Index
Note: Full text of the articles, along with accompanying tables and graphics, is contained in the printed version mailed to all AER members.

From the President
Personnel Shortage Initiative
What’s New at AER Headquarters
Who’s Working for You at AER
Division Docket
Advocacy - Everyone's Responsibility Conference
Advocacy in Canada -- Let’s All Work Together!
Welcome to New AER Members
A New Era for AER Job Exchange
Calendar of Events -- 2003-2004
AER Member News
Canadian Corner
Furnish our Future

Delivering the Powerful Outcomes: Ingredients for Successful Partnerships

Have you ever had the experience of attempting to recreate one of your family's favorite recipes only to find out your creation does not match your expectations? Calling home is not any help. "Put in a little of this, a little of that, and you will know by the taste when it is ready."
Building a partnership to meet an identified goal may hold the same challenges. You have seen them in action, been a part of one, and/or read about the unique power of working with others. So what makes it work?

The ingredients to a successful partnership according to Chef Sveen

1. Shared belief in the value of individuals who are blind or visually impaired, and that together we can make a positive difference in their future lives. Do not even walk into the kitchen without these ingredients. Those that engage in a partnership for the purpose of promoting any other goal, whatever it may be, doom the partnership from the beginning. The dichotomy is that throughout the process and in unexpected ways, other goals are met as a by-product of the partnership.

2. Clear agreement of the vision, based on a shared belief in the value of individuals. If one of the partners is making stew and you think you are baking a cake, you can just imagine the conversations about the ingredients to be used-sugar or potatoes. Your efforts to make a cake will be cancelled out by the efforts of your partner to make a stew. Answering the question of what we expect to happen as a result of the work together defines our purpose and establishes an outcome to measure our success.

3. Trust the intentions of your partners. Unless you see poison in the back pocket of your partner (with the lid off the bottle), think twice about assuming that your partners have bad intentions (hidden agendas). Lack of communication is most often the cause of mistrust and open communication is the key to putting aside fears. Acting on your own fears without proof is like pouring in the poison yourself. Furthermore, if you pour in the poison, your partners will react in self-defense.

4. Focus on the goal and not what each partner has to offer. As long as the ingredients are available, you are ready to cook. Ingredients may come in the form of knowledge, motivation, or funding, among many others. Remember the story of Stone Soup? It all started with someone with a stone and a whole lot of motivation. If you begin to believe "the other guy is not putting in their fair share," that is a signal to rethink your thoughts.

5. Be willing to think out of the box. If there's no buttermilk in the refrigerator, use yogurt. As long as the goal is to bake a cake, there are a number of ingredients that will get you to the same goal.

6. Get rid of preconceived notions that prevent you from hearing what is said. Broccoli and mushrooms are not bad foods. Your parents were not trying to kill you either. It might be in the cooking, so be willing to try different recipes your partners offer.

7. Go slow to go fast. Do not rush the process in building a partnership. With new partners, process is always more important than the outcome. The individual team members do not usually have the same background experience or language base (we all speak a different alphabet soup within our area of specialty). Taking the time to learn to work together will slow down the process initially, only later to go faster once the group has the same understandings.

So the next time you engage in a partnership, consider these ingredients by Chef Sveen. In our efforts towards continuous improvements, building partnerships that work will enhance our goals for those we serve. And if the quote "It takes all of us to make a difference for any of us" has any merit, building successful partnerships is paramount to our success as a field.

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AER Personnel Shortage Initiative
By KC Dignan, AER Personnel Shortage Project Coordinator

In the October/December 2002 edition of AER Report, AER Executive Director, Mark Richert, presented a thorough overview of the National Initiative to Promote Recruitment and Preparation of Personnel. In this edition, I wanted to take this opportunity to discuss some of the early steps we will be taking this year.

*Everyone has a role in addressing the personnel shortage issue.

Research has continually proven that recruitment happens on a one-to-one basis; when a future VI professional has contact with someone who either has a visual impairment or a VI professional. Much needs to happen prior to that point-of-contact before the recruitment can be successful. For example, what types of information does the recruiter need? How will they get it? How will future VI professionals learn about the professions and how will they know where to go for information? It will take all of us to respond to these challenges.

*People need products to support their recruitment efforts as soon as possible.

