GVEST History
In 2000, the Georgia Department of Education introduced a new conference and called it Georgia Vision Educators Statewide Training, or GVEST. In 2021, GVEST and the Georgia Chapter of AER joined forces to provide statewide trainings to meet the needs of all stakeholders. Now, GVEST continues as multiple agencies dedicated to serving students with sensory impairments collaborate to offer professional development training focused on the needs of this population.
GVEST provides an opportunity for Georgia's educators who serve individuals with visual impairments to have specialized training and to share effective practices and strategies specific to the needs of students and clients with visual impairments. The annual GVEST conference typically takes place in Macon Georgia each October and provides workshops led by experts in the field of blindness.
GVEST provides an opportunity for Georgia's educators who serve individuals with visual impairments to have specialized training and to share effective practices and strategies specific to the needs of students and clients with visual impairments. The annual GVEST conference typically takes place in Macon Georgia each October and provides workshops led by experts in the field of blindness.
GVEST Conference Planning Committee
GVEST would like to gratefully acknowledge the members of the conference planning committee along with Smokey Powell staff for their support and assistance in the planning and implementation of the 20th Annual GVEST program.
Tara BowieGVEST Committee Chair, Outreach Education Program Specialist
Smokey Powell Center Georgia Academy for the Blind |
Sarah BusseySoutheast Region Vision/O&M Services Coordinator
M.S.Ed Special Education TBVI, COMS, CVRT Allied Instructional Service |
Dawn DayCurriculum Director, Georgia Academy for the Blind
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Heidi Evans |
Tracy FitchTVI with Marrietta City Schools; Owner & Developer of Tracy Fitch Educational Services LLC
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Sharon LyttleOutreach Education Program Specialist.
Smokey Powell Center Georgia Academy for the Blind |
Zel MurrayEducation Program Coordinator/
GaDOE Statewide Vision Coordinator Smokey Powell Center Georgia Academy for the Blind |
Johan RempelUX/ICT Quality Assurance Manager, UXC, CPACC Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation
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Shirley RobinsonAssistant Director for Blind Services Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Center
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Martha VetoEducation Specialist, Georgia Sensory Assistance Project
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Carmen WillingsTVI with Forsyth County Schools; Georgia Chapter of AER President, Owner & Developer of Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
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