Below you will find the detailed information on each of the sessions that will be offered during our three day conference. If you prefer to have a print copy, you may download and print the GVEST 2022 Session Overview that shows the concurrent sessions options along with the presenter and location. The printable program can be downloaded or printed and provides detailed information about each day's activities and session descriptions. For information about our presenters, please visit the Presenters page. Be sure to register now on the Registration page and visit the Details page to reserve your hotel room as well! Finally, be sure to visit our Sponsors page and see who will be at the Exhibit Hall. We can't wait to see you in October! 

Overview

Program

Sign Up in Advance

We are getting closer to our GVEST 2022 Conference!!!!!! There are a few signups to be aware of:

1. To make GVEST GREAT, we will need conference helpers/volunteers. If you are interested (as a registered guest) in being a GVEST volunteer, please fill out this GVEST Volunteer Form and receive a FREE GVEST T-shirt.
2. One of the sessions this year will be a GAB TOUR, this requires an advance sign-up form because we only have 28 slots. Please click on the GAB TOUR advance sign-up form to “Get on the Bus”. You’ll love this tour!
3. Finally, one of the amazing sessions at GVEST will be a Chromebook session in which you will need to bring a Chromebook to class. Our presenter Bruce McClanahan will teach Braille, Low Vision, Speech, and switch Access for Chromebook, he is requesting an advance sign-up due to software he will need to have available.

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

​ 9:00am - 10:00am

Sign In and Registration

​Visit the Georgia Vision Teams Interactive Map, Participate in the Joy Workout, and be a part of the Soul Train!

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​9:00am - 5:00pm

Exhibit Hall Vendor Showcase 

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​10:00am - 11:00am

Opening General Session 

Welcome and Conference Overview

• Tara Bowie, GVEST Chair

Keynote Address:

• “Teaching Your Students to See the True Champion Within”/Tyler Merren, US Paralympic Athlete Using my story and some inspirational stories from famous figures, I walk you through a 5 step process designed to draw out the greatest potential. With high and low moments, laughs and shocks, this presentation will entertain and teach the life lessons I have learned as a husband, father, athlete, and more.

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​11:15 - 12:15pm

60-minute Concurrent Sessions 

• W.1.a Room 212 (Stadium), The FVLMtA-ECC: Integrating technology within a comprehensive evaluation process and report /Dr. Siu How does technology fit into a comprehensive evaluation process for educational vision services? This session will introduce an approach for supporting how technology can be incorporated throughout a holistic evaluation and comprehensive report for blind and low vision students.
• ​​W.1.c Room 237, O&M Instruction in the Community--How Do We Make It Happen?/Sarah Bussey WAY BACK in our last in person GVEST, I gave a presentation focusing on resources and language O&M Specialists can use to help provide Special Education Directors with the knowledge necessary to confidently support the needs of their students y encouraging O&M instruction in the community. We cited the IDEA and reviewed age-related curricular guidelines. This year, I'm super exited to be back with you to discuss and celebrate the students who have been positively impacted by the points we discussed in our last session. If you weren't with us during the previous presentation we will catch you up! After a quick review we will and move forward to continue developing strategies and build confidence in communicating with Directors regarding the needs of your students and our responsibility to meet those needs in the community!
• W.1.d Room 238, Why Sports!/ Hal Simpson/Georgia Blind Sports Making a case for the importance of sports in the lives of the visually impaired.
• W.1.e Banquet Hall, What's the gab on GAB?/Dr. Cassandra Matthews, Dr. Karen Blankenship, Dr. Cindy Gibson, Alicia Jackson, Dawn Day. Dr. Gibson will discuss the vision and mission of GAB Dr. Matthews and Dr. Blankenship will discuss implementing and choosing a new ELA curriculum for students at GAB. Mrs. Day will discuss AT, assessments, data for math and ELA. Ms. Jackson will discuss transition, related services and ECC.

