AER Conference

New for the 2008 International Conference, all division day activities are included in the registration fee!

Division day is taking place on Wednesday, July 23rd.

Here are some of the exciting educational sessions being held by AER's Divisions:

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Low Vision Division:

Sharing Strengths in Low Vision Service: A Discussion on the Continuum of Care

8:30 AM to 4:00 PM

This Division Day will provide perspectives on the continuum of care for individuals who have low vision. Lori Grover will moderate the proceeding. The first phase of the program will cover individual perspectives from all presenters. Then, Lori Grover will present available results from her NIH grant that examines the continuum of care. Finally, the presenters will meet as a panel to answer questions from the audience to encourage discussion and dialog about the challenging and changing landscape of low vision care.

Registration and Sign in is from 8:30 to 9:00 am. Lunch will NOT be provided. LUNCH ON YOUR OWN is from 11:30 to 1:00 pm.

Panelists

Medical Perspective:

Lylas Mogk, MD, Medical Director, Henry Ford Health System, Visual Rehabilitation & Research Centers of Michigan

Optometric Perspective:

R. Tracey Williams, Executive Director, Deicke Center for Visual Rehabilitation of Illinois

Occupational Therapy Perspective:

Elizabeth Barstow MS, OTR/L, SCLV, Assistant Professor, The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Vision Rehabilitation Perspective:

B. J. LeJeune, M.Ed., CRC, CVRT, Director of Deafblind Programs, Rehabilitation Research & Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision, Mississippi State University

Low Vision Therapy Perspective:

Erika Andersen, M.Ed, CLVT, Veterans Administration, Houston, TX

Orientation & Mobility Perspective:

Laura Park-Leach, M.Ed, COMS, VP, Personal Adjustment & Rehabilitation, Metrolina Association for the Blind, Charlotte, NC

Teacher of Students with VI Perspective:

Kelly Evans Lusk, Ph.D., Lecturer and Coordinator, Program in Visual Disabilities, Department of Special Education, Peabody College of Vanderbilt Univ.

Moderator:

Lori L. Grover, OD, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Wilmer Eye Institute, Lions Vision Research and Rehabilitation Center

Multiple Division Presentation: Multiple Disabilities, Infants and Preschool, Education Cirriculum, and Itinerant Personnel

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

8:00 am - 4:30 pm

Experience the Expanded Core Curriculum

The Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) of the National Agenda for the Education of Children and Youths with Visual Impairments, Including Those with Multiple Disabilities is seen by many school districts and agencies as a key area for building effective teaching practices for children birth to 21 years of age who are blind or visually impaired. The ECC Goal Eight is designed to go beyond the core components of math, reading, writing, and science to address essential areas and experiences unique to a visually impaired person (Pugh & Erin, 1999). Important to the ECC are the implications for the full ranges of age range, from birth through young adulthood; and abilities, including students who are deaf-blind and those with significant additional disabilities.

American Foundation for the Blind's (AFB) national focus is on expanding opportunities for people who are blind or visually impaired. To that end, AFB’s Professional Development Department initiated a new collaborative effort with key national organizations and content experts to be part of the ECC solution. The goal of this initiative is to enhance the materials and tools available to instructional personnel and families and thereby improve the quality of programming for students who are blind or visually impaired.

The AER Divisions for the Deaf-blind and Multihandicapped, Infants and Preschool, Education Curriculum, and Itinerant Personnel are pleased to be working collaboratively with AFB in creating a division day program on implementing the ECC for all students. By doing this, we ensure that children and young adults at all levels of need and ability have access to the ECC throughout their education.

Our tentative agenda on July 23, 2008 includes:

Overview of the law and the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC)
Implementation of ECC in early intervention and school-age learners
Effective instructional practices for students with multiple disabilities
University competencies
Empowering families
Implementing ECC across the continuum of services

The four instructional divisions are very excited to offer this joint division day to our membership and are looking forward to a lively discussion. Please join us for our Division Day on Wednesday July 23, 2008 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. .