Recruitment happens during structured and unstructured opportunities. One of the major goals of the Initiative is to develop a systematic and coordinated approach to recruitment. A series of "tools" is needed to support those efforts. These tools will include brochures, short video tapes, a university directory and others. Each tool will have the AER logo on it, and a place for universities, organizations, and educational programs to add program-specific information. The tools will also be available on the AER website.

*People and organizations have resources and expertise related to recruitment.

One of my major tasks is to find out what exists and to leverage these resources. For example, everyone doesn't need to develop a brochure; they just need to know where to get one and be able modify it to make it fit their needs. The challenges are to design the tools, get them produced, and develop a distribution system that is a cost- and time-effective. Whatever we can do to link into existing programs will strengthen our efforts.

*Building infrastructure will add strength of the Initiative.

We all know that the planning, policies, and other "invisible" parts of a program are difficult and time consuming. They also provide the scaffold upon which the Initiative will rely as it overcomes challenges.

Coordination between various sectors of the field, between organizations and committees will be key to the success of the Initiative. Having a "staff resource" will support coordination and provide a single-point-of-contact for people when they have questions, are looking for a recruitment tool, or recruitment information.

As part of building the infrastructure, we will be exploring how other professions have addressed the issue of personnel shortages, nurses and physical therapists, for example.

*There are unique strategies to facilitate successful, targeted recruitment of personnel into training programs, agencies and districts.

Information on various strategies and tools which can be adopted by universities, programs and districts will be made available in a variety of formats. The first opportunity to learn more about service-based marketing (or recruitment) and VI professionals will be at AER's Advocacy Conference in July 2003.

*"Ramping up" will take time and the world won't stop while we build our products and coordinate our networks into a system.

Oh, how true this is. Regardless, we will be working to develop tools as soon as possible. In the next year we hope to have brochures, a short video, and other products. Some of these products will be coordinated into a "recruitment kit." For most of the products, you will be able to use the electronic files to personalize the product to meet your needs.

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What's New at AER HQ?

There have been numerous changes at the AER Headquarters of late. First, we bade a fond farewell to staff members Kimberly Gettings and Felecia Sharp. We welcome back Lorna Frazier-Lindsey as AER's Publications and Membership Development Specialist. Lorna, who was previously with AER for three years, has rejoined our team on a part-time basis after staying at home with her children the past two-years. Please do not hesitate to contact Lorna with your membership requests!

Secondly, AER is moving! As we go to press, the AER Central Office staff is sorting through files and packing boxes in preparation for a move to newer, modern office space. The new space, located in a 6-year-old office building owned by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), will provide AER with a true "Headquarters" in a modern, more efficient office space housed in a professional office building. Our goal is to be in our new office space by the end of April.

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AER's Division Docket

Division 11

Rehabilitation Teaching

Division 11 Cookbook Project - The goal is to create a cookbook that can be used by Rehabilitation Teachers for training in food preparation techniques with persons who are blind and visually impaired.

Background: Traditionally, RTs have drawn upon a variety of texts that detail adaptive techniques for cooking skills and food preparation and have used a range of readily available cookbooks for supplementary recipes and menu ideas. The difficulty lies in identifying recipes that teach specific skills for food preparation. The intent of this project is to create a training text and reference book organized by skill area. This unique volume of recipes will be offered as a package containing print, large print, Braille and CD versions.

Format: The book will contain recipes that will be organized and indexed by specific food preparation skills. A portion of the book will include standard cooking terms and definitions, hints for adaptive cooking skills and measurement conversions. Each recipe will be organized according to the following techniques: pouring, spreading, cutting, slicing/dicing, peeling, measuring, mixing, stove usage level, oven usage level, and appliances required (i.e., microwave, crock pot/slow cooker, frying pan).

Division 11 members are asked to contribute: recipes that offer specific skill training, including innovative suggestions for corresponding hints, adaptations, and definitions. Please note that we do not want to replicate information that currently exists in available cookbooks.

When we have compiled a sufficient number of recipes (a minimum of 100), we will need volunteers to test and analyze each one.

Timeline: Collect recipes and suggestions Fall 2002;Test recipes Winter/Spring 2002-03; Create cookbook and CD Summer 2003; Submit to Division 11 Publication Committee Fall 2003; Submit to AER Publication Committee Winter 2003; Published and distributed by Summer 2004.

Submissions should be sent to: Lisa-Anne Mowerson, Pittsburgh Vision Services, 300 South Craig Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 or emailed to Lmowerson@pghvis.org.

