Welcome
Welcome to our 20th year of GVEST! While we are disappointed to not be able to gather together in person this year, we are grateful we will continue to provide professional development and networking opportunities for educators during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sincerely, Zel Murray, GVEST Program Chair |
Professional Development Credit
This year’s conference, “All in This Together…Virtually!” will offer certificates of attendance for all attendees as well as ACVREP Continuing Education Credits for Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialists, Vision Rehabilitation Therapists, Low Vision Specialists, Rehabilitation Counselor, and Certified Assistive Technology Instructional Specialists.
At the beginning of each session, you will be given a beginning code and at the end of each session you will be given an ending code. Participants seeking a certificate of attendance or ACVREP credits will need to complete and submit the required Google Form including the beginning and ending code to receive ACVREP credits and a certificate of attendance. This will also include a session evaluation form.
At the beginning of each session, you will be given a beginning code and at the end of each session you will be given an ending code. Participants seeking a certificate of attendance or ACVREP credits will need to complete and submit the required Google Form including the beginning and ending code to receive ACVREP credits and a certificate of attendance. This will also include a session evaluation form.
Please support our conference sponsors!
Please visit the Sponsorship page if you are interested in being a 2020-2021 sponsor and having your company name and/or logo listed here along with a link to your website!
Friday, October 2, 2020, 1:30-3:00pm (EST)
Sponsored by Objective Ed
KEYNOTE: Fly! Find Your Own Wings and Soar Above Life's Challenges
Lex Gillette, Paralympic Track & Field Medal Winner and World Championship Title Holder
Lex Gillette, Paralympic Track & Field Medal Winner and World Championship Title Holder
Challenges come in many forms, and for Lex Gillette, the biggest one of all was losing sight. Fortunately, with the help of his mom and dedicated professionals, he was able to turn his tragedy into a triumph. In this 75 minute presentation, we will explore the resources and relationships that helped lead him down a successful path, and how employing certain tools can guide our thinking and actions in the pursuit to establish a solid foundation for the BVI community. We will discuss a number of ideas and tactics that can be implemented to help someone gain their wings and fly!
We ask all participants to complete the evaluation form. If you need a Certificate of Attendance or ACVREP credit, you must complete this verification of attendance form with opening and closing codes.
Friday, November 6, 2020, 1:30-3:00pm (EST)
Sponsored by Visual Enhancements
No Need for Sight When You Have a Vision®
Lex Gillette, Paralympic Track & Field Medal Winner and World Championship Title Holder
Lex Gillette, Paralympic Track & Field Medal Winner and World Championship Title Holder
Achieving goals requires establishing a vision and doing everything in our power to bring it into fruition. Blind since the age of eight, Lex Gillette was determined to not let that factor keep him from achieving his goals. In this 45 minute program, we will travel with Lex through many scenes of his life, feeling every emotion along the way. You will be taken on a journey of discovery that will reveal the lessons and ideas that have propelled him to athletic dominance in the long jump. Close your eyes, open your mind, and imagine your highest potential. Get ready to navigate down life’s runway and ascend toward a vision of success.
NOTE: Additional recorded presentations will be provided for vision educators to share with their students.
NOTE: Additional recorded presentations will be provided for vision educators to share with their students.
We ask all participants to complete the evaluation form. If you need a Certificate of Attendance or ACVREP credit, you must complete this verification of attendance form with opening and closing codes.
Friday, December 4, 2020, 1:30-3:00pm (EST) *Rescheduled*
Please note this session has been rescheduled for May 7, 2021. It will replace the previously scheduled roundtable. If you previously registered for the roundtable, you have already been added to the roster and do not need to register again. We look forward to seeing you!
Friday, February 5, 2021, 1:30-3:00pm (EST)
Sponsored By Allied Instructional Services (AIS)
Building the Foundation to Support Our Blind and Low Vision Students
The purpose of this session will be to introduce DOE to their partners in Vocational Rehabilitation. With the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), mandate to serve high school students, it is more important than ever to strengthen relations between DOE and VR, and provide students with the 5 required Pre-Employment Transition Services. You will learn what these 5 services include and learn ways they are already being provided around the state. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn how we can work together and provide our students with the skills to become successful adults.
Scott Dekowski [email protected]
Brittanie Burdette [email protected]
Janice "Nicole" Wells [email protected]
these are the 3 transition specialists
Brittanie Burdette [email protected]
Janice "Nicole" Wells [email protected]
these are the 3 transition specialists
We ask all participants to complete the evaluation form. If you need a Certificate of Attendance or ACVREP credit, you must complete this verification of attendance form with opening and closing codes.
New Session!