Information & Technology Division

The theme of the day’s activities will be Math and Technology Solutions for VI Students/Teachers. The day’s line up will feature the following four speakers and presentations:

9:00 - 10:30 - Accessing Artificial Intelligence Tutoring Software for Students Who are Blind or Visually Impaired

Dr. Benny Johnson, President/CEO of Quantum Simulations and Mr. Jeff Dittel, President, Britlan, Ltd, will be presenting on his accessible online tutors for Math and Science. Accessed over the Internet, the Quantum Tutors allow students of all ages to receive one-on-one tutoring when an instructor isn't available to help or answer questions. Just like working with a human tutor, students can ask questions, view next steps and request hints related to their own problems. Because of the “Enter Own Problem” feature, the software is compatible with any curriculum and requires no change to existing lesson plans, textbooks or homework assignments used by instructors. This session will feature time for hands-on experience with the tutors. Participants will need to provide their own laptop for hands-on participation. Internet service will be provided by the Division.

10:30 - 11:30 - Mr. Al Lovati, Assistive Technology Coordinator at the Indiana School for the Blind, will be presenting on “More Tools for the Tool Box.” This presentation will feature a demonstrate of the program he developed, BRL Numbers, that automatically creates Nemeth drill sheets for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and basic algebra. Nemeth worksheets can be created by computer, from Internet sites that generate free mathematical drill sheets or by simply entering problems from a math book. Mr. Lovati will share this program with all participants for free. A second feature of his presentation will be his sharing of knowledge of alternative freeware and low cost software solutions and practical techniques designed to provide students with more tools for that ever expanding tool box. Topics will include screen magnification, speech, Internet options and text and audio manipulation of text and eBook files.

Lunch – 11:30 – 1:00

1:00 - 2:00 - Using the mPower to Learn to Read and Write Braille Mathematics

Dr. Gaylen Kapperman and Jodi Sticken, Northern Illinois University DeKalb, Illinois, in collaboration with the HumanWare Group, have developed an interactive software tutorial for use by students who are blind to learn to read and write the Braille code of mathematics. Teachers can also use the program to refresh their knowledge and skill in the use of the Nemeth code. The presenters will lead the attendees through a hands-on experience with the program in addition to describing how the software functions and suggesting how it can be incorporated into a student's educational program. BrailleNotes will be provided for this hands-on experience.

2:00 – 3:00 - Mr. Ed Vitu of E.M. Vitu, Inc. will be presenting on the Henter math software, Virtual Pencil Mathematics and Virtual Pencil Algebra. The traditional pencil is a problem for people who are blind, or people who can't grip it or move it, or those who are learning disabled. A pencil plays a key part in learning Math, and other equation-solving disciplines. These software programs can be used to teach mathematics to people who are Pencil Impaired. This software acts as a virtual pencil, a tool that can be used to interactively solve a math problem. The software does the job of the pencil. It moves to the right spot on the paper, guided by the user, and inputs the answers that the user selects. It can edit numbers and variables, insert fractions or square roots or other structures, and copy whole equations or expressions. When used with a screen reader the numbers and actions are read out loud. The user must navigate the screen and provide the input.

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Administration Division

8:30 am - 4:45 pm

8:30 am - 9:30 am - ACVREP: Current Updates and Everything you Wanted to Know about AVCREP, Jessica Trevino, ACVREP Staff

9:30 am - 9:45 am - Coffee Break

9:45 am - 11:45 am - Results Based Accountability: A Process to Identify Priorities for Action, Nancy Toelle

11:45 am - 1:00 pm - Lunch on your Own

1:00 pm - 3:30 pm - Present Like a Pro: No More Nerves When You Present to 1 or 100, Kevin O'Conner, Author, CSP

3:30 pm - 3:45 pm - Coffee Break

3:45 pm - 4:45 pm - Division on Administration Business Meeting

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Psychosocial Division, Vision Rehabilitation Therapists Division and Division on Aging Combined Session

8:30-9:15 Recruitment issues.

Mary Beth Harrison, CVRT

Chair of Vision Rehabilitation Therapy Division

Update from the AER Recruitment Committee.

9:30-11:45 The Impact of Vision Loss on the Family

Panel discussion coming at this topic from a variety of different angles. Panel made up of a parent, spouse, adult child, and sibling of an individual who is visually impaired. Our Panel will not only encompass this spectrum of relationships, it will also offer perspectives from various ages ranging from that of young adult to an individual who is elderly.

Noon-1:00: Lunch will be available for purchase

Lunch is on your own. Table space in our meeting room will be available for folks to sit at once they’ve gotten their lunch, if they want to bring it back to the meeting room. There are a number of lunch options near the conference hotel, including a sandwich cart located in the hotel lobby area.

