Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired AER Report Vol. 24, No. 3 Fall 2007 Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired 2006-2008 AER Board of Directors: Sandra Ruconich, President Vacant, President-elect Virginia Backscheider, Treasurer Marie Amerson, Secretary Gregory Goodrich, Immediate Past President Jane Parsard, Canadian Rep Michelle Clyne, Council of Chapter Presidents Rep Patricia Leader, District 1 Rep Olivia Chavez, District 2 Rep Jennifer Ottowitz, District 3 Rep Cammy Holway-Moraros, District 4 Rep Sandra Lewis, District 5 Rep Jay Stiteley, District 6 Rep Anthony Candela, CDC and Adult Services Divisions Rep Wendy Sapp, Related Services Divisions Rep Doug McJannet, Instructional Services Divisions Rep Nora Griffin-Shirley, Large Divisions Rep Jim Gandorf, CAE, Executive Director AER Report is a forum for the discussion of diverse points of view. Opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of AER. AER does not review or evaluate the publications or products advertised in this newsletter and their inclusion does not necessarily constitute an endorsement thereof. AER Report is published quarterly as a membership service (next ad/article deadline: July 20, 2007). Chapters, divisions, and individual members are encouraged to submit items for publication to: Editor AER Report 1703 N. Beauregard Street, Suite 440 Alexandria, VA 22311-1744 (877) 492-2708 or (703) 671-4500 Fax: (703) 671-6391 E-mail: betteanne@aerbvi.org www.aerbvi.org © Copyright 2007 Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired AER wishes to thank the following organizations for advertising in this issue of AER Report: Perkins School for the Blind, Dancing Dots, AFB Press, American Printing House for the Blind, Region IV Educated Solutions, Hadley School for the Blind, HumanWare, and Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation. For Every Ending, There is a Beginning By Sandra Ruconich As most of you will know by the time you read this message, President-Elect Marybeth Dean has resigned for health reasons. At this writing Donna McNear and her Nominations Committee are accepting nominations for President-Elect, and we are preparing to hold a special election as prescribed by the bylaws approved at our July 2006 International Conference. Indeed, this is the time when AER's leadership is particularly grateful that we have bylaws in place that tell us how to proceed during situations such as this, which we don't frequently encounter! If nominations were being solicited for a typical biennial election of officers, we would follow Article IV Section 2 of our bylaws, which reads: "Any individual, voting member of AER shall be eligible to serve in any office. No two offices may be held concurrently by the same person." However, at this time nominations are being solicited to fill the vacancy of President-Elect, a situation covered under Article IV Section 4. The relevant passage from that section of the bylaws reads: "If a vacancy in the office of President-Elect occurs more than six months before the next biennial election of officers is scheduled to take place, there will be a special election for the President-Elect with candidates nominated by the Board of Directors. The individual(s) seeking the office of President or President-Elect to fill a vacancy shall have previous experience on the Board of Directors. If a vacancy in the office of President-Elect occurs within six months of the next scheduled biennial election, there shall be no replacement until the biennial election of officers at which time there shall be elected a President and a President-Elect." Thus, any AER member can run for President-Elect during a regular biennial election of officers. But since this is a special election for President-Elect occasioned by a vacancy in that office, the bylaws state that all candidates must have experience on the International Board of Directors. I want to express my deepest thanks to Marybeth for her long and distinguished service to AER at both the Chapter and International levels. I hadn't known her well until this past year, but I was quickly impressed by her common sense, her good ideas, her thoroughness and attention to detail, and her devotion to AER! We will all miss her wise and thoughtful counsel and are grateful that she will continue to support AER--only in less visible ways! Difficult as it is to come to terms with Marybeth's resignation, I have every confidence that good people will rise to the occasion and either accept nominations made by others or nominate themselves for President-Elect. We have excellent leaders throughout our Chapters and Divisions who have served or are currently serving on our Board of Directors! And that's the wonderful thing about AER. We are an organization which continues to meet whatever challenges we face. When our Executive Director resigned, the Board and the office staff carried on until a new Executive Director was found. Despite previous decreases in membership, AER's membership has gradually but steadily increased for more than a year now. Our financial picture has been bleak as the result of economic downturns, but the picture is gradually brightening. The next step in the development of our strategic plan will have been presented to the Board by the time you read this. So, just as our country has weathered the resignations of Presidents and Vice-Presidents, AER will weather the resignation of our President-Elect. This fall's special election will bring us another outstanding President-Elect who can continue and perhaps even expand the good work Marybeth has done: someone who can help AER take the next step toward becoming the force for professional excellence we all know it can be. For every ending, there is a beginning; and as we mourn Marybeth's departure, we look forward to the doors this unexpected beginning will open! Sandy Ruconich, President Plotting the Way Ahead-Who, What, How? By Jim Gandorf Below is a comment I received via e-mail from an AER member in response to the demographic survey we conducted last summer, in which we gathered information about our members (see article on page 26): “I responded to your survey, but I don’t see how it can help AER serve me better; you didn’t ask what I wanted!” This member is right; we didn’t ask “what.” But that’s because we needed to know “who” first: who are our members? Who are we serving? Our organization is wonderfully diverse, so when members tell us they want more opportunities to meet face-to-face with their peers, we need to know who to bring together. AER’s leadership (our board, divisions, chapters and committees) have all had a part in crafting our strategic plan, with the purpose of creating better outcomes for our members and the vision community. The first step in strategic planning was to agree upon whom AER and its Divisions serve; the consensus was that the organization’s primary stakeholders are dues paying individual and corporate members (which is why the demographic survey was so important), as well as affiliated AER Chapters. We will always serve the entire spectrum of our membership, but knowing what our members have in common helps us create successful programs, and is particularly important in plotting AER’s future course via the strategic planning effort now underway. Knowing who AER serves provided the context for accomplishing the next phase, clarifying AER’s core purpose, which is to provide: 1. Professional development opportunities; 2. Advocacy for vision professionals; 3. Support for members’ other professional needs (liability insurance, etc.), and 4. Indirect service to people who are blind or visually impaired. Knowing who we serve and what we’re supposed to do for them helps us create meaningful strategic goals for the organization, but what could hinder us in executing our mission and what could help us? The next step in strategic planning identifies trends that either pose obstacles or provide opportunities for us. One hurdle for the organization is a financial trend AER has faced in recent years. Prior to 2000, we were very fortunate to have an investment portfolio of almost $3 Million. Annual investment income (interest, dividends, and capitol gains) was significant during this period; in several notable years investment income was greater than membership dues income. Since 1999, however, our investments have eroded due to a combination of events to its current size of about $700,000. Decreasing reserves are a major obstacle, especially when events that caused the change are beyond our control. Our strategic planning now takes on a new flavor; how do we serve our members while taking advantage of the opportunities and addressing the hurdles? The strategic goals our leaders have identified to come to grips with all of this include: *Grow membership significantly. *Expand membership to include members of allied vision fields. *Ensure AER has financial stability and a balanced budget. Completing the initial steps in strategic planning made coming up with the strategic goals fairly easy – now we have to agree on specific strategies and actions that accomplish those goals (a.k.a. “the hard part”). The process has led the board to make some very difficult decisions. For example, the decision not to continue our business relationship with the publisher of the RE:view journal was neither easy nor universally endorsed. Additional information submitted by individuals and groups within AER opposing the decision to leave RE:view and start our own journal was carefully considered along with financial projections and the contractual obligations. Your board debated this issue for many hours before voting, unanimously, to leave RE:view and create our own journal. A comment from one board member summed up the feelings of the board as a whole, “I love RE:view, but I love AER more.” The process of creating our own journal is moving forward quickly. We are in final negotiations with an established turn-key publishing company who will support our peer review process, composition, printing, and distribution. The first article submissions have been entered, with several more in process and the selection of journal editors pending. We expect the inaugural issue of our new journal to mail sometime in the beginning of 2008. The submission deadline for articles for our inaugural journal issue is extended until December 15, 2007. For more information on article submissions, contact Ginger Croce via email: ginger@aerbvi.org, or submit your article via email authors@aerbvi.org. And, to add some fun to the launch of our new journal, we’re holding a “Name That