Coming Soon:

I recently attended the American Printing House for the Blind annual meeting in Louisville, KY, where I had the opportunity to visit with many friends in our field.  I was surprised to learn that there are many members who are not aware that AER will once again be purchasing the Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness (JVIB) from the American Foundation for the Blind as a member benefit beginning in January 2013.  Please check out our web site for detials.

Other News:

Another topic of discussion at this meeting was the Unified English Braille Code (UEBC). In our July board meeting your AER board voted to support this effort.  As the president of the board I can tell you that this was a topic of considerable interest to your board representatives and not a decision taken lightly.  Our BANA representative did a great job of researching the topic and presenting all of the variables.  While I can't speak for the other 16 board members, I can share with you what influenced my vote.  When addressing issues such as this I often think of one of our former national presidents John F. Kennedy.  He said, "Those who look to the past or present will never see the future."  I understand that "some" of our members do not see the value in this move to unified code, however if we are leaders in the field, it's time we look to the future.  In early November the BANA board will meet and hopefully make their decision about our future for braille.

In our September board meeting your AER board voted to form a task force on the issue of Medicare Reimbursement (third party) and licensure.  It appears that this is a topic of great interest from the exchange of comments on our list serve.  I am pleased to report that your executive director, Lou Tutt, our legislative committee and I will be meeting soon to discuss this topic and begin to form some structure for this task force.  As I stated in my acceptance remarks in July your "ideas" are a major asset for our organization.  Please keep expressing your ideas regarding this subject on the list serve and to your chapter and division leadership.  I look forward to sharing this group's progress in the coming months.

Sincerely,

Jim Adams

AER Board President, 2012-2014

Phil Hatlen and Pete Wurzburger are to be inducted into the Hall of Fame for Leaders and Legends of the Blindness Field on Friday, October 12, 2012. The Hall of Fame for the Blindness Field is housed at the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) in Louisville, Kentucky. The Hall, which belongs to the entire field of blindness, is dedicated to preserving the tradition of excellence manifested by specific individuals through the history of outstanding services provided to people who are blind or visually impaired in North America.

For more information about the induction of Phil Hatlen and Pete Wurzburger, visit the website at http://www.aph.org/hall_fame/index.html

July 7, 2009--Congratulations to Susan Harrell of the AER Alabama Chapter on winning the $1,000 grand prize for the association’s 20 for 20 Chapter-Get-A-Member Campaign. Harrell, a vocational rehabilitation counselor for the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services and president-elect of the Alabama Chapter, successfully recruited 11 new members during the year-long effort.

John Kelly, AER Board President, drew Harrell’s name from more than 200 qualifying recruiters and new members. Kelly said the program resulted in 107 new members for AER between May 2008 and April 2009. A total of 95 recruiters in 26 chapters participated in the first-ever campaign.

With 20 new members, the Arkansas Chapter narrowly beat out the Alabama Chapter’s 19 for the highest number of recruits. Penn-Del was third with 10 new members.

The Arkansas Chapter’s new member total translated into 20% growth for the chapter which meant that one of the recruiters was eligible for a free one-year AER membership. Congratulations to Ramona Sangalli of Little Rock whose name was drawn as the lucky winner. Each chapter will receive a $20 bounty from AER for each of the 107 new members.

Kelly expressed his gratitude on behalf of the board of directors to all those who participated in the program.

AER is committed to serving our members and affiliated chapters and divisions through effective strategic planning conducted at all levels within the organization. AER's Strategic Plan guides the association into the future and is periodically updated to ensure we are meeting the members' and association's needs. 

In need of additional CEUs?  Then you've come to the right place!  You can earn continuing education credits for your ACVREP certification on-line by participating in one of AER's CE programs from your office, home, or favorite Wi-Fi hot spot!