Rehabilitation Teaching Membership Directory - The 2003 version of the Rehabilitation Teaching Membership Directory will be published and distributed in Spring 2003. If you do not want to be included in this publication, please contact Maureen Duffy, RTC, Editor at maduffy@aol.com. If you do want to be included, please make sure that your contact information is current with the AER Central Office. For more information, contact Lauree Covington, Membership and Information Systems Specialist, at Laureec@aerbvi.org or visit www.aerbvi.org.

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Division 15

Division on Aging

Division 15 Officers developed the following proposed mission statement for the division:

Division 15 mission is to increase awareness among AER members of issues related to aging and vision loss through professional development and support for professional practice.

Division members are currently voting on the proposed mission statement.

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Advocacy - Everyone's Responsibility Conference
AER Invites You To Attend...

Advocacy - Everyone's Responsibility!
A field-wide Conference Sponsored by
Association for Education and Rehabilitation
of the Blind and Visually Impaired
July 25-29, 2003, Washington, DC

The AER Advocacy Conference Planning Committee has developed five different tracks of topics at different levels for a wide variety of conference attendees. Whether you are a parent, professional, administrator, involved in special education or rehabilitation, there is a track of conference workshops developed just for you. Conference participants may choose to attend all the workshops in a specific topic track, or attend sessions from a variety of different tracks.

Track 1 - Parents and Children
Parents attending the Conference will gain the tools necessary to become stronger, more efficient advocates for their children. Select from introductory workshops on topics such as:
It Takes a Community to Advocate Effectively for a Child: A Team Approach to Advocacy

People at Risk: Assessment, Response, and Prevention of Physical and Sexual Abuse of People with Disabilities," to intermediate sessions such as:
Advocating for Students Through Program Design: Regional Educational Support Services for Children with Visual Impairments, and
Can You Hear Me Now? - How to Have Your Voices Heard.

Track 2 - Professional
Every professional in the field will benefit from workshops such as:
The Art of Self-Advocacy,
A Survey of ADA Accommodation Request Process Experience of People with Severe Visual Impairment; Your Voice is Important; Build a Strong State Advocacy Coalition, and
Coalition Building and Management - Tools for Extending Your Influence.

And, learn how to pull it all together and make it work in
Building a Team for Advocacy: The Development of the O&M Division Environmental Access Committee.

Track 3 - Administration
Negotiating the Deal: It's a Contact Sport
Advocating for Transportation Solutions: There's More Than One Way to Get There
Media Advocacy; and
Advocating for Separate Agencies for the Blind: A Review of the Research
are just a few of the topics that will assist those who serve the field in an administration capacity.

Track 4 - Special Education Policies
Hot topics such as

Partners in Legislative Advocacy: The Hidden Formula to Success; and

Annual Federal Appropriation for Adapted Educational Materials: APH Advocacy Efforts and How Blind Students, Professionals, and Family Members Can Help lead the line up for those with a Special Education Policies focus.

Track 5 - Rehabilitation Policies

Topics in the Rehabilitation Policies Track range from:

Self-Advocacy Skills Training: The Cornerstone of Independence for Older Individuals who are Visually Impaired, to

The Advocacy Two-Step: Process and Data It Takes Both to Dance,

to

Consumer/Provider Advocacy in Action: Legislative success in California.

Additional sessions are being added to each Track, including a special training program on implementing the IDEA regulations.

Preliminary Schedule

Friday, July 25, 2003
1:00 PM - 8:00 PM Registration/Information Desk Open
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM General Session
Saturday, July 26, 2003
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM Continental Breakfast
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Concurrent Workshops
10:00 AM - 10:15 AM Break
10:15 AM - 11:45 AM Concurrent Workshops
12:00 Noon - 1:45 PM Lunch
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Concurrent Workshops
3:30 PM - 3:45 PM Break
3:45 PM - 5:15 PM Concurrent Workshops
5:30 PM Dinner on Your Own
Sunday, July 27, 2003
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM Continental Breakfast
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Concurrent Workshops
10:00 AM - 10:15 AM Break
10:15 AM - 11:45 AM Breakout Sessions
12:00 Noon - 1:45 PM Lunch
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM General Session
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Reception
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Dinner
Monday, July 28, 2003
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM Working Continental Breakfast Meeting
8:30 AM Buses Depart for Capitol Hill Visits
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Capitol Hill Visits
5:30 PM Dinner on Your Own
9:00 PM - 11:00 PM Hospitality Suite
Tuesday, July 29, 2003
8:30 AM - 10:30 AM Town Hall Forum/Wrap-Up Session

Continental Breakfast Served

What to do and See in Washington, DC

Washington, DC, is one of the greatest cities to visit in the world. There are numerous activities in which to participate, most of which are free or relatively inexpensive. Here are just a few of the sights you might want to take in during your visit to the Nation's capitol:

Since you will be visiting Capitol Hill, consider taking a stroll through the nearby US Botanic Gardens then stop by the Supreme Court and Library of Congress. Close by is Union Station where there are fabulous shops and an international food court.

