5.1. Am I eligible to apply for certification?
Practitioners who have been working in the field of AT for less than 3 years or those who have been practicing for three or more years but only engage with AT as a smaller part of their role can apply for Certified Associate Member status.
Established Practitioners who have been working within the field of AT for three or more years and engage with AT as a core aspect of their role can apply for Certified Member status.
Established Practitioners who have been working within the field of AT for three or more years, engage with AT as a core aspect of their role and have AT related management, leadership or strategic responsibilities can apply for Certified Senior Member status.
We are positioning certified senior members of PAAT as exceptional practitioners who are widely recognised as a role models to others in the AT field. With this in mind, we anticipate that our membership cohort will reflect a ‘bell-shaped’ curve. In other words, the majority of accepted members are likely to be ‘certified members’, and relatively fewer are likely to be ‘certified senior members’ or ‘certified associate members’.
Assistive Technologists work in a variety of roles and contexts and job titles will vary to reflect this diversity. It is therefore not essential that applicants have the phrase ‘ Assistive Technologist’ contained within their job title. The focus of the role is more important than the specific job title.
5.2 Will PAAT accredit any prior learning or qualifications that I have?
PAAT will not formally accredit any prior learning or prior qualifications that you have. Instead, you are invited, through your online application and supporting evidence, to show how your prior learning or qualifications map onto the core principles, core competencies, AT Specialist Skills and AT Leadership skills.
5.3 How many examples do I need to include in my application?
Overall, across the whole of your application we are expecting to see a variety of examples that show the breadth of your evidence. Having said this, there is no set number of examples you should provide for each value or competence. Although you can include more than one relevant example for each value or competence, a key consideration is how your evidence demonstrates you have met the requirements of that value or competence. One example may be sufficient to evidence how you meet the value or competence in your practice.
5.4 How recent does my evidence need to be?
The majority of your evidence should be recent, within three years. However, you may include a project or activity that commenced more than three years ago, detailing its development over time. This approach could provide valuable context, allow for reflection, and demonstrate how your practice has evolved.
For those applying for senior membership we recognise that you may be in management roles where you have not had direct contact with AT Users for three years or more. In these circumstances it is acceptable to give a brief overview of how you worked with AT Users prior to taking on your management roles and then detail how this experience has informed the processes and procedures that you have put in place as a manager to support the AT User and/or the staff you lead or manage.
5.5 Can I include supporting evidence?
There is a section of the online application process that allows you to provide supporting items that corroborate your claims to meet any or all of the core principles, core competencies, AT Specialist Skills or Leadership skills (see pages 10 to 12) of this handbook for further details). For each supporting item of evidence you need to upload a digital copy ( e.g. JPG, MP4, PDF, word or PowerPoint file).
5.6 Should I support my application with citations and references from research or practice literature?
Although citations to academic or practice literature may help you to evidence how you meet the core principles and competencies (e.g., evidence-based practice; Specialist Skill relating to AT research), they are not a requirement for your application. If you would like to include citations, you should use an appropriate author-date referencing system (such as APA, Chicago, or Harvard) to cite where you have drawn on material in your application. Please note that references may be academic texts, but they could also be other materials, such as podcasts, magazines, or conference talks.
5.7 Can I use Generative AI to write my application?
The use of Generative AI technologies to create substantive content for your application is not appropriate. However, such technology may be utilised to improve the clarity, spelling, and grammar of your text. It is essential that your application reflects your professional practice and is created and written in your own words.
5.8 Is there a word limit for the application?
There are word limits for each section of the application form, some of these will be different depending on what type of membership you are applying for (see the Preparing Your Application section for more details).
5.9 Is there an alternative to completing the online form?
Alternative assessment methods such as viva may be requested by those with particular access needs. Applicants must email: membership@pa-at.org to make such a request.
5.10 How many hours will my application take?
There is no set amount of time you should work on your application. You may wish to factor in time for approaching people who might be willing to provide a professional testimonial for you. Our advice would be to take your time to carefully draft and collate your evidence. The PAAT assessment process has been designed to be fair and rigorous. It has not been designed to be quick to complete.
