2016 NAF AAC Registration is Open!

General
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Dear Friends of NAF
The National Ataxia Foundation (NAF) Board of Directors and the National Ataxia Foundation Southeast Region United States Ataxia Leadership would like to welcome you to the 59th Annual Ataxia Conference (AAC). Please join us at the Caribe Royale Orlando to learn, share, network, have fun, and enjoy the sites. See you in Orlando!
Conference Registration
The conference registration is available online. The registration form will also be available in the Winter 2015-2016 issue of Generations. Please fill out the registration form completely, including your travel information, as we need all the information to finalize plans. The deadline for early registration is February 12, 2016. To receive the lowest registration rates, you must register by February 12. Registration at the door is not recommended.
Starting today you may register through the NAF website or by mail or phone. NAF members receive a discounted meeting registration rate so confirm your membership status before registering by checking the expiration date on the address label of your Winter 2015/2016 Generations newsletter or contacting NAF at joan@ataxia.org or (763) 553-0020. If you are not currently a member of NAF, you can join now and receive the lowest meeting registration rate. Thanks to the hard work of the conference planning committee and hosting groups NAF did not have to raise registration fees this year!
Before February 12
NAF Member $125
Non Member $180
After February 13 - March 25
NAF Member $150
Non Member $205
After March 25 - On Site Only
NAF Member $200
Non Member $255
No refunds of registration fees for cancellations received after March 14th. Registration at the door is not recommended.
Hotel Reservations
is pleased to provide the facilities for the
2016 NAF Annual Ataxia Conference (AAC)
The NAF special discounted group rate starts at $149 + tax. The $19.95 per night resort fee is waived for attendees booked inside the NAF room block. See theRoom Type Guide for additional details. Please note there is limited availability on discounted rate rooms. Reservations at group rate will be available untilFebruary 27, 2016.
ADA Room Reservations-Begins Nov. 4 at 12 Noon CST
ADA rooms will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis starting on November 4, 2015 at 12 Noon CST. To reserve an ADA room at the Caribe Royale you MUST contact the National Ataxia Foundation at (763) 553-0020 or Lori@ataxia.org.
If you need ADA equipment be sure to bring them with you or make arrangements to rent equipment locally. NAF is unable to provide ADA equipment however the hotel may have some extra equipment available. Please request any needed equipment when making your reservation.
Standard Room Reservations
Standard room reservations at the Caribe Royale can be madeonline.
For guests who prefer to phone in their reservations for a standard room you may call Hotel Reservations at 1-800-537-7737 and ask for the National Ataxia Foundation's group rate which is under the group name, "National Ataxia Foundation".
Support Our Conference Campaign
In order to help off-set the cost to hold this conference a website has been set up for those interested in participating to help raise funds. This is basically an e-mail writing campaign much like a letter writing campaign. You can e-mail the sample letter provided on the fundraising website to your family and friends telling them about how you or a loved one is affected by ATAXIA, provide information about the National Ataxia Foundation, and ask for their support for the 2016 Annual Ataxia Conference.
2016 Annual Ataxia ConferenceSchedule
You will receive the AAC Program with your registration materials at the conference which will include the most current conference schedule. Due to unforeseen circumstances the conference schedule may change. For that reason we encourage you to plan to attend the entire meeting to ensure that you will not miss a presentation.
NAF continues to strive to offer a high-quality, fun-filled AAC program to the ataxia community. To meet those objectives, NAF will continue to hold the General Sessions this year only in the mornings on Friday, Saturday and Sunday ending with a Q & A Panel, then breaking for lunch.
Also, for the 2016 AAC the Birds of a Feather Sessions (BOF) are again being held on both Friday (Group A) and Saturday (Group B). See the BOF FAQ for more information about these small group sessions. You will still only select one session to attend on either Friday or Saturday with an option to also attend the Family Planning Options session on Saturday from 2-5 p.m. which will be facilitated by a neurologist. Included in this session will be a presentation and discussion about Pre-implantation Genetic Determination (PGD) and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). The TV news show "60 Minutes" aired an episode on October 26, 2014 that included a piece on PGD. View the report on the "60 Minutes" website.
AAC Presentations
All PowerPoint slides from the 2016 AAC General Sessions will be posted on NAF's website shortly after the conclusion of the conference. To better serve the entire ataxia community, NAF began having the General Session Presentations audio synched by Digital Conference Providers at the 2010 Annual Membership Meeting. Recordings from previous meetings include the speakers' audio presentations synched with their PowerPoint slides. The recorded sessions from the 2012-2015 AMMs can be purchased at http://www.dcprovidersonline.com/naf/. A limited number of recorded presentations for each meeting are available for viewing at no cost. You are encouraged to take advantage of these sessions offered for free. A limited number of General Sessions will be released on NAF's YouTube Channelin the months following the 2016 conference.
A tradition of the conference is the Silent Auction. Again this year you will be able to view and bid on items on Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Take your time viewing the many items available and bid early. Winning bids will be posted at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Please remember that you must pick-up and pay for your items from 4-7 p.m. on Saturday only. Bring an item to donate and then have fun bidding on the items of your choice. Good luck! As you bid on silent auction items or purchase raffle tickets, please remember that all proceeds from those sales will be used to support the important work of the National Ataxia Foundation.
CONFERENCE VENUE
2016 AAC
QUICK LINKS
TRAVEL GRANT APPLICATIONS
KEY POINTS OF CONTACT
ADA Rooms, Speaking, or
Travel Grants
Lori Shogren
Exhibiting & Registration
Joan Jensen
Research Studies
Sue Hagen
Sponsorship
Opportunities
Michael Parent

Volunteer Opportunities
Dianne Williamson
PERSONAL CARE ATTENDANTS & CHILDCARE
NAF is unable to provide attendant care or child care services. Due to liabilities and health concerns, NAF and hotel employees are not able to provide these services. Please make arrangements for an attendant or childcare prior to the meeting if needed.
Firstlight Home Care(407) 434-0675
(407) 992-6670
WHEELCHAIR & SCOOTER RENTALS & REPAIR
(407) 363-7388
(407) 897-6839
800-726-8284
(407) 518-6000
888-SCOOTER
Scootaround Inc.
888-441-7575
FEATURED GENERAL SESSION SPEAKERS
Susan Perlman, MD
Hank Paulson, MD, PhD
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Thanks for the heads up, have a SUPPORT GROUP MEETING of the GREATER HOUSTON AREA on the 15th of this month - we should send a group to Orlando !

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Great info Alan, I hope to be there :-)xB