A quick ride on the Metro will take you to the Smithsonian, where you can visit most of the famous monuments: the Washington Monument and Reflecting Pool, Vietnam Veterans and Korean War Veterans Memorials, Lincoln Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, and the cherry-tree lined Tidal Basin and Jefferson Memorial. If you can squeeze it in, take a trip to the National Zoo to visit the famous Panda Bears and hundreds of other animals.

You won't want to miss a visit to some of the wonderful museums in DC: the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, National Air and Space Museum, and National Museum of American History, National Museum of African Art, and many others.

For evening adventures, check out the Waterfront, where you can enjoy fresh seafood or board a river cruise for dancing and dining.

Obviously, these are just a few of the hundreds of places to go, things to do, and fun to have while visiting Washington, DC. For additional ideas as you plan your itinerary, check out the web site for Washington.Back to IndexAdvocacy in Canada - Let's Work Together!

Canadians have expressed concerns about the inequity in services, particularly for preschool and school-aged children with visual impairments. Services vary from coast to coast, and from school board to school board - here is our chance to begin a process whereby we can advocate for enhanced, equitable services for all Canadians, of all ages.

Thanks to the support of AER International’s Board, we are pleased to announce the first opportunity for Canadians to come together since the 2002 International Conference in Toronto and begin the process of making our provincial and federal governments aware of the need for increased services for people with visual impairments.

Saturday, May 3, 2003, is the date chosen that will bring many of the stakeholders together to share their expertise with us: members of CNIB, Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB), National Federation of the Blind: Advocates for Equality (NFB:AE), AER, Views, Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA) committee members will be on a panel for information-sharing, discussion, and debate, and forming a framework for action.

The site for the meeting will be the Centre for Sight Enhancement at the School of Optometry, University of Waterloo, just a short drive from Toronto. Tours to learn about this exciting facility have also been arranged.

We encourage all Canadians to mark their calendars and watch for your invitation to hear about the legislation that applies to our clients, learn about your rights as a person with a visual impairment living in Canada and how to access government and Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) services.

Registration information is coming soon. Let's work together and make it happen!

For more information contact Wendy Nichols at: wendyn@ica.net or phone: 905-792-9277, or Vince Martino at the AER office: (toll-free) 866-822-0871, email: aercan@aerbvi.org.

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• James Carden
  
• Mary Cumuze
  
• Amy Dillard
  
• Jennifer Dunaway
  
• Mary Erwin
  
• Jeri Vorisek
  Arkansas:
  
• Sophia Leduc
  Arizona:
  
• Suzanne Canole
  
• Mary Jo Martinez
  
• Paula Seanez
  Colorado:
  
• Carol Berry
  
• Agnes Ferris
  
• Eleanor Rudeseal
  Dakotas:
  
• Sandy Atkinson
  
• Dawn Flewwellin
  DC/Maryland:
  
• Kimberly Higham
  
• Melinda Pember
  Florida:
  