Journal” contest. Submit your idea via email to journal@aerbvi.org! The creation of a new journal for our field is just one of the many positive and exciting things I’ve seen happening within AER in the last 18 months. AER’s membership numbers continue to go up and are showing sustained strength; cash flow is steadily increasing, signaling that we are on the right road to financial stability and a balanced budget. AER’s Divisions are becoming more active than ever: the Low Vision Division just started a member list serve, and the Education Curriculum Division has an excellent new newsletter being offered in print and electronic format! AER Chapters continue to “wow” everyone who attends their meetings, and they are communicating more effectively than ever using e-mail, and by establishing new chapter websites. The Virginia and Minnesota Chapters, both previously inactive, have reconstituted their organizations with a new slate of officers and are starting to deliver services and meeting opportunities to their members once again. One national demographic trend that AER’s members can look to for opportunities is the projected substantial increase of the older population in the U.S., and the subsequent associated need for increased vision rehabilitation services for this population. The Medicare Low Vision Rehabilitation Demonstration Project is an outgrowth of the concern over this trend by legislators; the project provides financial reimbursement for some vision services. Clearly a new funding source for our profession is something to be courted. In summary, AER needed to know its membership composition to begin our turnaround to become a healthier professional organization. But, as the member who contacted me noted, we need to ask members what they want on a regular basis, and future surveys will do this. In the meantime, members should feel free to contact their Chapter, Division, and/or International Board representatives whenever they have concerns or see situations that they believe AER can positively address. We live in interesting, challenging, and changing times. As with most challenges and changes, there will be bumps in the road. But, together we can work to keep AER -- “OUR AER” -- strong financially, strong in leadership, and strong in membership! [You can read more about AER’s strategic plan on our website at www.aerbvi.org. Select “About AER,” and then scroll down to click on “AER’s Strategic Plan” link.] Names in the News Congratulations to AER member Madeleine Burkindine who has been appointed Principal/ Superintendent of the Kansas State School for the Blind, an AER corporate member. In related news, former KSSB Superintendent Bill Daugherty was appointed Superintendent at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. He will replace retiring superintendent and AER member Phil Hatlen, who has held the post since 1990. Previously, Bill served an assistant principal and career education specialist at TSBVI, and as an Orientation & Mobility instructor in Lubbock, Texas. He is the past president of The Council of Schools for the Blind (COSB), a membership organization of special purpose schools for students who are blind or visually impaired, including those with multiple disabilities, and was awarded the COSB William H. English Leadership Award in 2006. Congratulations to AER member Robin Usalis on being appointed to the position of President and Chief Executive Officer of Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, an AER Corporate Member. Robin, the first woman to ever hold this position, began her career in rehabilitation over twenty five years ago. During this time, she has served in senior leadership positions strengthening her rehabilitation and executive skills. Prior to her promotion to CEO, she served as Vice President of Program Services at Clovernook Center, as well as holding leadership positions at Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries. With her extensive knowledge in rehabilitation, she has given professional seminars abroad. AER Corporate Member Alabama Industries for the Blind (AIB) recently received an Employment Retention, Growth and Upward Mobility Reward from the National Industries for the Blind, for their commitment to increasing employment and economic growth opportunities for people who are blind or visually impaired. "We are proud to provide employment opportunities for people who are blind or visually impaired," said Billy Sparkman, executive director of AIB. "Our team members represent a dedicated and loyal workforce. We hope to serve as an example in the community of the capabilities of people who are blind or visually impaired." J. Elton Moore, a member, division leader, and AER Committee Chair, has recently accepted the position of Associate Dean of Research & Assessment for Mississippi State University. Best wishes, Elton! An employee of AER Corporate Member Cincinnati Association for the Blind has been recognized by the Javits-Wagner-O’Day (JWOD). Dennis Runyan was recently presented with the Peter J. Salmon Award, an award presented to honor a JWOD employee who has demonstrated outstanding work ethic and achievement. Great job, Dennis! AER welcomes new staff member Ginger Croce! Ginger comes to AER with 15 years of association management experience, and will serve as the AER’s Director of Membership and Marketing. Correction: In the Summer 2007 issue of AER Report, Berdell (Pete) Wurzburger’s name was misspelled. We apologize for this error. It Worked for Me! Peer-Tested Techniques The following “worked for me” techniques were provided on AERNET, AER’s discussion listerv, by vision professionals in our community: Talking cell phones Offered by Anisio Correia— I have been using a Nokia 6620 with the Talks software for over two years and just love it. Because of its connectivity (wire and Bluetooth), I am able to synchronize the phone with Outlook on my computer, so my contacts and calendar entries are all synchronized. Cingular has a special program for persons who are blind by which they will refund (in the form of credit) the cost of the Talks software, which is about $190 from Cingular. Update from Anisio: Cingular is now AT&T and that, according to a recent press release, AT&T will be offering MobileSpeak instead of Talks, but the specific terms have not been disclosed yet. Offered by Kimberly Morrow— I use the Talks software. You can do everything except go on the Web with the version I have, though I believe the newer versions do permit Web access. And, from Larry Lewis, Jr.—I use Mobilespeak Pocket on my T-Mobile MDA USA Windows Mobile phone. This software gives you open access to a PDA cellular phone and allows you to treat your device a bit more like a sighted professional would use a Blackberry device. I can read and write e-mails, surf the Web, create/edit/ synchronize appointments, tasks, and contacts with my PC, and oh yes, I can access my phone as well! Great sources for small photos or pictures to practice magnifier skills with pre/non-readers Offered by Andrea Story—For one 4-year-old, the motivator was the Sunday color insert in the newspaper for Toys R Us. A 2-year-old child was interested in the smaller details of a favorite (over-read) picture book. He could see the 2 inch elephant and 1 inch bear but not the tear coming out of the eye of the elephant -that is until he was encouraged to use the magnifier. Use catalogs. Find out what the child likes. Catalogs can be found for just about any interest. Offered by Frances Mary D’Andrea—Family pictures can work well. Ask the parents to send in some photos (with explanations) from family get-togethers and vacations. I had one student who LOVED to look at family pictures again and again, and really study them with the magnifier. And, from Jacinda Danner—I love to use I SPY books. There are so many pages with many items of different sizes. I also like to use different pages that have different colored backgrounds. This adds different difficulty levels for magnifier use as the child's skills improve. Crochet directions in Braille Offered by Candy Lien— Lion Brand Web site, www.lionbrand.com, have posted all kinds of knitting and crocheting patterns. You could transcribe the ones you like into Braille, either by hand, using a Perkins, or using Braille translation software and embossing them with an embosser, if you have the set-up. Offered by Warren Figueiredo— Try www.cs.cmu.edu/~rowan/marjorie-crafts.html Web sites/resources for newly visually-impaired/ blinded military personnel and veterans After a request for Web site for newly blinded soldiers, Gregory Goodrich provided AER with an extensive list of resources. This list is available on AER’s Web site (www.aerbvi.org), under the Useful Links button on the top navigation bar Leadership Issues in Services to Persons with Blindness and Low Vision: A Personnel Preparation Perspective by Richard G. Long, PhD, COMS, Western Michigan University In this article, I offer a brief overview of several issues that touch on the connections between university preservice personnel preparation and the provision of education and rehabilitation services. My goal is to stimulate conversation about these issues on our listservs and in our print publications, and encourage others to write about professional issues and concerns. The strength of our professions is inextricably linked to the quality of our preservice university personnel programs. As a result, all of us have a responsibility be concerned about the status and role of these programs. How do we, as a field, assess the quality of these programs and their graduates? How do we ensure that the needs of service providers and consumers are reflected in the work of the universities? How does innovation in personnel preparation occur? What impact has the rather dramatic shift from on-campus to distance-based university personnel preparation had on the quality of personnel preparation? To answer these questions, we must consider the following: • We need to define and periodically reevaluate a core set of knowledge and skills necessary for effective service delivery, and define what constitutes “best practices”. One key challenge that affects all of us is that of ensuring an acceptable degree of consistency in our “product” across the university programs in a given discipline. We could considerably improve the consistency of personnel preparation by increasing the amount of “cross-talk” among university programs that prepare personnel for work in blindness and low vision. One way to foster both consistency and innovation is to develop mechanisms for increasing the dialogue among university educators, practitioners