The IAAPOC is an organization which fosters information exchange, networking, and camaraderie among practitioner and technicians of African descent. The IAAPOC began in 1990 when a group of African-American practitioners attending a national meeting realized that there was not significant African-American participation at the meeting. From this informal gathering emerged a formal group which we named the International African-American Prosthetic-Orthotic Coalition.Membership in the IAAPOC provides an opportunity to network with professional, national and international. Many of our members are business owners, and others are in upper management positions in public and private practices. As a member, you will be able to keep abreast of current professional and business issues, lecture at a national meetings, participate in professional leadership positions, receive reduced meeting fees, and help to foster and promote the certification of and the needs of African-Americans outside the field and assist professionals within the field of prosthetics and orthotics to maintain professionalism for patient management.