• Janet Amatuzzi
  
• Jane Breen
  
• Janet Conner
  
• Sherry Danko
  
• Jamie Goldfarb
  
• Katherine Kendrick
  
• Wendy Revels
  
• Kirsten Skove
  Georgia
  
• Nicole Ashley
  
• Helen Bartels
  
• Rose Barton
  
• Judy Dingler
  
• Sarita Pope
  
• Denise Sample
  Iowa
  
• Dan Foster
  Illinois
  
• Jill Dillard
  
• Diane Tyrrell
  Indiana
  
• Michael Singleton
  Kansas
  
• Angela Brown
  Kentucky
  
• Malcolm Turner
  Manitoba
  
• Daniel Vodon
  Michigan
  
• Bethany Lentz
  
• Doreen Murphy
  
• Janice Simonson
  
• Rosemary Stawasz
  Minnesota
  
• Darlene Lawson-Wojcik
  Nebraska
  
• Constance Kersch
  New Jersey
  
• Sara Wang
  New Mexico
  
• Cheryl Petree
  New York
  
• Kathy Beaver
  
• Charles Farnsworth
  
• Natalie Hilzen
  
• Melissa Lazaro
  
• Roni Matthew
  
• Dulce Moche
  North Carolina
  
• Gina di Grazia
  
• Shari-Rae Metz
  
• Nancy Mitchner
  
• Barbara Ohler
  
• Kathryn Sheldon
  
• Brooke Smith
  Northeast
  
• Michelle Antinarelli
  
• Kathleen Cooper
  
• Marc Katz
  
• Anneliis Koiv
  
• James Parsons
  Northern California
  
• Julie Stiller
  Ohio
  
• Judith Havens
  
• Vicki Ludwick
  
• Tamara Shapiro
  Oregon
  
• Danielle King
  Pacific Northwest
  
• Claire Brown
  
• Marjorie Corier
  
• Miriam Freshley
  
• Carl Jarvis
  
• Mary Ann Kennedy
  
• Debbie Matthews
  Pennsylvania/Delaware
  
• Harry Kilpatrick
  Puerto Rico
  
• Jose Diaz-Nunci
  South Carolina
  
• Floy Fanning
  
• Christine Kramlich
  
• Rebecca Worrell
  Southern California
  
• Jay Allen
  
• Rebekah Brod
  
• John Zamora
  Tennessee
  
• Julia Hedrick
  
• Deborah Howe
  Texas
  
• Sheryln Crawley
  
• Kourtney Laird
  
• Debbie Long
  
• Rick Miller
  
• Teri Wilder
  
• Juliette Wilson
  Utah
  
• Chris Clark
  Virginia
  
• Karissa Hoff
  Wisconsin
  
• Denise Dobson
  
• Nancy Prussing
  West Virginia
  
• Elaine McClaugherty
  
  

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Who's Working for You at AER?

In addition to the hard work of many volunteers, AER's success depends upon high-spirited professional staff, committed to being team players, who are eager and ready to help our members and customers. Each AER staff member manages a distinct portfolio of responsibilities but provides ready assistance to professional colleagues in a small office environment. AER's dynamic staff team stands ready to serve our members better than ever before. Mark Richert, Esq, AER's Executive DirectorBarbara Sherr, CMP, is AER's Conference Manager and Executive Assistant.George Chandithuruthel, Finance and Administration Manager, Jackie Fairbarns, Associate Director, Communications and Continuing Education InitiativesLorna Frazier-Lindsey, Publications and Membership Development Specialist,Vince Martino, COMS, Canadian Affairs Coordinator

Please contact us if you need assistance. That is what we are here for! Call toll free 877-492-2708 or 703-823-9690; fax 703-823-9695; e-mail aer@aerbvi.org; or website www.aerbvi.org.Back to Index

A New Era for AER Job Exchange Since the first issue some 28 years ago, the job announcement newsletter has been one of AER's most popular member benefits. Published monthly and provided upon request, it has been a valuable resource to thousands of AER professionals over the years. To make it even more valuable and accessible to all AER members, the AER Job Exchange moved totally on-line on January 1 of this year. As an added convenience, the on-line listings are searchable by state and by job title. Job listings are updated at the beginning of each month.

The AER Job Exchange resides in a new Members Only section at www.aerbvi.org. If you have not received the requisite user name and password, please contact AER by e-mail at aer@aerbvi.org or telephone 877-492-2708.

Employers are invited to list their professional openings in the AER Job Exchange.

Full information on cost and procedure is available at www.aerbvi.org (click on General Information from the Navigation bar; select Member Benefits, then AER Job Exchange). Back to Index

2003-2004 Calendar of EventsEvent information in the Calendar is provided by the sponsoring organizations. If you have a meeting or event you would like to list, please e-mail information to Lorna Frazier-Lindsey at March 13-15, 2003 March 21-25, 2003 April 3-6, 2003 April 14-16, 2003April 24-26, 2003May 1-3, 2003May 15-17, 2003June 19-21, 2003June 19-22, 2003July 25-29, 2003September 11-13, 2003 September 11-13, 2003September 25-28, 2003October 1-3, 2003December 13-16, 2003July 13-19, 2004Back to Index

AER Member NewsCongratulations to Barbara Hunt, RTC (Oak Park, IL), for being selected as the Federal Employee of the Quarter.