and consumers. One example from my own field illustrates this issue. In recent years, practitioners and consumers have noted that the increasing complexity of intersection design and operation has changed the knowledge and skills required for safe and efficient travel in complex urban environments. How have the curricula in the various university programs in orientation and mobility addressed these changes? What mechanisms exist for ensuring that university O&M personnel respond to other changes on the horizon that will impact travelers with blindness and low vision? What do we “give up” as we make room for new content in our curricula? What resources might we share to ensure that innovations in technology are incorporated into our curricula? What role does research play in our various university programs in relation to curriculum development, and how might universities do a better job, given the constraints of time and money, to better integrate research and best practice into their curricula? Unfortunately, there is virtually no research base about personnel preparation to guide us in answering these questions – a pressing issue itself!! • In most professions, one key to ensuring some consistency across university programs is the process of accreditation of university programs and accreditation of practitioners (usually connected to certification and licensure). Much progress has been made in the last decade in increasing standards and increasing “quality control” for accreditation of individual practitioners. AER is providing much-needed leadership in this area. AER’s publications offer opportunities for practitioners to inform university personnel of their concerns and suggestions regarding the preparation of new teacher-clinicians. Individuals in personnel preparation can, in turn, suggest ways that individuals working in service delivery could be of greater assistance in preparing new personnel. Both groups have a vital role in serving as resources to the other. • Distance education creates unique challenges and opportunities in preparing teacher-clinicians for work in the field. How does personnel preparation via various distance education modalities impact the quality and consistency professionals? Are university educators able to adequately monitor their students’ initial foray into service delivery, given the long distances that often are involved? How does the content and format of a professor’s communication with practicum, student teacher, and internship supervisors relate to the quality of one’s educational experience, the ability of university personnel to assess students, and our ability to identify needed curricular changes? We, as university educators, must be vigilant in our assessment of quality both in our on-campus and distance education programs, and service professionals must be viewed as full partners in this important task. I invite each of you, regardless of your role, to look for opportunities to work in partnership with university educators and teacher-clinicians to improve our personnel preparation programs. I encourage practitioners to consider helping to prepare students by supervising their internships or practica. University educators might consider a stint in direct service as a means of regaining contact with the issues of importance to teacher –clinicians. Communication and openness to change is vital to our continued growth as a profession and the growth of personnel preparation. Your contribution to this ongoing conversation to improve personnel preparation and service delivery is important, and I encourage you to use AER as a venue for communicating your ideas!! Donate Items for 2008 AER Silent Auction! AER invites members to donate items for the semi-annual Silent Auction which will be conducted during the 2008 AER International Conference, July 22-27, 2008, in Chicago, Ill. Proceeds go to AER’s operating fund to support member benefits. Items such as books, gift baskets, artwork, vision-related products, AER membership, trips, election memorabilia, and more are welcome. Chapters and Divisions are challenged to provide at least one item for the auction. More information and a donation form are available on AER’s Web site at www.aerbvi.org. IT Tidings: News from AER’s Information & Technology Division When is the Right Time for Technology Editor’s Note: In a recent discussion on the AERNET listserv, an AER member asked if a school system should purchase the Kurzweil 1000 for a kindergarten student. Ike Presley, Past Chair of the Information & Technology Division, offered this advice: I would strongly suggest that you do not acquire Kurzweil 1000 for such a young student. K1000 is an excellent product, as is Open-Book, but it is really not the appropriate tool for this student at this time in his educational program. The most important thing for the student at this early age, in my opinion, is to develop literacy skills, either in print or Braille. He needs to develop these skills before we start having him access printed information auditory with Kurzweil. Now this doesn't mean that you might not want to go ahead and introduce him to recorded or scanned materials that you can pair with his print or Braille reading. The fear here is that if we give him too much auditory material he might become dependent upon it and not develop good literacy skills which will be essential for future success. This has certainly been a problem in the past and led to the push for increased Braille literacy in the mid '90s. If you want to produce some materials for him in large print I'd consider the following. First, determine what point size he can see at a comfortable reading distance, say 10-15 inches. Next, try printing some text in that point size in several different fonts such as Arial, Verdana, or APHont (www.aph.org.). Then you will have a pretty good idea of what font and point size to use when producing materials for this student. It has been my experience that attempting to scan, edit, and proofread printed materials from early elementary books ends up taking more time than it does to simply type the text into your word processor using the student's desired font and point size. Probably around 3rd or 4th grade the printed texts will be a bit more consistent and lengthier, and scanning will become more efficient. At that time you will need to make a decision about how you want to handle production of materials in an alternate format. You will need to decide whether to use a generalized scanning program (referred to as Optical Character Recognition, OCR; around $300) or use a specialized scanning program like K1000 or OpenBook (around $1000). Here's what I'd suggest. Think about the number of students you have who could benefit from this type of technology tool and how might they benefit from it. If you simply need a tool that you and others can use to convert printed information into electronic information (a word processor file), then you will want to use a generalized OCR program such as OmniPage 15. This tool will allow you to create the electronic file which you can then print out in the student's desired font and point size, or you can open the file in a Braille translation program, such as Duxbury or MegaDots, where you can format it properly to produce hard-copy Braille. If on the other hand, you think that some of your students need a tool that allows them to scan materials themselves and produce an electronic file that they can access visually, tactually, or auditorally, then a specialized scanning program is the tool you, and they, need. You can also use this tool for material production in alternate formats just as you would the generalized scanning program. If your students don't have a need for this type of technology tool immediately or in the near future then I would strongly suggest that you buy the less expensive generalized scanning program for your material production needs. When your students are ready to start learning the use of a specialized scanning program (maybe upper elementary to middle school) then you can purchase a specialized scanning program. By that time the tool will be even better and may have even come down in price (although, don't hold your breath). One more point about using a specialized scanning program. Some people use this tool as a way to gain access to printed information by scanning it and having it spoken with synthesized speech. There certainly is a time for auditory skill development using tools like Kurzweil, books on tape/CD, synthesized speech, and other auditory tools like talking dictionaries & calculators, but it should not be used in a way that will deter or hinder the student's development of good literacy skills. Accessing information auditorally is a skill that students need to develop gradually so that when they get to the point that the quantity of materials they need to read exceeds their abilities to efficiently access it either visually or tactually, they will be ready. Let me give an example to illustrate my point. A student in middle school or high school may receive an assignment in literature or history to read 20 pages of printed text. In large print or Braille this would be 2 or 3 times that many pages. This quantity of reading might be too visually fatiguing for a student using an optical device to read print, or a student reading large print. It might be more efficient for the student to listen to a recording of the material and follow along in print or Braille, or just listen. But, in order for the student to efficiently use this auditory information he will need to have previously learned how to determine or pick out the important information in the text. This is one skill the TVI can work on during elementary school to prepare the student to use these tools efficiently when they are needed. One final comment: High tech tools, such as K1000, should not be considered the solution to our students' learning needs. In order for our students to be successful they will need a toolbox full of tools which will include both low-tech and high-tech tools. Blind Chemistry Students Get a Taste of Independence in the Lab By Linda Wang, Associate Editor, Chemical Engineering News Reprinted with permission from Chemical Engineering News, July 23, 2007, 85(30), pp 36-40. Copyright 2007 American Chemical Society. Cary Supalo touches the hands on his watch and tells me that our train should be pulling up any minute. Moments later, I see the headlights of the commuter train that will take us from Philadelphia's 30th Street Station to West Trenton, N.J. It's been a long week for Supalo, having visited several high schools