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​12:15pm - 1:15pm

Buffet Lunch 

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​1:20pm - 2:20pm

60-minute Concurrent Sessions 

• W.2.a Room 212 (Stadium) Needs Assessment for Justifying Technology Recommendations/Dr. Siu Figuring out what our students need for technology can seem very overwhelming! And once you know what might work best for your student, getting approval for multiple purchases can be another challenge to overcome. This workshop will present an approach to conducting a needs assessment in order to determine appropriate learning media, technology, and instructional priorities. Once these determinations are made, participants will also learn how to present the data to justify purchasing requests.
• W.2.b Room 234, A Team Approach to Communication /Chelsea Shoop & Martha Veto Many children with visual impairment and additional disabilities struggle to become proficient communicators. It takes a comprehensive, across environments, and throughout the day approach to help these students build the skills they need. This session will introduce the Communication Matrix and a new series of modules developed to help teams work together to develop a communication plan for their students at the earliest stages of communication.
• W.2.c Room 237, How Does a Blind Person Learn to do Fitness?/Tyler Merren A presentation on the ReVision Fitness app, the audio fitness program designed by Tyler Merren to teach people who are blind or visually impaired how to do fitness correctly. Made to be universally accessible for blind and sighted alike, we’ll dive into the different sections of the program, it’s multi-layered instructional approach, and it’s foundational concept that vision loss does not equate to ability loss when the right resources are available.
• W.2.d Room 238, Using VI-AT Services to Help Fill TVI Openings/Amanda Thompson, Mike Fish The Vision Field currently has more unfilled positions than ever before. At the same time, Low Vision and Blindness AT needs have exponentially grown. Learn how AT Services from CATIS and other highly skilled AT Specialists who focus on VI-AT can help school systems fill gaps in service provision while lightening TVI workload and helping students receive appropriate, highly specialized AT services at the same time, which takes the guesswork out of determining the AT solutions for your students! Learn how our team assists TBVIs with assessing student technology skills, uses consideration matrices to determine the best technology to meet your student needs, and creates a plan for short-term and long-term instruction. At AIS we have thrown the categorical box out of the window and are creating innovative approaches for meeting students’ AT needs.
• W.2.e Banquet Hall, Supported Employment: Employment is Possible for Everyone with the Right Supports/Sharon DeMille PP combined with speaking presentation. Two types of Supported Employment (Traditional & Customized) offered by GVRA for individuals. Describe the two types/contrast their differences/talk about the services encompassed by each. Discuss how GVRA counselors work with the SE providers to accomplish these goals. Talk about the types of supports that are provided. Help audience to see that with Supports, employment can be possible for all individuals. Talk about how Customized SE addresses what we typically consider "more severe" or "more involved" disabilities. 

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​2:30pm - 3:30pm

60-minute Concurrent Sessions 

• W.3.a Room 212 (Stadium) How to Write Technology Goals for the IEP/Dr. Siu AT instruction requires both device knowledge and understanding of how a device is adopted for meaningful implementation. As devices become more sophisticated, teachers might even be learning alongside students! In order to support manageable learning curves, this workshop will present a task analysis approach to learning and teaching technology. Developing high-quality IEP goals may serve as a blueprint for educators on how to support AT holistically, and function as a means to ensure students receive the equipment and training they need to meet high expectations.
• W.3.b Room 234, Jaws: Bite by Byte/Amanda Thompson, Mike Fish Join Mike Fish, M.Ed. and Assistive Technology Services Coordinator – Blindness Division for AIS and Amanda Thompson, M.Ed., CATIS, ATP and Director of Assistive Technology for AIS as they break JAWS into digestible bytes for TVIs. JAWS: Bite by Byte, a curriculum guide, helps TVIs learn Windows PC basic conceptual knowledge and teach those concepts to their students. Screen Reader instruction doesn’t have to be frustrating and intimidating when we set students and TVIs up for success. Learn about the curriculum guide, where to find it, and the content it contains so you can use the tool to support JAWS instruction for your students.
• W.3.c Room 237, My Favorite Activities to Teach the ECC/Carmen Willings Carmen will provide her favorite activities for teaching all areas of the ECC including suggestions and strategies for individualizing instruction and adapting materials for students using age-neutral and multi-sensory activities designed to meet the needs of the broad range of students served by a TVI. This session will provide activities for students with severe and profound disabilities through students who are following the standard course of study. ECC activity areas include concept development, braille instruction, visual efficiency, optical device, and more!
• W.3.d Room 238, The New SLK – Routines for Sensorimotor Learners/Heather Boyle Planning for our Sensorimotor Learners can be challenging. The new Sensing & Learning Assessment, an update to the APH Sensory Learning Kit, can help us determine what Sensorimotor Stage our learner is in and guide our instructional practices. This presentation will introduce you to the new Sensing & Learning Assessment and show you how this assessment tool can help in the development of routines, assist in appropriate IEP goal development, and add useful information to your LMAs!
• W.3.e Banquet Hall, What O&M Can I Support as a TVI? (We won't be sitting the whole time!)/Sarah Bussey If you know me, you know I want to be up and MOVING!!! In this session we will quickly review strategies you can use to support your students' development in O&M when the O&M Specialist isn't in the building. We will then get up and head out of the room to practice O&M skills under sleep shade with a partner! This is my favorite activity to do with teams and I can use the practice under sleep shade as well! It's amazing the amount of AHA moments I've had when I take a moment to step into my students' shoes. To be honest, it has been over 6 since I personally participated in a simulation, and it's time!

