What Are Your New Year's Resolutions?

By Heather R. Maydak, ATP

What resolutions did you make for the new year?

With the new year comes a fresh start and new goals. Did you know that approximately forty-five percent of the population will set a New Year’s resolution? For those who favor resolutions, what’s your personal versus professional goal ratio? According to Forbes Health, on the top 2024 resolutions list, most people set personal health and wellness goals. When we look at professional objectives, only three topped the list:

• 9% set out to learn a new skill
• 7% aimed for a better work-life balance
• 3% sought to perform better at work

In 2026, Westminster Technologies aims to assist you in merging all three of these professional resolutions to promote the development of new skills in assistive technology (AT), ease work-related stress and to improve the equilibrium between work and personal life. And gaining new skills undeniably enhances professional performance.

Assessments, professional development, and CEUs—oh my!

In 2005, DeCoste, Reed, and Kaplan researched the main issues reported by assistive technology teams. No matter the size or makeup of the team, they all expressed similar issues.

You may have already guessed the primary concern—training.

Training was consistently identified as the key challenge encountered by AT teams, regardless of the district or organization’s size. Unfortunately, education organizations often do not provide ongoing professional development opportunities in assistive technology for special education staff. Along with required staff training and scheduling limitations, insufficient information on training resources might be a contributing factor.

Assessments

Assistive technology assessments are on the rise – trust us, we know all too well! We contract with several regional education agencies and districts, and this school year is well on its way to surpassing last year’s record number of requests.

Professional Development

In addition to third-party evaluations, we offer training for your staff to perform assessments and deliver excellent (AT) services. Given your existing team's expertise, training in the assessment process aids in capacity building.

Our RESNA ATP provides customized training opportunities to meet your team’s needs. Do you need CEUs for your team members? We can do that too.

Webinars

Are you struggling to keep up with the vast amount of available assistive technology? We will again offer monthly free webinars, the last Wednesday of each month from January through May, including CEUs. But it’s not always about the devices—how to implement and use them is the key to success, so keep an eye out for our Webinar Wednesday invites.