AER extends a very special thank you to the following members for their generous contributions to AER's General Operating, MacFarland Stipend, Lowenfeld Publication, and William and Dorothy Ferrell Scholarship Funds:

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Canadian CornerLives Lived, A Tribute to Lawrence Leo Bieberly
By Alan McCuaig, COMS
Recently, Canadians lost a friend and colleague, Lawrence Leo Bieberly, an Orientation and Mobility Specialist at the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB)-British Columbia/Yukon Division.
I felt fortunate to be with Larry during the last few hours of his life, along with a few of his brothers and friends. He was not conscious, but we hoped he could hear us. I was able to explain to those present what he did as an O&M Instructor. It helped his brothers re-connect with him, as they had grown apart after years of living geographically apart. We watched a video of Larry instructing a young blind girl on how to use a white cane to travel safely; and were moved at the end of the video when she sings a Christmas carol to him. I'm sure he was listening, because just two minutes later he took his final breath-as if his 'angel' was singing to him and he felt at peace to let go of life.
Larry was born and raised in Kansas. A variety of work experiences and the Vietnam War had a profound effect on Larry, leading him to be socially conscious and having compassion for people less fortunate. He found his passion for teaching blind people to be independent travelers while attending university in Texas. Larry came to Canada in 1987 to work for the CNIB in their Kelowna office. Later taking on a position in the Victoria office where he worked for the past 12 years.
Larry found his niche with his position at the CNIB. The freedom that came with the position suited his nature and allowed him to excel as a professional. He worked with a wide variety of students in equally varied environments throughout B.C. Larry took special interest in accessibility, for example, advocating for audible signals at intersections. He was officially acknowledged on many occasions by municipal, provincial, and federal governments for his work.
Working with children and families was one of his greatest strengths. His kind and easy-going manner was an instant hit with children; he was easy to joke with - kids loved to tease him about his southern accent. Larry had a talent for helping kids grow up and leave behind feelings of self-pity. Many students have said, "He gave me that 'life is good' feeling." His nature was to connect with students of all ages on a deeper level. He challenged students to learn and gave them the ability to achieve a high level of independence.
His last contribution, one that he thought was very significant, was the establishment of a Snoezelen Room - a multi-sensory activity room for children with disabilities. His determination and perseverance to the success of this project, was another demonstration of his commitment to bettering the lives of disabled children.
Larry had a sense of humor and humanity endearing him to colleagues, friends, and his students. Many remember him as filling the day with laughter, and taking pleasure in the small things in life - like singing an entire show tune to a colleague first thing in the morning (and on the voice mail when he became too ill to come into the office).
His commitment and concern to the well being of his students carried over to his colleagues, friends, and people in general. Larry left a distinct impression; one did not forget him. He had a real 'joie de vivre.' His relaxed, friendly, and up-beat manner and southern drawl brought a smile to everyone who met him.
(Born July 26, 1946, in Dodge City, Kansas. Died December 16, 2002, in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, of cancer, aged 57).

An open letter from Karen and Mark Richert. This letter is not offered in connection with the Executive Directorship of AER. Rather, we write to you as fellow AER members to invite you to join us in supporting our Association's daily work in a special way. As you may know, the AER Central Office will soon be moving to a new location, we hope by mid-April. This process, and the establishment of AER's new headquarters there, will inevitably involve both very large and not-so-large expenses. To help AER carry these necessary costs, and to promote the grass-roots involvement and ownership of AER's membership/leadership in this exciting transition, we invite you to join us in making a financial contribution above and beyond your valuable time and membership dues to further support AER as we work together to "Furnish Our Future!"Background

Some of you have visited the current AER offices in Alexandria, Virginia, but most of you have not. If you have, then you know that the experience is certainly memorable but not positive. Some years ago, the AER Central Office was relocated to its current address primarily because of its "dirt cheap" rent and convenient location for the then-current AER staff.

A few examples will suffice to give you the flavor of our current location.