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​3:30pm - 4:30pm

Afternoon Break & Networking 

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​4:00pm - 5:00pm

60-minute Hands On Sessions 

• W.4.a Room 212 (Stadium) What’s on your wish list for a digital comprehensive assessment tool? / Dr. Siu and Deborah “Cricket” Park In collaboration with the California School for the Blind, Dr. Ting is developing a free, open source, web-based tool for collecting comprehensive evaluation data that will also help teachers draft an evaluation report. This roundtable discussion will include a brief demo of the prototype and welcome suggestions for improvement. The time will focus on gathering feedback about the tool and identifying “wishlist” items that practitioners would want to have in such a tool. All suggestions will be documented from participants anonymously. 
• W.4.b Room 234 Making Books & Stories Meaningful for Students with Complex Needs/ Christine Spratling Christine’s summary: Many of our students / babies do not have the conceptual background and experiences to get meaning from the books or stories that are used in the classroom. Yet, there are so many literacy activities we can develop from the books - with the learner always in the center of our planning - Many of our students / babies do not have the conceptual background and experiences to get meaning from the books or stories that are used in the classroom. Yet, there are so many literacy activities we can develop from the books - with the learner always in the center of our planning - we may just need to be a little bit creative. In this session, we want to put the fun back into books and stories while focusing on the individual learning needs and style of the learner.
• W.4.c Room 237, Workout Session Blindfold Style/ Tyler Merren Get in a great workout session with a twist, you will be blindfolded through the session to gain the experience of hitting a workout session without the use of vision. Don’t worry, your instructor has experience in teaching those who are blind or visually impaired. 😉 This should be a great way to break up the sessions and have some fun.
• ​​W.4.d Room 238, Hands-On Haptics/ Martha Veto Haptics is a standardized system for providing visual information and social feedback via touch signals on the body. The Haptics system was developed for deaf-blind adults as a subtle way to fill in the gaps of what is going on around them- people are laughing or crying, someone has a hand raised, someone you know just came in and waved. Haptics is a great tool for O&M with students who have hearing loss, or to convey a message to a student during a lecture without talking over the speaker, or to indicate where things are in the room. In this hands-on session we’ll look at some of the uses of Haptics and practice giving some directions to others. ​
• W.4.e Banquet Hall, Scaling Assistive Technology for All Ages and Stages/Jose Cintron and Joel Zimba, Florida Vision Technology. Essential Functions of Technology in the Classroom, New Products for Early Braille LearningDevices for More Advanced Studies, Braille That Grows with the User, Learning the Technology.  Topics include Essential Functions of technology in the Classroom, Creating Documents and Taking Notes, Reading Books, Connecting to other Devices, products for early braille learning, devices for more advanced studies, braille that grows with the user, and learning the technology.

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5:00pm - 8:00pm

Afternoon Social

Join us in the Banquet Hall at 5pm on Wednesday as we celebrate being reunited again! AIS, GSAP, AIDB, and Visual Enhancements will be hosting our Wednesday evening social in the banquet room. Enjoy light snacks, prizes, music, dancing, trivia, and be sure to stop by the photo booth! You won’t want to miss this fun after party!