and research collaborators across the country, and he looks worn. Hopewell Valley Central High School, in Pennington, N.J., is his final stop, and he has invited me to come along. Supalo, who attends Pennsylvania State University, is nearing completion of the work for his doctorate in chemical education. For his thesis, he is following the progress of 10 blind high school students as they test several assistive instruments for the chemistry lab. Supalo and his colleagues at Penn State and collaborating institutions are developing these tools with a grant from the National Science Foundation Research in Disabilities Education program. Blind himself, Supalo is keenly aware of the challenges blind students face in learning chemistry, especially in the lab. When he was in high school in the early 1990s, Supalo wasn't allowed to touch anything in the lab, he recalls. He wasn't even allowed to wash labware because his teacher was afraid Supalo would hurt himself. Roughly 100,000 students at the K-12 level in the U.S. are blind, according to Mark A. Riccobono, executive director of the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute. Whether these students decide to major in chemistry, literature, or business when they're in college, almost all of them will be expected to take some chemistry in high school. Traditionally, blind students got through chemistry lab by partnering with a sighted assistant. Although this arrangement got the job done, it robbed the blind student of a hands-on lab experience. "It was fairly unsatisfying to do laboratory chemistry, because I always worked with an assistant," says Dennis Fantin, who is now a chemistry and biochemistry lecturer at California Polytechnic State University, in San Luis Obispo. "The reality was that the assistant did the work and reported to me. I sat on the stool." Fantin does point out, however, that having a sighted assistant can offer intangible benefits, such as cultivating a blind student's ability to extract information from others. Nevertheless, this feeling of dependence can discourage blind students from considering chemistry as a possible career. "Students get shunted away, they get discouraged, they get blocked from pursuing something they might other-wise be very good at," notes David Wohlers, a professor of chemistry at Truman State University, in Kirksville, Mo. Wohlers, who is blind, says he was told by his guidance counselor in high school that it was "too bad" he couldn't major in chemistry. Despite that discouragement, Wohlers received a Ph.D. in chemistry from Kansas State University. New assistive tools are now giving blind students a taste of the independence they crave. One example is the submersible audible light sensor (SALS), under development by Supalo and his collaborators on the Independent Laboratory Access for the Blind (ILAB) project. At Hopewell Valley Central High on the day I visit, junior Trevor Saunders, who is blind, shows me how he uses SALS in his Advanced Placement (AP) chemistry lab. The SALS probe emits a specific pitch when it senses a color change in a solution, for example during a titration experiment. Saunders also demonstrates the color analysis laboratory sensor (CALS), which is another probe to determine the color of solutions. CALS is still under development by the Penn State chemistry department's electronics shop, Supalo says, but SALS should be on the market by the end of the year. Supalo and his collaborators have also written computer scripts that allow nearly all the laboratory probes developed for sighted students by educational company Vernier Software & Technology to be adapted for blind students. The only noticeable difference is that a blind student's laptop would be equipped with screen-reading software that reads aloud the data collected by the probe. Because they simply adapt off-the-shelf equipment, the assistive tools won't become outdated when the technology evolves, Supalo says. Efforts at using technology to assist blind students in the chemistry lab began in the late 1970s at East Carolina University, when the late chemistry professor David C. Lunney and graduate student Alger D. Salt built a talking instrument for blind undergraduate student Richard Hartness, who was frustrated by his lack of independence in the lab. Nicknamed the "dumb talking box" because the instrument did not contain a microprocessor, it could nevertheless voice digital measurements such as temperature, voltage, current, pH, and time. The instrument also conveyed signals from gas chromatographs and infrared spectrophotometers as rising and falling pitches. Hartness, who now works with the Metrolina Association for the Blind, in Charlotte, N.C., says the device gave him independence. Lunney and his colleagues later developed a more advanced, microprocessor-based instrument called the Universal Laboratory Training & Research Aid (ULTRA). Robert C. Morrison, an East Carolina chemistry professor who codirected the ULTRA project with Lunney, says the devices were at the cutting edge of technology at that time, "but the technology changed so fast that it was nearly impossible to keep up." ULTRA, which weighed 40 lb and cost $8,000, was never commercialized, but it effectively proved that such a device was possible. Many of Lunney's papers describing the work have since been published in journals and on the Internet. "He was a big fan of putting everything he could in the public domain so that anybody could use it," says Margaret M. Gemperline, who worked on the project as a graduate student at East Carolina. Assistive tools do not have to be high tech to be effective, notes William J. Skawinski, a blind chemistry professor at New Jersey Institute of Technology. He remembers that one of the most effective tools he had in graduate school was a glue gun filled with glitter glue. He would ask his dad or his cousin to go over NMR spectra with the glue gun so that he could feel the peaks. "It was absolutely perfect for getting the information from those spectra," he recalls. On the day that I visit Hopewell Valley Central High, Saunders' AP chemistry teacher, Lillian A. Rankel, pulls out several boxes of creative adaptations that she and her students have developed for Saunders. For example, they have foam magnetic cutouts of various chemical equations that Saunders can feel and move around on a magnetic board, pipettes that are notched with precise measurements, and a pie tin that Rankel places under a drop counter so that Saunders can hear how quickly liquid is coming out of a burette. Rankel says when she learned in 2005 that Saunders would be taking her chemistry class, she went to a craft store and bought foam boards, peel-andstick magnetic sheets, glitter paint, and a hot-glue gun. "To tell someone they can't do a lab just because they're blind, that's not right," Rankel says. "Every parent wants the same opportunity for their child. I would want the same opportunity for my kids if they were blind." The students also extracted fats and oils from a variety of foods, including french fries. "It's satisfying to actually put your fingers into the fat or the oil and to realize that, through some interesting chemical procedures, you can actually end up with substances that have a very different feel," Fantin says. "When this experience is followed up by making the very compounds you have isolated with a simple touch-coded molecular modeling kit, the differences between saturated and unsaturated lipids begin to take on real meaning." Fantin says he hopes his workshop will motivate blind students to give science a try. "Once the interest is there, the technology certainly exists to enable blind students to gain a rather complete understanding of the subject," he says. And in 2004, the National Federation of the Blind began hosting an annual Science Academy, which has evolved into the Youth Slam. This year's event was held over five days in July and brought together 200 blind and low-vision high school students from around the U.S. to engage in activities intended to build confidence and increase science literacy. The American Chemical Society offers resources to assist individuals who are blind or visually impaired. James M. Landis Jr., chair of the society's Committee on Chemists with Disabilities, says the committee helps connect blind and visually impaired students with working chemists who are also blind or visually impaired, who can serve as their mentors. Rankel connected with Supalo in 2005 through the committee. Since then, Supalo has made numerous trips to Hopewell Valley Central High to follow Saunders' progress. Rankel always invites Supalo to stay at her house, and she has a home-cooked meal waiting for him when he arrives. She knows that Supalo loves ice with his soda and that the best way to explain the location of each item on his plate is to relate it to the hands on his watch. For example, corned beef at three o'clock and carrots at nine o'clock. Supalo and Saunders have also become close friends, talking about everything from music to whether Saunders should ask a girl to his school's prom. Supalo says Saunders reminds him a lot of himself when he was in high school, reserved but fiercely ambitious. "Whenever Trevor has a success, I take pride in that," Supalo says. "It doesn't matter whether he succeeds, just that he got the chance to participate." Fantin's workshop is among a growing number of programs designed to encourage blind students to become interested in the sciences. Since 1998, French perfume giant L'Occitane has offered an annual summer workshop for blind and visually impaired high school students to study perfume-making in Provence. Nominations are now open for the 2008 AER Awards Program. Submission deadline: February 15, 2008 For complete award criteria and nomination forms, please visit www.aerbvi.org or phone 877-492-2708, ext. 202 AER is Proud to Recognize the 2006 AER Awards Mary K. Bauman Award - For professionals whose character and dedication epitomize the spirit and quality of direct service to people with visual impairments. The 2006 recipient was Dr. Anne L. Corn. Ambrose M. Shotwell Award - Acknowledges the outstanding achievements of an individual whose leadership and services have exerted influence on a national and/or international scale. The 2006 recipient was Kenneth Rosenthal C. Warren Bledsoe Award - This honor is granted in recognition of a particularly noteworthy piece of literature in the field of blindness. The 2006 recipient was the Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness (JVIB). John H. McAulay Award - Presented in recognition for outstanding achievement in the