The building in which the AER offices are now located is a dark, rundown multi-story apartment building constructed long before any real attention to accessibility was given. If folks using wheelchairs were to come to AER's offices for a meeting or for a job interview, the meeting would have to take place in the parking lot or elsewhere. In some respects, this is a moot point, however, because our current offices cannot be used to host meetings - the current room referred to as the conference room serves principally as a storage room. The so-called office suite is actually two small apartments which have been joined together, meaning that the poor office design offers wasted space on the one hand and a cramped working environment on the other. A major flood originating in the building a couple of years ago destroyed many valuable membership and historical records, and the staff has had to cope with a number of smaller, but thankfully less destructive, floods since then. Finally, the building "management" has been struggling in vain to diminish a persistent insect infestation problem. In short, these and other conditions are unacceptable and would be comedic if they were not such an embarrassment.

Recognizing the clear need for change, the AER Board of Directors called for the relocation of the Central Office to an accessible location offering a safe, clean, useful, professional and inviting environment. If all goes according to plan, AER will occupy these new offices in a couple of months. The new headquarters, located only about two miles away from the current location, will allow AER to host meetings and conduct business in a way that will enhance AER's professionalism and work. (Specific address and telephone information will follow soon.) The six-year-old building, owned and operated by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), will provide AER with a first-class office suite at a very reasonable commercial market lease rate.

AER's move to a new location is a significant long-term investment in itself, but a variety of expenses must also be incurred to get it up and running. The actual physical move has a sizable price tag. An up-to-date accessible phone system with voice mail capability is being installed, and appropriate office furniture suitable to the new location is being obtained. (Much of the current office furniture was found at rummage sales.) Regarding furniture, you may be interested in an experience we had while we did some homework in search of possible office furnishings.

There is no need to buy very expensive new furniture - good quality, well-maintained used office furniture would work well for the AER office. And so, following up on a tip, we contacted the buildings manager of a mid-sized company providing Internet access solutions. A couple of years ago, this company had the misfortune of merging with a mega-company that has now become infamous, WorldCom. The buildings manager escorted us around the grounds of the suburban Maryland-based facility to show us office furniture that they want to unload now that they have laid off more than 90% of their workforce. The economy has been hard on AER as well. The lack of income from AER's investments over the last couple of years has meant greater reliance on, and deeper withdrawals from, AER's endowment to support the day-to-day operations of our Association. Certainly the AER Board and staff are working to trim costs and to put in place new approaches to the way AER does business to stretch membership and other dollars even farther.

Invitation - "Furnish AER's Future"

Although expenses related to the Central Office relocation are contemplated in AER's budget, we wanted to support AER, beyond our own membership commitment, by helping to defray some of these costs. We believe that doing so will help to make AER's valuable but limited resources more readily available for the important work ahead to further the mission of our Association. To that end, we have made a personal donation of $1,000 to AER, and we invite our fellow AER members to consider making a contribution, of whatever size, that will live on in the daily work of our Association for years to come.

We hope you will consider a donation in support of this exciting and important transition for AER. Contributions of any size will be very helpful - many hands make the load light. Here are some examples of specific costs which may serve as a guide to your consideration -

* Conference room table for twelve+: $1,000
* Reception area chairs and side table: $650
* Modular office unit (4 needed): $500
* Conference room credenza: $350
* Round table for four: $250
* Desk chair/conference room chair (20 needed): $175
* Bookcase (3 needed): $125
* Lamp: $50
* Computer rack: $35

Of course, in addition to furniture, other major expenses will be incurred. The physical move itself is estimated to cost $3,500, and an appropriate telephone system equipped with voice mail, once fully installed and operational, will cost approximately $7,900. Naturally, a variety of indirectly-related costs will also add up quickly, such as new letterhead and updated brochures and other materials. With these considerations in mind, our "Furnish Our Future" goal for AER is $25,000. Whatever the size of the gift to AER you may choose to make, your donation will be used to help cover all of these costs. To help "Furnish Our Future," please send your gift to:

AER, P.O. Box 22397, Alexandria, VA 22304

As always, all such gifts to AER are tax-deductible. All checks should be made payable to AER, and please remember to include the words "Furnish Our Future" in a note or in the memo field of your check. Thank you! All donors will be recognized and honored by name in future issues of AER Report (no dollar amounts will be published). Of course, if you would prefer to keep your contribution private, your request to do so will be honored.

Requests for money are never easy to write and rarely interesting to read. At a minimum, please accept this invitation message in the spirit in which it is offered - with no sense of pressure, with confidence in the great things AER members can do together, and with hope that you and our friends and colleagues within our Association will join us in this adventure. Thank you for reading this far, and best wishes and blessings to you in your labor and leisure!

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Join Us as, Together, We "Furnish Our Future!"