Conference Theme: Stronger Together

​Welcome to our 22nd year of GVEST! Our theme this year is Stronger Together as we celebrate the joining together of the GVEST and Georgia AER conferences. 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. 

Professional Development Credits
This year’s conference 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. Additionally, CRC credits will be available for Rehabilitation Counselors. 
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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 or CRC 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. 

Downloadable pdf file of GVEST GaAER 2021 Stronger Together Conference Program

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Purchase Your Conference SWAG!

You can support ongoing professional development from GVEST by purchasing GVEST swag! Our fundraiser gives you a choice of different shirts! You can choose a short sleeve crew neck or v-neck t-shirt or a hoodie. All have the GVEST logo on the front and the text "stronger together" on the back. The phrase "stronger together" is also in braille. Be sure to get your conference SWAG! Those who have made purchases from this fundraiser will be entered into a raffle at the end of the first conference day on Friday, October 15! We appreciate your support! Thank you!

Purchase Conference SWAG

Back of grey hoodie featuring text stronger together in print and simulated braille

Back of blue crew neck short sleeve shirt with text stronger together in print and sim braille

Front of white crew short sleeve shirt with small GVEST and GaAER text within Georgia outline on top left

Front of blue v-neck short sleeve shirt with small GVEST and GaAER text within Georgia outline on top left

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Day 1, Friday, October 15, 2021 Theme: Tools to Move Forward

12:00 to 1:00
Welcome and Keynote Address featuring Karen Blankenship
Begin with the End in Mind: What does it mean to increase the employment rate for all students who are blind or visually impaired?

1:00 to 2:00 Session 1
Choose one session to attend live. All sessions will be recorded and available to watch to earn additional ACVREP or CRC credits!

• Literacy for all students who are blind or visually impaired with Karen Blankenship. ​Literacy is  a critical skill for all post secondary options and should be available for all students no matter the ability level. Participants will explore the constructs of literacy, research-based strategies, and how these apply to ALL students who are blind or visually impaired. 
• Meet the APH ConnectCenter Programs and Sites with Richard Rueda and the APH Career Connect Team. This session will introduce professionals  and practitioners to the all-new APH ConnectCenter including an overview of VisionAware, FamilyConnect, CareerConnect, and the all new Transition Hub. Additionally, we’ll explore the operations and functions of our sites and services. Attendees will be able to hear directly from and ask questions of the experts from the APH ConnectCenter team. There is something for everyone, from the young blind child, to the active job seeker, to the personearning to adjust to life with vision loss at the APH ConnectCenter.
• Cortical Visual Impairment: Considerations for Augmentative & Alternative Communication Part 1 with Christopher Russell. Students with cortical visual impairment and complex communication needs including those who have additional/multiple disabilities often require the development of individualized, multimodal communication programs to support their expressive communication and access to information and interactions throughout the day. Professionals working with these students require a holistic understanding of communication development and assessment, and knowledge of unique techniques and approaches that apply to this diverse group of students. This session will focus on an overview of CVI adaptations to multi-modal AAC including no-tech, light-tech, and high-tech communication systems. A new resource for supporting teams in developing appropriate communication systems for students with CVI will be shared with participants, The AAC/CVI Matrix (Russell & Willis, 2020).
• Process of Obtaining Bioptics Panel Discussion with Dr. Jon Forche, Nancy Parkin-Bashizi, and Nathan's Driving School. Roundtable/ panel discussion outlining the process of Bioptic evaluation, dispensing, training and driver education. We will also cover what are skills TVI/ OM can be providing students in school to prepare them to be good bioptic candidates, as well as the eligibility criteria for an initial evaluation.​

​2:00 to 3:00 Session 2
Choose one session to attend live. All sessions will be recorded and available to watch to earn additional ACVREP or CRC credits!

• ​​ECC: A Collaborative Approach to Ensuring Positive Adult Outcomes with Karen Blankenship. In this session, participants will explore how ECC instruction effects positive adult outcomes, including employment and post-secondary educational opportunities.
• Gaining a Career Advantage: A Practitioners Perspective with Cantrice Moffit. In this presentation, learners will explore the Career Advantage for VIPs program in-depth and learn how various rehabilitation professionals can use it to help their consumers gain a career advantage.
• ​Cortical Visual Impairment: Considerations for Augmentative & Alternative Communication Part 2 with Christopher Russell. Students with cortical visual impairment and complex communication needs including those who have additional/multiple disabilities often require the development of individualized, multimodal communication programs to support their expressive communication and access to information and interactions throughout the day. Professionals working with these students require a holistic understanding of communication development and assessment, and knowledge of unique techniques and approaches that apply to this diverse group of students. This session will focus on an overview of CVI adaptations to multi-modal AAC including no-tech, light-tech, and high-tech communication systems. A new resource for supporting teams in developing appropriate communication systems for students with CVI will be shared with participants, The AAC/CVI Matrix (Russell & Willis, 2020).
• Assisting Clients to Achieve Readiness for Guide Dog Mobility with Marc Gillard. There are many areas a client needs to work on to be ready for guide dog mobility besides their O&M skills.  This presentation will educate participants how to assist their clients to achieve ‘guide dog readiness’ by presenting a ‘readiness checklist’.  The checklist has nine areas of readiness which are broken down into readiness indicators.  The checklist can be used as a tool by blindness professionals to subjectively measure a client’s readiness for a guide dog and to help identify areas requiring further development.