placement of people who are blind or visually impaired. The 2006 recipient was Anthony Candela. Douglas C. MacFarland Award - Honors an individual who is retired from the field and has provided leadership in the field of blindness and visual impairment. The 2006 recipient was Dr. Robert J. Winn. . Alfred Allan Award - For professionals whose character and dedication epitomize the spirit and quality of direct service to people with visual impairments. The 2006 recipient was Jim Allan. Outstanding Chapter Award - Awarded to the AER chapter whose membership efforts have been outstanding and have included increase in the number of members; number and quality of services and/or programs offered by the chapter; and legislative activity significantly affecting the lives of blind people. The 2006 recipient was the Ontario Chapter. AER Chapter Round Up “Raising Cane: Let Your Voices be Heard,” the 2007 Arkansas chapter annual state conference, held in Little Rock in May, was a huge success. Michael Hingsen and his guide dog, survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attack on the Trade Center, opened the event with a motivational keynote address on teamwork. Jim Gandorf, International AER’s executive director, also shared a keynote address. The 2-day event was filled with informative training sessions and plenty of opportunities for professional networking and fellowship and fun. The conference closed with a celebration of excellence in Arkansas at the awards luncheon. Congratulations to the following 2007 AR-AER award recipients: J Max Woolly Award: Sharon Niemczyk; Joyce Ogburn Award: Judy Jewell; Tom Phifer Award: Kara Aaron; Bill Tomlin Scholar-ship: Joanna McCauley; Arkansas Distinguished Advocate (Business): Conway County Center for Exceptional Children; Arkansas Distinguished Advocate (Individual): Dave and Patty Bushland (AR-NAPVI); and AR Wall of Legends: Bill Tomlin To contact AR-AER, visit our Web page at www.ARAER.org. In the first year since the DC/Maryland Chapter announced a scholarship pro-gram, we have given away five scholarships to members: Weizi Dai, Rehabilitation Counselor, Leta Woodburn, Teacher of the Visually Impaired, Colleen Calhoon, Orientation & Mobility, Chana Hurvitz, Occupational Therapist, and Jenny Westman-Minnig, Orientation & Mobility. The scholarships were used to help the recipients attend conferences of their choice. Each recipient will in turn write an article for our newsletter or share the information gained at a Board meeting. The Chapter is really excited about this program and we hope that other members will take advantage of it in the upcoming year!!! The Michigan AER Chapter held its Annual Conference, April 26-27, 2007. The following was submitted by Mary Beth Kullen. Conferences have a way of re-minding you of the amazing generosity of people in our field. While speakers inspire with stories gleaned from mentors, colleagues, clients and students, new perspectives drive solutions to challenges faced every day in service to people with visual impairments. Gaps in knowledge shrink when people address this audience ready and will-ing to grow. The 2007 Michigan AER Annual Conference was attended by over 150 individuals getting recharged with ideas from people like Marilyn Gense (arrived from Oregon), Sandra Stirnweis (from Arizona), and Nina Glasner (from Maryland). Twenty-six talented Michiganders presented as well. Thanks, too, to AER Executive Director, Jim Gandorf, for joining us to describe new directions the Association plans to pursue. But most important of all, conference participants met up with each other and learned and talked and inspired one another. Special recognition was presented this year to Dr. Paul Ponchillia, retiring in 2007 after many years on the faculty of the Blindness Studies program at Western Michigan University. Author, athlete, sculptor, explorer, mentor to hundreds of students, both those attending annual Sports Camps in Michigan and those pursuing degrees at WMU, Dr. Ponchillia was the unanimous choice to receive the David and JoAnn Search Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Roberta McCall, MAER Secretary. Also recognized for years of service was Francillia Williams Wonders, longtime director of the Braille production program at the Michigan State Correctional Facility. Ms. Wonders received the MAER Award given to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the field of blindness or in the service to people with visual impairments in Michigan. The award was presented by Crystal Yachcik. Eastern Michigan University student Reeda Firth received this year’s MAER Scholarship presented by MAER Board member, Amanda English. The 2008 Michigan AER Conference will be April 24-25 at the Marriott Hotel in Livonia, Michigan. The Mississippi Chapter of AER (MAER) held its annual conference July 18-19, 2007 in Jackson, MS, at the Mississippi Library Commission. We had numerous presenters who shared a variety of topics including Michael Bullis “Successful Self-Employment for Blind Consumers: What Rehabilitation Practitioners and Educators Need to Know;” Charles Carr, Administrator, MS Department of Transportation, “United We Ride” Initiative and accessible transportation; a medical up-date from Dr. Oluwatosin Smith, University of Mississippi Medical Center; and Dr. Glen Hendren, from Mississippi State University, “Legal and Ethical Issues Relating to Counseling via Electronic Media.” In addition, there was an update on “Task Force to Improve Services for Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired”, as well as various agency up-dates. A number of vendors participated, and we always appreciate visiting and viewing new equip-ment. The following received MAER awards: Blind Career Achievement Award: Bryce Upshaw; Legislator Award: Rep. Bill Denny; Employment Award: Rahye Puckett; Sam Johnson Award: Trudy Klemm; John Maxson Award: Susan Hudson; Scholarship Award: Jonte Brouchard. Organizational awards were also presented. The MAER officers for the upcoming year are: President: Adele Crudden; President-Elect: Brenda Cavanaugh; Treasurer: Dr. Mike Gandy; and Secretary: Terri Ford. Current Board Members are: Stacy Butler, Shirley Griffin, Dr. Elton Moore, Mary Jane Morgan, Rahye Puckett, Bryce Upshaw, and Glenda Wilson. The field lost two valuable persons from Mississippi who have made significant contributions to the field. Jerry Witherspoon, Personnel Office from Missisippi Industries for the Blind, and Jane Van Devender, former Counselor at the Addie McBryde Rehabilitation Center for the Blind, both passed away this year. They will be missed. We are proud to have a Web site for our organization, so please visit us at: www.msstate.edu/org/maer/. The newly restructured Penn-Del Board met recently to begin planning regional dinner meetings throughout Pennsylvania and Delaware in an effort to improve networking amongst members. Regional representatives are choosing centrally located restaurants so that Penn-Del AER members and potential members would drive less than 1 1/2 hours in order to meet with their colleagues for dinner and discussion. Congratulations to Sister Meg Fleming, Penn-Del AER Board Member and Spring Vision Conference Committee Member who recently received the Distinguished Educator Award for 2007 from NFB! Canadian Corner: Positive Progress By Jane Parsard, AER Canadian Board Representative The good work of the AER Canadian office continues to produce positive results. In the last year, Canadian membership has increased by approximately 16 percent, which reflects the office’s continued efforts to promote AER throughout the country and enhanced retention efforts. Staff member John Martin took an active role in the 2006 CNIB conference, where he participated in an information sharing session. He has also promoted the association through involvement in the Association for Special Education Technology (ASET) Committee of Ontario, as well as by attending itinerant teacher meetings, and serving as co-chair of the Canadian Vision Teachers Conference 2007. We are very pleased to report that in partnership and discussion with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), any CNIB staff member who wish to join AER will have half of their membership dues paid by the employer. We applaud the leadership role CNIB has taken in recognizing the professional networking and development opportunities AER membership affords and for supporting their employees. The Canadian office has also been involved in advocating endeavours at all three levels of government (federal, provincial, municipal) through letter writing campaigns. John Martin was involved in the historic decision for the provincial government of Ontario to provide early childhood opportunities province-wide for children living with visual impairment. He participated in the round table discussion of the project completed by Drs. Gold and Shaw for Identifying the Facilitators of Successful Employment for Persons who are Blind or Visually Impaired in Ottawa, Ontario, in March 2007. Future planned projects are poised to help keep this positive momentum moving forward. These include: Continue partnership with CNIB is planned to promote awareness of blindness/visual impairment concerns throughout Canada by attending and promoting AER at various meetings and workshops. Continue yearly lecture series in partnership with the CNIB (Cortical Visual Impairment presented by Dr. Christine Roman in April 2006 and Digital Portfolio Project by Troy LaPlante in June 2007). Discussions continue regarding the possibility of an amalgamation of the western chapters of Canada and the northwest chapter of the USA. This would provide a larger membership concentrated into one chapter and allow for greater growth and development in the west. As you can see, your “neighbors to the North” have been extremely busy growing AER in our region of the world. I would like to recognize John Martin and Anna Disimone for their hard work and dedication to the association and the field of vision services in Canada. We couldn’t have come this far without them! In Memoriam AER member Dr. Gary Snyder, 59, of Bellingham, Washington, died of cancer on August 4, 2007. Gary was a TVI and Orientation and Mobility Specialist and worked for Lancaster Lebanon IU 13, Perkins School for the Blind, and taught in the Boston College dual certificate graduate program. At the time of his death he was working for the state of Washington as the coordinator/consultant for programs for the visually impaired. He served as the State Coordinator for Blind/Visually Impaired through Washington’s “state needs” project, Washington Sensory Disabilities Services. Recently Gary obtained his doctorate in clinical psychology and he served as the clinical director of the Adler Centre, a nonprofit community counseling centre in Vancouver, where he found a deep connection to the center's mission of counseling those in need and mentoring therapists-in-training . He was a generous, patient teacher and a talented and insightful clinical psychologist. In decades of work as an expert in the field of visual impairment, he earned the gratitude and respect of his clients, students and colleagues. 