ATP certification interest grows as RESNA streamlines support

WASHINGTON – RESNA’s monthly “Certification Pop-Ups” are a big reason the organization is seeing a 4% increase in the number of assistive technology professionals (ATPs) this year compared to last year, says Andrea Van Hook. 

The free pop-ups, which take place on Zoom, are an opportunity for RESNA staff to discuss the ATP certification’s value, outline program requirements and walk through an example of a completed application. For prospective ATPs, it’s an opportunity to ask questions like, “What qualifies as AT direct service work experience?” 

“The pop-ups have been incredibly popular,” said Andrea Van Hook, executive director of RESNA. “It has really fueled applications for the ATP exam. That’s huge for us.” 

RESNA is on pace to host more than 300 prospective ATPs through pop-ups this year, Van Hook says. It has pop-ups scheduled for Nov. 20 and Dec. 18 and will continue them in 2026, she says. 

A creative solution to overwhelming demand 

RESNA launched the pop-ups last year “out of sheer desperation,” Van Hook says. The organization’s small staff couldn’t handle the volume of calls and emails it received with questions about the ATP certification, she said. 

“It was a good problem to have,” she said. 

This year, the pop-ups even have a sponsor: The Ohio State University. The school is leveraging the pop-ups to promote its Assistive and Rehabilitative Technology Certificate, which prepares students to apply and become ATPs. 

Navigating a complex certification path 

Van Hook says the volume of questions around the ATP certification speaks to what can be a complex path.  

“Eligibility is not a straight line,” she said. “As Julie Piriano (senior director of payer relations and regulatory affairs for NCART) likes to say, it’s a three-legged stool. It’s experience, it’s training and it’s education or your degree. It always confuses people trying to figure out if they have enough.” 

ATP numbers defy industry projections 

RESNA currently has 4,725 ATPs, up from 4,224 five years ago. The fact that RESNA is even maintaining, never mind growing, the pool of ATPs is an accomplishment in and of itself, Van Hook says. 

“The industry has been expecting the number of ATPs to fall off a cliff as the Baby Boomers retire,” she said. “So, I think that’s really good news.” 

Demand for ATPs continues to outpace supply 

Having said that, the industry can support many more ATPs, given the number of projected wheelchair users alone, Van Hook says. As of February 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation reported that an estimated 5.5 million to 6 million Americans relied on wheelchairs for mobility. 

“That’s not even taking into account how much higher the number of wheelchair users would be if all people with disabilities had access to available services, technology and equipment,” she said.