The Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology (AAATE) is the major umbrella organisation of the AT sector in Europe. With national contact persons and more than 200 members (either institutes or individuals) in more than 25 countries, among which the major expertise centres in Europe, the organisation has a major role in the debate on AT and the inclusive society. AAATE is an organisation driven by its members, which means that the organisation in itself is very “light”.
The secretariat is housed with the Johannes Keppler University in Linz (Austria) and comprises part time administrative staff, as well as a part time project manager and communication officer. Every two years a member organisation organises the big scientific AAATE conference, and every other year another member organises the biannual AAATE workshop. The proceedings, as well as the journal Technology and Disability, are published by IOS press, a scientific publishing house. AAATE is a founding member of the Global Alliance of Assistive Technology Organizations (GAATO).