2008 William and Dorothy Ferrell Scholarship Now Accepting Applications! Spread the Word! The William and Dorothy Ferrell Scholarship is available to candidates who are legally blind with 20/200 or less visual acuity. Candidates must be studying for a career of services to persons who are blind or visually impaired. Deadline for application is February 15, 2008. Visit www.aerbvi.org for application form and information. Questions? Email scholarships@aerbvi.org AER Division Docket Low Vision Division The Low Vision Division is pleased to announce the creation of a listserv for Division members to discuss important issues, new trends, and innovative ideas as they relate to low vision. Those who are members of the Division have automatically been added to the list, and received a welcome notice. New members will be added on a monthly basis as they join. Vision Rehabilitation Therapy Division The Vision Rehabilitation Therapy Division will be instituting a new division publication award to be presented at the 2008 AER International Conference in Chicago. This award will recognize a division member who has published a significant book, important research article, valuable consumer guide, or other contribution to the field of Vision Rehabilitation Therapy. We encourage AER members to start thinking of someone to nominate, or better yet, to submit papers for publication themselves! Details of the new award will be announced in an upcoming VRT Division Newsletter, including a submission form. The VRT Division members will notice a change in the fall issue of the newsletter. Our new title (VRT News) and logo will be in place to reflect our new name. We will soon be changing our Website name as well, but for now you can still find us at www.RehabilitationTeaching.org. Orientation and Mobility Division International Committee-Bringing the World Together By Laura Bozeman I am so pleased to report that the international committee now has 5 (soon to be 6, hopefully) of the 8 ambassadors needed to cover the world of O&M!! Yes, each ambassador is responsible for a region which usually covers a huge area. These folks have quite a task—they are gathering information that will ultimately be placed on the O&M Division Website to increase research and networking opportunities for O&M Specialists, information for families, and opportunities for consumers as well. In general, the information will include: * information about service delivery models/ systems from around the world for those who are doing research/data collection. * O&M contacts and/or referral information about services and/or training in O&M for their clients or students who will be moving to another country; * the ability to meet with O&M professionals and/ or observe services when they travel to other countries for conferences and/or pleasure; * background information regarding the terrain, environment, services, and/or instruction that their clients/students may have experienced if they came from other countries; The ambassadors thus far: Michiko Shimizu (Japan)—ambassador for East Asia including China, Hong Kong, Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam Chalam Yam-iam (Thailand)—ambassador for Asia including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand Diane Coughlin (United States)—ambassador for North America/Caribbean including Bahamas, Canada, Cuba, United States Steve LaGrow (New Zealand)—ambassador for the Pacific including Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu Nurit Neustadt-Noy (Israel)---ambassador for the Middle East including Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mouritania, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tonesia, U.A.E and Yemen I have a prospective ambassador for Latin America (name to be announced soon)-- ambassador for Latin America including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela As you can see, these people are covering large areas and are volunteering to do this tremendous task. The Pacific region is current and has a wealth of information. Asia, East Asia, and the Middle East have information about specific areas within their region and are updating all the time. Hopefully, you will see the following information about all of the regions on the Web site soon: * Welcome and introduction from Ambassador * Will need a brief introduction to the Region * Brief discussion of blindness and O&M services within Region * Unique services and opportunities * Pertinent travel information in and out of country * Links to key organizations within the Region Check out the information that is there: www.aerbvi.org/OandM We still need ambassadors for Europe and Africa. If you live in these regions or know someone who might be interested, please have them contact Laura Bozeman (lauraboze@aol.com). Personnel Preparation Division It is time to think about officer nominations for the Division for Personnel Preparation. Although the call for nominations will not go out until later this year, it is a prime opportunity to begin to consider becoming an officer of the Division. The Division will be electing a Secretary/Treasurer and a Chair-elect to serve for the 2008-2010 biennium. Please consider the opportunity to help lead, work with and support your division. The current Personnel Preparation Division’s officers are: Chair: Wendy Sapp, Georgia Past Chair: Blue Bickford, Oregon Chair elect: Julie Bardin, North Carolina Secretary/ Treasurer: Donna Brostek, Kentucky If you would like to nominate someone (or yourself) or have questions about duties and responsibilities, feel free to contact Blue Bickford at bickford@pdx.edu The Douglas C. MacFarland Stipend Applications Now Available! Apply today for the Douglas C. MacFarland Stipend, designated to promote professional development of AER members! The Stipend provides funds to attend the 2008 AER International Conference in Chicago next July. First-time conference attendees are given preference for the stipend, which includes a free conference registration in addition to $250 toward other expenses. Applications are available now on AER’s Web site. www.aerbvi.org/conferences Application deadline: February 15, 2008 Welcome New Members! New Members May 19, 2007 thru September 12, 2007 Alberta Chapter - Kathy M. Culhan,e Nellie A. Van Klei Alabama Chapter - Perry Newton Hopper, Darryl J. McCaul, Chad Nichelson, Evelyn I. Waites Arizona Chapter - Arizona Department of Economic Security, Christie Bane, Scott Brown, Melanie Kondziolka, Allison Noe, Ellan Olsen, Kathleen M. O’Meara Arkansas Chapter - Tyler C. Hamilton, Jennifer Shaner Colorado Chapter- Danielle McGrath, Kelly Alicia Phillips DC/Maryland Chapter - Renee Donalvo-Carlsen, Laura Provos,t William C. Vanbuskirk Florida Chapter- Eric Barette, Douglas Fowler, Tristian Lockwood, Steven Allan Matson, Melissa S. Morley, Sharon C. Scherbarth Georgia Chapter - Blind and Low Vision Services of North Georgia, Jennifer Jones-Crowder, Cynthia C. Nash Hawaii Chapter - Jessica Edwards Chandler, Lisa Craig, Lara Demain, WaiMei DeSilva, Lonna Gately, Victoria Leworthy, Rae Loui, Kaleihoku Courtney Nathaniel, Ikaika J. Perreira, Shanna Sciola, Nichole Zirzow Illinois Chapter - Kimberly A. Kuster, Michael Silverman, Jenna Sticken, The Vision for Tomorrow Foundation Indiana Chapter - Jerome M. Enni,s Melanie Wells International Chapter - Wilson Kofi Agbeke, Ghana; Katherine Johnson, Australia; Bronwen Scott, Australia; Helga G. Weinlader, Germany Kansas Chapter - Kimberly B. Litscher Kentucky Chapter - Stephanie D. Brown, Kristen Hammond, Kerry Isham, Michael Sell Manitoba Chapter - Brianna Fuellbrandt. Debbie S. Sitar Michigan Chapter - Leader Dogs for the Blind, Everette Bacon, Deborah Ann Bower, Amiann Fikes, Mollie J.E. Houser, Catherine M. Kleiner, LuWana Martin, Dawn Staley, Amy Weist Mississippi Chapter - Susan Carson, Jeff Foster, Lynda Hall-Murunga, Karen Holmes Missouri Chapter - Suzanne Luallin, Kristina K. Rains Nebraska Chapter - John D. Shepherd New Jersey Chapter - Teresa Caprio, Kathleen Kay Everswick, Jeanette Lopez-Fernandez, Debra V. Smith, Susan Sturtevant, Nancy Wabon New Mexico Chapter - Maya A. Alarid Pease, Jeanette Fitzpatrick, Viktor Ivanov, John Williams New York Chapter - Sirra M. Chavich, Billie E. Dolan, Lucy Lotito, Rochelle Roberts, Victoria Ruger, Nancy Dee Skye North Carolina Chapter - Nell Kilpatrick, Pamela Smith, Lynn Wade Northeast Chapter - Shelley Adams, Shelley Binder, Melanie I.P. Brenn, Patricia A. Campbel,l Adriana Carpio, Ya-Hui Chang, Mary Louise Anne Chisholm, Rishi K. Connelly, Eileen T. Conway-Martin, Katherine Bernadette Dawson, Elizabeth Doyle, Melinda Duggan Robert Ganong, Randy H. Harnish, Chris Judge, Steven R. Kelley, Beverly Kennedy, Alexa Kontes, Ellen Morrissette, Pauline E. Price, Lea Stein, Nancy Wittmershaus Northern California Chapter - Jonthan D. Kelley, Steven B. Rush Northern Rockies Chapter - Sherrie Bernice Baker Ohio Chapter - Claire Brill, Kimberly Clayton, Diane Peters Oklahoma Chapter - Julie Lockhart, Robert J. Miller Ontario Chapter - Elaine Cahill, Muriel M. Copeland, Hillary Fiss, Robbin Halfnight, Stacey Heady-Komenda, Germaine Kovinich, Christine Matthews, Shannon Murnaghan, Meg Seal, Catherine A. Tufts Oregon Chapter - Jennifer Bae, Lu Enman , Alicia Fruehauf, Jodie Henshaw, Sean McCormick, Kayla Meyer, Jeanine Oliver, Anthony Porto, Darlene Schultz, Kim Toffel Pennsylvania/Delaware Chapter - Sherry Frank, Laura Palko-Schultheis, Joseph Wassermann South Carolina Chapter - Alicia Pugh Southern California Chapter - Jennifer Freeman, Michelle Holbrook, Nichole Myers, Kelly Wynne Tennessee Chapter - Lisa Frith Texas Chapter - Louise Cook, William Engeler, Lynn Hooks, Kathleen Petry, Richard Mark Ward, Katharine Wilson Utah Chapter - Charles R. Martin Virginia Chapter - Gwyn Suttull West Virginia Chapter - Toni I. Walls, Nancy Ross Williams A Snapshot of AER’s Membership By Ginger Croce, Director of Membership & Marketing AER exists to serve our members, the professionals who in turn serve the blind and visually impaired. Since our membership is wonderfully diverse, representing all aspects of visually-impaired education and rehabilitation, it’s hard to describe the “typical” member. This led us to conduct a membership demographics survey in Summer 2007 so we could answer the question, “Who are our members?” AER contacted members in the summer of 2007 via e-mail requesting their participation in the survey. Using a web survey tool (SurveyMonkey), we created an easily accessible questionnaire to determine basic demographics information about our membership. 