Briefly...

• By Laurie Watanabe
• May 31, 2023

CRT Awareness Week Scheduled for August

With the summer now underway, it’s time to mark your calendars for CRT Awareness Week, Aug. 14-18. This is the week in which all Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) stakeholders — consumers, caregivers, clinicians, providers, manufacturers, organizations, policy/funding specialists, technicians, researchers, advocates — are called upon to share their experiences and why access to CRT is crucial to the best outcomes.

Watch for further bulletins from organizations that have supported, sponsored, and participated in Awareness Week in the past, including NCART, NRRTS, and the Clinician Task Force.

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Virtual Congressional Fly-In to Take Place in September

And while you’ve got your calendar out, also set aside Wed., Sept. 13, as the date of the 2023 Virtual CRT Congressional Fly-In, co-sponsored and organized by NCART and NRRTS.

The virtual set-up — in which advocates can meet with Senators, Representatives, and their staffers via videoconference without traveling to Washington, D.C. — is designed to make participation as convenient and efficient as possible. Look for additional details from NCART and NRRTS throughout the summer.

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Around the World with Sophie Morgan

Conde Nast Traveller has launched Beyond Barriers, a monthly column on accessible travel, written by Sophie Morgan. The inaugural column, published May 18, explained the series will cover “the latest news, hotels, restaurants, destinations and tech, helping disabled travelers feel safe, secure, and inspired to travel the world.”

Morgan was 18 when she sustained a spinal cord injury in a car accident. In her first story, Morgan said, “’I want to go to some extraordinary places, meet some extraordinary people and do some extraordinary things,’ I wrote from my hospital bed the day I was discharged. But let’s be honest: As a freshly injured paraplegic woman, I would face barriers as complex and nuanced as my impairment itself.’“

A world traveler who’s worked for the BBC, Morgan said her new platform will also feature voices and stories of other travelers with disabilities. “Here, we will celebrate allies and leaders in the travel industry who know that accessibility is not the end goal,” Morgan wrote. “Inclusion is.”