5.11 What recognition will I receive if my application is successful?
Once your application has been successful you will receive a certificate. Your profile can be added to a list of other Certified Associate, Members or Senior Members on the PAAT website. You will also be encouraged to use ‘Certified Associate/Member or Senior Member of PAAT’ in your email signature and similar communications to recognise your professional status.
5.12 How many times can I resubmit my application?
Should a submission not meet the evidence required, each potential member will be permitted one re-submission at the next assessment date, without further charge.
5.13 How long can I wait to apply for the next membership level?
Applicants may apply to join PAAT at whatever level they feel is commensurate with the evidence they can provide. It is possible for an applicant to apply in the first instance for associate member status and then as they gain more experience, to re-apply for member status. Similarly for those who apply in the first instance for membership status, it is possible for them to re-apply in the future for senior member status. Given the amount of additional evidence that is required for each progression, our advice would normally be to wait at least a year.
There may be occasions where the assessment panel reviews an application and considers that the applicant is under-selling themselves and has the potential to apply for the next membership level. In such cases, they may recommend that the applicant considers applying for the next membership level in less than 12 months.
5.14 Do I need to revalidate my certification status once successful?
The term of certification is valid for one year from the date of approval of your application. Each year, on the anniversary of your accreditation you must pay an annual membership fee. In addition you are required to keep a record of the CPD you have undertaken in the past 12 months. PAAT will conduct random audits where some members are then required to provide evidence of this CPD.
5.15 What are the terms and conditions of membership?
The terms and conditions of PAAT membership are:
- Membership subscriptions to the Professional Association of Assistive Technologists (PAAT) shall be payable annually and must be paid in full by the renewal date for membership to remain current.
- Members may refer to themselves as a member of PAAT and use the category to which they have been accepted into membership only after their application has been approved and after subscription or renewal is paid. These categories shall be referred to as one of:
- Associate Member of the Professional Association of Assistive Technologists
- Member of the Professional Association of Assistive Technologists
- Senior Member of the Professional Association of Assistive Technologists
- Members are required to maintain conduct that upholds the reputation of PAAT and its accreditation scheme, avoiding actions that may harm PAAT or its members.
- Payment of the annual membership subscription shall constitute the member's confirmation that the membership category recorded for them, whether Associate, Member, or Senior Member, is correct.
- By paying the annual membership subscription, the member affirms their agreement to comply with the professional standards as outlined in the PAAT Core Principles.
- By paying the annual membership subscription, the member confirms that they will maintain an annual record of their continuing professional development and professional practice. This record may be requested by PAAT for inspection as part of a monitoring process.
- By paying the annual membership subscription, the member confirms that they will notify PAAT promptly of any change in circumstances that results in them no longer practising in the field of Assistive Technology.
- Infringement of these terms and conditions may result in removal of membership with no reimbursement of subscription.
Directors retain the right to update the terms and conditions of membership including content contained within this handbook to ensure it remains current, relevant and meets the needs of members and prospective members. Members will be informed of any changes which affect them during their current membership period.
5.16 Will I have to pay to submit a membership application?
Yes, you will have to pay. Payment is split into two portions: an application processing fee and a membership fee. You will be required to pay the application fee when you submit your application. If your membership application is successful, you will be charged an additional membership fee.
5.17 What do I do if I have technical difficulties with the online application form?
The online application process offers opportunities to regularly save your application and we would advise you to do this to reduce the chance of losing information you have inputted. At the end of the online application process you will be offered the opportunity to check and preview your whole application prior to clicking the submission button.
If you should face technical difficulties with the online application form it may be worth checking if these difficulties persist if you change web browsers. If you are using an organisational device/network to submit your application it may also be helpful to check if their firewall protocols are preventing access to the form. If all else fails, please contact PAAT at membership@pa-at.org and we will endeavour to identify a solution for you.