3,736 members were contacted, and 2,044 members responded. 1,671 members did not respond and 21 members opted out of this and future web surveys. The data we collected was recorded in each individual’s membership record in the association member database for future analysis. We had a response rate of 55%, and here’s what we learned: When asked to describe their primary occupation, half of our membership selected one of two occupational categories: TVI-Itinerant (31%) or Orientation & Mobility Specialists (25%). While 47% of our members work directly in education, only 14% work in a school for the blind (residential schools). 19% of our members work in private nonprofit agencies, and 16% in state/provincial agencies. The length of time our members have worked in the field was a surprise! While I expected most members to report 10 years or more, the largest response rate to this question was 1 – 5 years (22% of respondents). The next highest category was 6 – 10 years (16%), with 9% -12% in most other categories. More than half of the respondents (56%) hold a state teaching license while almost 43% are Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialists. An overwhelming number of respondents (73%) hold a Masters Degree. Most AER members are female (80%), and the majority of members were born in the 1950s. The majority of AER members are sighted with just under 4% of respondents indicating they are blind, and 5.5% saying they are visually impaired. Based on this information, we can estimate that most AER members are female, at least 50 years old, hold a Masters degree, are sighted, and work in the education area. While AER will always strive to serve the entire spectrum of its membership, knowing what our members have in common will support our current and future efforts. AER Job Exchange: The Vision Community’s Most Active Job Bank Looking for a new career? Check out what AER Job Exchange, the largest on-line career resource in the field, has to offer. The following is a sample of available positions from AER Corporate Members. Additional job opportunities and complete details on the following positions are available at www.aerbvi.org. Help Wanted Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialist for the Alaska Center for the Blind. Half of this professional’s time will be providing Center-based O&M instruction. Halftime will be rural outreach and community-based training with travel to unique town and village locations “off the road system.” We are a small organization with a wonderful staff (great team) and room for creativity and variety. The position is headquartered in Anchorage. Beginning salary for a COMS is $43,260; fully paid health and dental; generous leave and holidays. Visit www.aerbvi.org for additional details and information on how to apply. Employment Specialist— Clovernook Center for the Blind (Tennessee). Dynamic individual with vocational rehabilitation and/ or strong sales background is sought to provide job development services to adults with visual impairments. Competitive salary with benefits, including health insurance, pension and 401(k). Orientation and Mobility Specialist for Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired in Norfolk, Virginia. Provide O&M assessment and instruction to blind & VI to maximize safe and independent travel in familiar and unfamiliar environments, including assessment of functional vision to enable instruction in proper use of prescribed low vision aids. Salary is negotiable based on qualifications and salary history (range is $30,146 - $61,872). Visit www.aerbvi.org for additional details and information on how to apply. Orientation & Mobility Specialist for the Clovernook Center for the Blind in Tennessee. Promote consumers' maximum potential for community living. Provide O&M evaluation and instruction. Provide blindness awareness education in the community and internally (to Clovernook staff). Perform visual assessments, accompany consumers to low vision clinic and instruct in the use of low vision near and distance aids. Regional Consultant for Blind and Visually Impaired for the Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind. Provide home intervention programs for parents of blind and visually impaired children from birth through three; Provide educational and consultative services to students from birth through 21 who are blind or visually impaired on an itinerant basis, Other duties as assigned. Rehabilitation Teacher 3 (O&M) for the Washington State School for the Blind. Provides training in orientation and mobility skills to blind and visually impaired individuals. Salary: $3228 - $4237 per month. Visit www.aerbvi.org for additional details and information on how to apply. Technical Support Specialist for Freedom Scientific. Provide technical support to end users of Freedom Scientific products. Salary dependent on knowledge level and experience. Teacher of the Blind and Visually Impaired (Wisconsin). Candidate will provide direct and indirect vision impairment services to students who are blind or vision impaired. Able to teach Braille reading and writing, adaptive technology related to Braille, and activities of daily living. Teacher of the Visually Impaired, Assistive Technology for the New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Provide instruction, with computers and related assistive technologies in teaching visually impaired and/ or multiply impaired students the use of software, how to access, and be able to generate, and manipulate data. Awareness of computer and related technology resources for facilitating lifelong learning of students is a must. Visit www.aerbvi.org for additional details and information on how to apply. Teacher of the Visually Impaired/ Language Arts Instructor is needed by the New Mexico School for the Blind. The candidate must have the ability to provide a comprehensive educational program to students K-12 with visual impairments, and/or multiple disabilities. Teacher of the Visually Impaired for the Outreach Department of the Washington State School for the Visually Impaired. This part-time position requires a certified teacher who will travel daily and work within approximately a 100 mile radius of Bellingham, WA. The candidate will travel daily and work in conjunction with the student’s school to provide direct and/or consultative special education services relating to vision loss, perform a variety of assessments, participate in IEP development and implementation, act as an integral member of the student’s educational team and teach compensatory skills. Visit www.aerbvi.org for additional details and information on how to apply. Transition Teacher needed by the Georgia Academy for the Blind. Performs highly specialized teaching for visually impaired students using the National Agenda, Expanded Core Curriculum including activities of daily living and independent living skills. Duties include, but not limited to, serving as the lead for the Fifth Year Senior Program and the Expanded Core Curriculum Short Courses; collaborating with staff to develop a transition plan for each student; applying teaching skills that transcend those normally utilized in teaching standard coursework by adapting and revising best practices or specialized teaching techniques to meet specific needs of visually-impaired, blind, and multi-disabled students; planning and implementing daily instructional lessons and unit plans for life assets and work skills, utilizing special equipment, materials, and experiences consistent with the Expanded Core Curriculum; conduction ongoing evaluation of assigned students' organizing and providing opportunities for public school visually-impaired students in areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum, life assets and work skills through short courses to create a revolving door model; developing and continuing to evaluate the sequential instructional curriculum for independent living skills, life assets and work skills; develops and prepares required reports; and supervising the care and use of equipment and supplies. Visit www.aerbvi.org for additional details and information on how to apply. Vision Rehabilitation Therapist for Clovernook Center for the Blind (Tennessee). Evaluate and instruct blind and visually impaired individuals in the use of adaptive home management skills, personal management skills, and communication skills. Evaluates and teaches the use of adaptive technology. Provides community education. Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor for the Department of the Blind and Visually Impaired in Norfolk, Virginia. Determine eligibility for program services; plan, develop, implement and manage vocationally focused Individual Plans for Employment. Analyze diagnostic reports; develop individual rehab program; job development and placement. Salary is negotiable above the minimum of the pay band ($30,146 - $61,872) based on qualifications and salary history. Visit AER Job Exchange at www.aerbvi.org for the most up-to-date listings of job opportunities in the field! Calendar of Events November 2007 Nov 1-2: AER South Carolina Chapter Meeting "Expanded Core Curriculum” featuring Debra Sewell, TSBVI" will take place at the Beachgrove Resort in North Myrtle Beach, SC. Contact Jody Floyd, Conference Chair at jodilynnfloyd@yahoo.com for more information. Nov. 4-6: AER New York Chapter will hold its 22nd Annual Meeting, “Expanding Our Vision,” at the Albany Marriott in Albany, NY. Contact MaryAnn Oyer at moyervi@roadrunner.com for more information. Nov. 7-9: AER Ohio Chapter meeting: "AERO ~ A Shared Vision" will take place at Deer Creek Resort and Conference Center. Contact conference chair, Sue Guagenti at sue.guagenti@cincyblind.org Nov. 8-9: AER Arizona Chapter: "Multiple Abilities/Multiple Disabilities: Programming for the Consumer with Multiple Needs" will take place at the Gold Canyon Golf Resort in Gold Canyon, AZ. For more information, visit the Arizona Chapter Website at http://www.ed.arizona.edu/azaer/. Nov. 9-11: Canadian Vision Teachers’ Conference 2007, Steps Toward a Balanced Vision, at the W. Ross MacDonald School, in Brantford, Ontario. Visit: