Listservs

I would like to thank Jim for making tonights post easy for me. He asked I share which listservs I subscribe to so here goes.

• QIAT - The QIAT Consortium is a nationwide grassroots group that includes hundreds of individuals who provide input into the ongoing process of identifying, disseminating, and implementing a set of widely-applicable Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology Services in School Settings. This is a high action group - expect a high volume of e-mails. I do not recommend the digest however because it is hard to navigate. I prefer having a separate e-mail account to all of my listserv (and sped catalog related e-mails go to).
  
• Disability Policy Alliance - (Sign up through the ARC or UCP.) The DPA sends out periodic action alerts, based on your USA zip code, which let you know about important policy issues facing your local, state and federal legislators. The action alerts include a newsletter (Action Insider) which have great summaries of the issues at hand and links to help you take action on whatever level you are most comfortable.
• ATA -

  

  The Alliance for Technology Access does a great job describing itself in its name so I won't waste any time on that. At the time I joined the ATA was offering a free one year associate membership. I do not know if I will pay the $50 to re-join, there is light to moderate cross posting with the QIAT listserv and QIAT seems to be able to provide assisitive technology support just as well, if not better. However, the people on ATA are generally nicer, and as one of my co-workers likes to say, "Nice matters." (Rare personal note: I am actually a very thin skinned, sensitive person and nice tends to really matter to me.)
• MSN Adaptive and Assisitive Technology I actually only read the digests of this one, things are posted very, very infrequently, but their is the occasional gem.
• Council for Exceptional Children - I am on various CEC lists. Membership costs (really costs), but is worth it.