1:15-2:45: Accessible Prescription Medication Labeling

Guidelines for Prescription Labels and Consumer Medication Information for Persons with Vision Loss.

Janice L. Feinberg, PharmD, JD

Medication management assessment and intervention.

Debra Sokol-McKay, CVRT

This session is a combination of presentation and discussion. The first portion is a presentation of guidelines developed for recommended use by pharmacists. The second portion is more discussion oriented related to techniques and strategies attendees currently use for labeling prescription medications with clients. A written survey of participant’s adaptive techniques may also be an option for those who are interested.

2:50-4:00 VRT Best Practices.

Susan Ponchillia, Ed. D., CVRT

Amy Freeland, CVRT

This session is a discussion around potential research of the presenters in the writing of VRT “Best Practices.” The presenters will also use this session to get input from currently practicing CVRT’s on what should be included in our professional Best Practices.

4:10-6:00 VRT Business Meeting and award presentations.

*9:45-10:45 a.m. & 2:45-3:45 p.m. coffee breaks in common area provided by AER

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Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling and Employment Services Division

8:45-9:00 AM Registration and Welcome

Neva Fairchild, Division Chair

9:00-10:00 AM “The Dynamics of placing people who have a visual impairments into jobs is like no other type of job placement work”

Greg Polman, Director, Services for Independent Living/community and Public Affairs, Chicago Lighthouse for People who are Blind or Visually Impaired

Dan Helping, author and former program manager of job Placement, Chicago Lighthouse for People who are Blind or Visually Impaired

This presentation will center on the pre-and post-employment activities that lead to obtaining and retention of employment for persons with visual impairments. It will deal wwith job search pitfalls and how the issue of disclosure complicates the employment application process.

10:00-10:15 AM Break

10:15-11:15 AM "Current Status and Future Challenges of the Randolph-Shepherd Program"

Joseph P. Helms, Assistant Commissioner Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services, President AER Alabama Chapter.

This presentation will examine the current and future environment of the RSA Randolph-Shepherd blind vending program.

11:15-11:30 AM Break

11:30-12:30 PM “Compassion Fatigue: Recognition, Intervention, and Prevention for Employment and rehabilitation counseling service providers in blindness and low vision", Jennipher Wiebold, Ph.D., CRC, RCT Program Coordinator, Associate Professor, Western Michigan University, Department of Blindness and Low Vision Studies, Department of Counselor Education & Counseling Psychology

Are you feeling that despite working overtime, evenings, and weekends to accommodate employers, the consumers you placed are not maintaining employment? Are employers shutting the door on possibilities before you can make contact, so you don’t even want to try? Have you or a colleague experienced high rates of no call/no show appointments that build resentment toward all consumers? Are you consumed with consumer issues, emotions, and hardships? Does “feeling their pain” interfere with your personal life or sleep schedule?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, or would like to learn more about compassion fatigue to support your colleagues who are experiencing the challenges above, then please join us for a presentation/discussion about the recognition, intervention and prevention of compassion fatigue. Small and large group activities will utilize case study analysis and good old fashioned brainstorming to increase your understanding of compassion fatigue for yourself and your colleagues.

12:30-2:00 PM Lunch on your own

2:00-4:00 PM Mississippi State RRTC Focus Group

This session is the meeting of the individuals who registered to participate in the transition focus group.

Other Division Activies

Psychosocial Division (Division 4)

Wednesday, July 23

9:15 pm - 9:30 pm, Chicago Ballroom F

Awards Ceremony for Billy Brookshire – Join the Psychosocial Services Division as they pay tribute to Billy Brookshire. Billy is being awarded the Robert M. Lambert, Ph. D. Memorial Award.

The Robert M. Lambert, Ph.D. Award is given in memory of Dr. Lambert who was a psychologist who conducted ground-breaking research about sight, perception and adaptation to vision loss. He died in 1990, and his widow, Irene Lambert, founded the award in Bob's memory.

Join us to say congratuations to Billy!

Friday, July 25

Join the Psychosocial Division (Division 4) on Friday morning 7:15 am to 8:00 am to socialize, discuss work-related concerns, and brainstorm how to problem solve challenges. Pick up your breakfast in the Exhibit Hall and then follow the signs to where we will be meeting (there will be signage). Hope to see you there. Everyone is welcome!

Itinerrant Division (Div 16)