3:00 to 3:30 
​Closing and Raffle

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Day 2, Friday, March 11, 2022 Day 2 Theme: Where Am I Going and How Do I Get There?

​12:00 to 1:00
Welcome and Keynote Address featuring Cindy Bachofer 

1:00 to 2:00 Session 1
Choose one session to attend live. All sessions will be recorded and available to watch to earn additional ACVREP or CRC credits!

• ​General Principles and Activities for Using Optical Devices for Near Tasks with Cindy Bachofer. If you had 20/200 vision, what devices for near tasks would you most want to carry in your bag? The presenter will summarize general principles of device use, provide rationale for low tech tools in a screen-rich world and describe a variety of activities for increasing visual access across settings.
• Blind and Low Vision AT Solutions with Danny Housley. This session will cover high, medium and low-tech solutions that people with visual disabilities can use to provide visual and non-visual access in a variety of settings. This session will cover both hardware and software solutions and provide resources for finding demonstrations and educational materials. 
• ​Personal Experiences with Transition with Richard Rueda. Meet Richard Rueda, Digital Content Manager with the APH ConnectCenter. Richard will take us through the trying, challenging, and ultimately successful path he pursued as a low-vision high school student who transitioned to college, career exploration and the world of work. Richard will share biases his own IEP team had in regards to introducing Braille to him in elementary school, the advocacy skills he learned from that initial disappointment; and how he works side by side with practitioners like us to listen, learn and motivate families and transition-age youth to become and remain empowered.
• Learning Through Touch: Early Hand Skills and the Tactile Developmental Rating Scale for Infants and Young Children  with Christine Spratling and Kate Beals. Learning through touch is crucial for young children with visual impairment but often our focus on developing hand skills begins with grasp and release when, in fact, there are several early skills we need to support.  In this session, we’ll discuss the development of early hand skills and introduce a tool from the Anchor Center to identify areas where the child needs intervention.
• O&M Wheelchair Use with James Scott Crawford​. This presentation will introduce strategies and techniques for incorporating the long white cane with the use of wheelchairs. Attendees will learn alternatives for propelling the chair while using the long white cane, consistently navigating tight spaces, and assessing the student’s ability to transition between a manual chair and a powered device.
• O&M for VI Wheelchair users Assessment and basic movement with James Scott Crawford​. Session will discuss how assessment process differs between ambulatory consumers and those with orthopedic impairments, including basic chair propulsion and emergency stopping. 

2:00 to 3:00 Session 2
Choose one session to attend live. All sessions will be recorded and available to watch to earn additional ACVREP or CRC credits!

• General Principles and Activities for Using Optical Devices for Distance Tasks with Cindy Bachofer. ​If you had 20/200 vision, what devices for distance tasks would you most want to carry in your bag? The presenter will summarize general principles of device use, provide rationale for low tech tools in a screen-rich world and describe a variety of activities for increasing visual access across settings.
• ​Independent Living Through Smart Home Technology with Ben Jakobs. Join Ben Jacobs as he introduces you to the commercially available and affordable smart home products that individuals can use to regain or maintain independence in their home. Product options for accessing lights, security, thermostat and other devices in the home will be covered.
• EdTrade: Georgia’s K-12 Assistive Technology Reuse Program – Rethink, Reuse, Share, & Save with Gina Gelinas. EdTrade is Georgia Tools for Life assistive technology (AT) reuse and inventory asset management program offered in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Education. Each year, Georgia school districts purchase assistive technology for students to use. In some cases, this assistive technology ends up never being used, being gently used, or just not a right fit for the student. It may be that the student graduates, moves away, or needs another type of technology, leaving the custom technology sitting unused in the district. Sometimes the assistive technology can easily be reused by another student in the district. Other times, the assistive technology simply does not fit the needs of any other student within the district, leaving costly, unused AT equipment sitting in the district. With EdTrade, once a device is no longer relevant for student needs in one district, the device can be listed and paired with a student who would truly benefit from the device’s use in another district. Come learn more about how Georgia districts can swap, loan, donate, or sell assistive technology to one another to keep assistive technology in the hands of Georgia students and off the shelves in our schools! 
• Implementing Active Learning in the Classroom with Martha Veto. ​Lilli Nielsen’s Active Learning is an approach that was developed for children with visual impairments and additional disabilities that keep them from engaging with the world in meaningful ways.  Many people know Active Learning because of the Little Room, or the HOPSA dress; but Active Learning is more than equipment.  When implemented with fidelity, it is an approach that can be used to teach motor skills, concepts about the world, and the general education curriculum.  In this session, we’ll talk to teachers who have worked on implementing Active Learning in their classrooms and see what it takes to start using the approach in the classroom.
• ​​O&M Assessment: A Team Approach with Dr. Justin Kaiser & Dr. Tina Herzberg. Teachers of students with visual impairments and O&M specialists can work together to ensure appropriate referrals and in-depth assessments. The presenters will share what they have learned through their research and practical strategies for collaboration.​
• O&M for VI Wheelchair users:  Navigating tight spaces, doorways, etc. with James Scott Crawford. Session will discuss strategies for blind students in wheelchairs to safely navigate doorways, ramps, lifts, narrow sidewalks and other narrow passages. 

3:00 to 3:30
​Closing and Raffle