www.canada.aerbvi.org Nov. 14-16: Massachusetts and Connecticut are working together to bring you the NE AER 2007 Conference, Not Just Any (NE) AER, at the Boston Marriott, in Quincy, MA. Contact: Betsy Bixler, betsy.bixler@perkins.org or Darick Wright darick.wright@perkins.org. Nov. 15-16: Indiana Chapter Conference, Abe Martin Lodge, Brown County State Mark, Nashville, IN. Contact: John Trueblood jtrueblood@gcs.k12.in.us Nov. 28-Dec. 2: A unique opportunity: Two conferences and one training program at one location! AFB NIMAS Technical Assistance Seminar/FLAER Conference/Getting In Touch with Literacy Conference, TradeWinds Island Grand Resort, St. Pete Beach, Florida. View additional information at www.gettingintouchwithliteracy.com or contact Kay Ratzlaff at 813-8377829 or kratzlaff@fimcvi.org; for the FLAER annual conference, go to www.FLaer.org or contact Sheryl Brown, at rehabmgr@ tampalighthouse.org or (813) 2512407; for the NIMAS technical assistance training, contact Mary Ann Siller (AFB) at siller@afb.net. February 2008 Feb. 15: State of Hawaii 2008 Conference: Orientation and Mobility: Early Childhood and Students with Multiple Disabilities with Dr. Kevin Stewart, Pacific Beach Hotel, Waikiki. For more information, please contact Joan Anderson at 808-733-4992 or via email at joan_anderson@notes.k12.hi.us. April 2008 Apr. 10-12: AER Texas Chapter Meeting, "Reaching New Summits," Wynd-ham Dallas North by the Galleria. Keynote Speaker will be Dr. Anna Brad-field. Additional information to follow. Apr. 23-25: Pennsylvania-Delaware Chapter is hosting its Annual Spring Vision Conference, “Fresh AER,” in Grantville, PA. For more information, please contact Brenda Egan at began@wpsbc.org. May 2008 May 7-9: AER Dakotas Chapter Conference, North Dakot School for the Blind, which will be celebrating 100 years and the AER Dakotas Chapter will be celebrating our 25th anniversary! July 2008 Jul. 22-27: AER International Conference, Downtown Marriott Hotel, Chicago, IL. Contact Bette Anne Preston at 877-492-2708, ext. 201 or betteanne@aerbvi.org or visit www.aerbvi.org Author’s Anteroom Manuscripts + Book Reviews + Letters + Research AER’s new member journal is already accepting articles for the 2008 Inaugural Issue! Deadline to submit is December 15, 2007 The new AER member journal, a peer-reviewed publication for professionals serving the visually impaired and blind, seeks articles from the spectrum of ideas regarding service to the disabled community. Topics that will be considered include (but are not limited to) education, research, new ways of doing things, technology, philosophy, social and cultural issues, and rehabilitation. AER is establishing an online process that will make article submission and peer review easy. Watch for announcements from AER and check www.aerbvi.org frequently for updates. For more information contact AER at: 877-492-2708, 703-671-4500, ext. 203, or authors@aerbvi.org. AER Needs Your Help to Name Our New Journal! Send your ideas to journal@aerbvi.org and if your entry is selected, you’ll win a $25.00 gift card! Deadline: December 16, 2007 UPDATE!!!----UPDATE!!!----UPDATE!!! Low Vision Demonstration Project Medicare is conducting a demonstration project that will expand benefits for patients with moderate to severe visual impairments. Through this demonstration, Medicare will assess the impact of providing reimbursement for vision rehabilitation services in appropriate settings, including in the patient’s home, by qualified vision rehabilitation professionals under general supervision by the physician (ophthalmologist or optometrist). The demonstration sites were initially limited to the following 5 areas: Atlanta, Georgia; Kansas; New Hampshire; New York City (all five boroughs); North Carolina; Washington State. The success of this Project will mean that COMS, CLVT, and CVRT providers will be eligible for compensation (within certain restrictions) for services provided to Medicare eligible clients. AER is working with a variety of organizations to help ensure that the Medicare Low Vision Demonstration Project is successful, which will require more certified professionals billing Medicare for services. Initial results from the demonstration project showed limited participation by COMS, CLVT and CVRT providers. Medicare recently announced several changes to the demonstration project that will both increase the likelihood of a successful project outcome and allow for a consistent level of high quality services. Those changes are: 1. Removing the limitation of 9 hours of services within 90 days, and only once in the lifetime of the client. 2. Instead, each client is allowed to receive 12 hours of vision rehabilitation annually. 3. The Demonstration project sites have been expanded: a. 7 new counties in New York will be added to the original 5 b. 477 additional zip codes will be added to the site in Atlanta, Georgia For more information on the demonstration project, stay in touch with AER and the AER Low Vision Division, Orientation and Mobility Division, and Vision Rehabilitation Therapy Division. UPDATE: 2008 AER International Conference Chicago: My AER Kind of Town July 22-27, 2008—Chicago Downtown Marriott By Gregory Goodrich, Chair, 2008 AER International Conference Committee When AER meets in Chicago next summer for the 2008 International Conference, it will be the largest in the field of blindness and visual impairment. It’s THE place to attend sessions covering professional issues in education, rehabilitation and related areas as well as to network with colleagues. Two exciting changes members will see this year are the ability to submit abstracts online and an expansion of the availability of Continuing Education offerings. AER members may submit abstracts for presentation at the conference up to Nov. 16. We encourage members to provide proposals on innovative presentations and posters addressing emerging or critically important areas in the field. We anticipate presentations and posters on practice-based topics and current research. Visit www.aerbvi.org and our listservs for specific information. AER will send acceptance notification in early 2008. Another exciting aspect of the 2008 conference is the addition of the Orientation & Mobility Division Conference within a Conference (CWC). This will feature submitted workshops, panel presentations and posters, as well as special speaker sessions in the area of O&M throughout the entire conference. The CWC, which will run concurrently with the AER International Conference, gives AER’s largest Division full control over the content of the program while allowing CWC attendees to take advantage of offerings during the AER International Conference. Similarly, AER International attendees will be able to take advantage of offerings during the CWC. Prosthetic vision is the topic for the MacFarland Seminar, set for July 22, prior to the opening of the main conference. Maturing research on retinal implants promises to provide a form of vision to those blinded by such diseases as retinitis pigmentosa. The seminar will address technology and current status of research as well as topics on what prosthetic vision looks like, the psychological impact of transitioning from blind to a person with prosthetic vision, training needs and issues, social and family considerations, and other topics central to this rapidly developing technology. The 2008 MacFarland Seminar will offer an unsurpassed opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge on a cutting edge technology that may revolutionize our field. Some of AER’s 13 divisions are scheduling innovative programming for Division Day, July 23. Watch AER Report, division newsletters, AER listservs, and other communication about these special learning and networking experiences. The AER 2008 International Conference will open officially the evening of July 23 and run through the weekend, culminating in the installation of AER’s officers for the 2008-2010 biennium. The conference will feature clinical and research papers from a wide range of professionals. It will also feature the latest in products and services in an expanded Exhibit Hall, networking opportunities during business meetings, social events and tours, and recognition of members at a special Awards event. There is no better forum in our field to learn current developments, meet your professional leaders, greet old friends and make new ones. And the Chicago Host committee is hard at work to make your visit to their city memorable. Plan to attend and have the time of the decade! An exciting new facet of the International Conference will be the addition of more ways to earn Continuing Education credit hours. Meeting attendees can attend sessions on-site then obtain online access to missed sessions so they can earn more credit hours at home or work. These services will be available at a discount to conference delegates who sign up prior to the conference. Presentations will be available online to all members following the conference at higher rates. Watch for more information coming out between now and July 2008. Be sure to visit www.aerbvi.org for the latest conference updates. See you in Chicago! In Appreciation AER extends its appreciation to the following members for their very generous contributions in support of our community. General Operating Fund Donations to this fund are used to help in the expense of running the day-to-day business of AER * Marybeth Dean (CT) * Kathryn Morgan (KS) * Dona Sauerburger (MD) * Stephen Sanford (FL) AER has a number of other funds to which members can make tax-deductible donations that help AER to make a difference in the field. These include the Lowenfeld Publication Fund, where donations are used as seed money for worthy publications with proceeds from the sale of such publications going back into the fund, the MacFarland Stipend Fund, which are awards given to selected AER members to help defray the cost of attending the AER International Conference, and the William and Dorothy Ferrell Scholarship Fund, which is awarded to two selected applicants who are legally blind and are studying for a career in the field of services to persons who are blind or visually impaired. If you wish to make a tax-deductible donation to one of AER’s funds, please do so by sending your donation to AERBVI, 1703 N. Beauregard Street, Suite 440, Alexandria, VA 22311, and indicate to which fund you wish to contribute. Thank you. Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired 1703 N. Beauregard Street, Suite 440 Alexandria, VA 22311-1744 (877) 492-2708 or (703) 671-4500 Fax: (703) 671-6391 www.aerbvi.org