Friday, February 19, 2021, 1:30-3:00pm (EST)
Virtual FVLMA
Jodie Floyd, SC School for the Deaf and the Blind
The primary purpose of this presentation is to assist Teachers of the Visually Impaired to complete a virtual Functional Vision, Learning Media Assessment, and Expanded Core Curriculum Screening. The Federal Government has stopped giving states a waiver for the 60 day timeline for evaluations to be completed. Teachers of the Visually Impaired are being asked to complete evaluations and re-evaluations to determine eligibility, appropriate learning mediums, accommodations and modifications virtually due to COVID restrictions. The following program was developed to assist TVIs in this endeavor. You do not want to miss this newly announced professional learning opportunity! You will LOVE the flow of this FVLMA and receive ALL the information and materials you need to hit the ground running!
Objectives:
Jodie Floyd, SC School for the Deaf and the Blind
The primary purpose of this presentation is to assist Teachers of the Visually Impaired to complete a virtual Functional Vision, Learning Media Assessment, and Expanded Core Curriculum Screening. The Federal Government has stopped giving states a waiver for the 60 day timeline for evaluations to be completed. Teachers of the Visually Impaired are being asked to complete evaluations and re-evaluations to determine eligibility, appropriate learning mediums, accommodations and modifications virtually due to COVID restrictions. The following program was developed to assist TVIs in this endeavor. You do not want to miss this newly announced professional learning opportunity! You will LOVE the flow of this FVLMA and receive ALL the information and materials you need to hit the ground running!
Objectives:
- Participants will be able to use the parent and student interview forms to gather information for the Expanded Core Curriculum Screening.
- Participants will be able to provide parents with information on how to assist with the evaluation.
- Participants will be able to use the provided materials to complete a FVLMAECC virtually.
Friday, March 5, 2021, 1:30-3:00pm (EST)
Sponsored by Georgia Blind Sports Association
Teaching Street Crossings Remotely & w/Social Distancing
Dona Sauerburger with co-presenters Susan Kinyatti and Anthony Lanzilotti
Dona Sauerburger with co-presenters Susan Kinyatti and Anthony Lanzilotti
Participants will learn strategies for remotely or from a safe distance teaching learners who are blind / visually impaired skills they need for uncontrolled crossing such as:
- Utilizing a phone to help learners understand concepts they need for assessing these crossing situations;
- Utilizing the phone and a stopwatch to help learners develop an intuitive understanding of their crossing time; and
- Understanding how to use the APH program and a computer to play traffic sounds simultaneously to show learners how to compare crossing time with warning time of approaching vehicles.
We ask all participants to complete the evaluation form. If you need a Certificate of Attendance or ACVREP credit, you must complete this verification of attendance form with opening and closing codes.
Friday, April 9, 2021, 1:30-3:00pm (EST)
Educational Research and Optic Nerve Hypoplasia
Amber Kahn, National Leadership in Sensory Disabilities Scholar
Amber Kahn, National Leadership in Sensory Disabilities Scholar
This presentation will include a review of the current literature on ONH, an overview of several educational research studies on ONH, and a discussion of implications and practical strategies for supporting learners with ONH.
We ask all participants to complete the evaluation form. If you need a Certificate of Attendance or ACVREP credit, you must complete this verification of attendance form with opening and closing codes.
Friday, May 7, 2021 @ 1:30pm (EST)
Teaching Math Virtually
Derrick Smith, associate professor and Associate Dean in the College of Education of the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH)
Mathematics is a foundational content area for individuals who wish to pursue a wide array of professions. For students with visual impairments, the learning of math requires that general education math teachers and TVIs collaborate effectively to ensure that the student has access to the information while also ensuring conceptual understanding. This session will cover a wide array of pedagogical strategies, manipulatives, and tools to best support the math education of students with visual impairments. In response to the current situation requiring more "distance education", this presentation will also focus on how to engage students with visual impairments in mathematics education "at a distance".
We ask all participants to complete the evaluation form. If you need a Certificate of Attendance or ACVREP credit, you must complete this verification of attendance form with opening and closing codes.
Derrick Smith, associate professor and Associate Dean in the College of Education of the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH)
Mathematics is a foundational content area for individuals who wish to pursue a wide array of professions. For students with visual impairments, the learning of math requires that general education math teachers and TVIs collaborate effectively to ensure that the student has access to the information while also ensuring conceptual understanding. This session will cover a wide array of pedagogical strategies, manipulatives, and tools to best support the math education of students with visual impairments. In response to the current situation requiring more "distance education", this presentation will also focus on how to engage students with visual impairments in mathematics education "at a distance".
We ask all participants to complete the evaluation form. If you need a Certificate of Attendance or ACVREP credit, you must complete this verification of attendance form with opening and closing codes.
We ask all participants to complete the evaluation form. If you need a Certificate of Attendance or ACVREP credit, you must complete this verification of attendance form with opening and closing codes.