegates, staff and mentors! If you have not been a mentor before, look for next year’s “Legislative Affairs Day” , and sign up! |
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Get Out The Vote!! Tune out the commercials, and tune in websites that will help you be an informed voter on disability related issues. For more information on accessibility issues, election dates and local candidate opinions, go to the Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition website, a non-partisan initiative to increase voter turnout, at www.disabilityvote.org. For national issues, check out the American Association for People with Disabilities site at www.aapd-dc.org/ and click on their “2008 Presidential Action Center”. And, most importantly, encourage everyone to vote! |
Member Profile: |
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 Tim has managed the WRA website for over 6 years, and is currently the WRA legislative co-chair. He has also created a website for a home health agency, and has his own website, DisabilityVoiceSpace.org. Check it out! The goals of the website are to provide a forum for people with disabilities, education on disability issues, and useful online resources. Tim is looking for additional articles for the website, and even gives away an advocacy web page for people with disabilities. Tim has been interviewed by local newspapers, TV and radio stations regarding the “Freedom to Marry” bill (LB-0859) sponsored by Rep. Steve Wiechert. The bill is design to allow handicapped people who are on Medicaid to avoid counting the assets of their spouse toward the total assets when figuring out the Medicaid threshold. The bill basically gets rid of the marriage penalty for disabled and blind people on Medicaid. Rep. Wieckert felt the bill would pass, but it has been in committee, and will have to wait for the next session. You can help move this bill along by contacting your State senator and assemblyman, and asking them to support the “Freedom to Marry bill” LB-0859. Given Tim’s active advocacy for this bill, there has been consideration to naming it after him. Tim lives in the Appleton area, is 36 years old, and obtained a BA degree in Math and Computer Science from Lawrence University in 1999. Before that, he obtained a 2 year associate degree in computer programming from the UW-Menasha Center in 1995. Tim has overcome the effects of Duchene Muscular Dystrophy through hard work and with multiple technological adaptations. He needed a regular wheelchair at age 8, a power chair at age 12, and help from a ventilator at 18. He currently uses a chin control device to move his wheelchair around, and Vista voice activation for his computer. He is now investigating “eye response” technologies to gain better control of his computer. If you would like to contact Tim, you can reach him at tcarey@athenet.net, or log on to his website and join in on a forum discussion. |
A Free Membership! |
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The National Association of Professionals in Private Rehabilitation (NASPPR) is offering a free division membership to current NRA members. (limit 10) And, current NASPPR members can earn a free one year renewal by recruiting a fellow NRA member. For more details contact Tom Davis, membership chair, at |
| WRA Newsletter c/o Jim Hill VECS 876 Jean Circle Oregon, Wi. |
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Calendar of Events |
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Assistive Technology Expo October 2, 2008 The Sixth Annual Conference on Brain Injury October 2- 4, 2008 UW Stout Biannual Training Conference October 16, 17, 2008 2008 WARPPS Fall Seminar November 7, 2008 2008 National Rehabilitation Association Annual Training Conference October 23-26, 2008 Did we forget anything?? If so, contact the WRA newsletter editor,
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WRA Newsletter, Fall 2008 |
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