Thursday, October 13, 2022

​7:30am - 8:00am

Sign In and Registration 

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​8:00am - 5:00pm

Exhibit Hall Vendor Showcase 

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​8:00am - 9:00am

60-minute Concurrent Sessions 

• Th.1.a Room 212 (Stadium), The Low Hanging Fruit of AT (AT tech in mainstream tools)/Dr. Siu Often times, adult and school-age clients alike can benefit from advantages of access technology without the financial commitment (and steeper learning curve) of more specialized technology. Knowing what can be introduced via freely available mainstream technology can make accessing information easy and get students’ buy-in to using access technology. This technology will explore some readily available technologies on any mobile or desktop computing device – BYOD (bring your own device) and be ready to experiment!
• Th.1.b Room 234, Creating Accessible Content/Carmen Willings Start with accessibility in mind when creating documents and design instruction to ensure access for students who are blind or visually impaired. This presentation on Accessible Content for Individuals who are Blind or Visually Impaired provides suggestions in supporting teams by providing guidance on how to create accessible materials, documents, presentations, and web content. ​
• Th.1.c Room 237, The One Where the ECC Magic Happens (Para Strand)/Tara Bowie and Tyrene Neil Participants will gain a basic understanding of the Expanded Core Curriculum and why it is a crucial element in supporting students with visual impairments.
• Th.1.d Room 238, Putting Your Students in the Driver's Seat...How to Develop and Implement Student Led Transition Plans/Toni Kimbrough and Patricia Hendrix The presenters will discuss best practices of the Transition Planning Process by providing strategies to foster self-determination through an interactive and informative presentation. Each attendee will leave with ideas, strategies and materials to better develop and implement Student Led Transition Plans.
• Th.1.e Banquet Hall, Increasing Workflow, Productivity and fun with braille notetakers/ Earl Harrison ​​In this presentation, HIMS National Account Manager Earle Harrison will demonstrate how today's notetaking technology remains relevant in the academic, professional and recreational lives of thousands of people who are blind, and is helping to pave the way to success. These all-in-one devices increase workflow and productivity with streamline access to cloud storage systems like Google, OneDrive and DropBox, text based google searches, a math editor with real-time graphing ability, podcasting, maintaining contacts and calendar appointments, access to virtual meeting and conferencing platforms and so much more. ​

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​9:00am - 9:30am

Morning Break 

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​9:30am - 11:30am

120-minute Concurrent Sessions 

• Th.2.a Room 212 (Stadium), How to Teach for Conceptual Understanding in Virtual Environments/Dr. Siu Wondering how to introduce a blind student to a new device, online platform, or app? Much of sustainable tech instruction actually needs pre-teaching without a device and by using tech-free, tactile media first. In this workshop, Dr. Ting will guide teachers and parents on how to teach for conceptual understanding when using technology to navigate virtual environments. Be sure to catch info on how to make tactile teaching aids yourself or by downloading ready-made resources from the field.
• Th.2.b Room 234, Braille, Low Vision, Speech, and Switch Access for the Chromebook/Bruce McClanahan (Advanced sign up required) Typing Club, universally designed for all.  Low vision options.  IPEVO video magnifier.  MagniLink S Premium 2.  ChromeVox frequently used commands, configuring ChromeVox, Google Drive for OCR, files, and folders, obtaining a Braille file from a Google Doc & more. VoiceTyping.  Chrome, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Drive, Gmail, & Slides with ChromeVox.
• Th.2.c Room 237, The One Where We Talk about Eyeballs and AT/Tara Bowie and Tyrene Neil Participants will gain a basic understanding of eye conditions and visual impairment and how the use of assistive technology can be an effective tool.  We will discuss assistive technology for students with both low vision and blindness. 
• Th.2.d Room 238, Tools for Transition Planning/Denise Fitzgerald The goal of this session is to introduce several practical tools for transition planning. The Perkins Person Centered Planning process was developed to enhance parent/advocate and student participation prior to the PCP celebration. The presentation will include templates for developing post-Secondary goals along with personal vision statements, ideas for (MAP) conversation starters and how to translate ideas to action plans. Samples of formal and informal assessments will be highlighted.
• Th.2.e Banquet Hall, The Importance of Physical Activity in the Development of Academic and Social Skills/Kathy Zwald Research has shown that physical activity is necessary for success in every aspect of growth and development and this is particularly true with students who are blind or visually impaired. During this session,  strategies will be discussed and demonstrated to get your student moving and involved with physical education in their school and community activities.​

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​11:30am - 1:00pm

Lunch and Learn 

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​1:15pm - 2:15pm

60-minute Concurrent Sessions 

• Th.3.a Room 212 (Stadium) How to Scale Up Students’ Tech Skills/Dr. Sui This workshop will present four steps to overcoming the technology learning curve with blind and low vision students. First, technology is best introduced to blind and low vision students as soon as there is a need to access information. Join Dr. Ting and consider how a comprehensive 3-year learning curve can develop technology proficiency for the youngest students; and for older students who are simply new to technology, how might this learning curve differ? This workshop will challenge participants to consider instructional strategies that empower students of all ages in their own learning process, and ensure buy-in to using technology.
• Th.3.b Room 234, APH Mantis Q40/Chameleon 20/Bruce McClanahan The Mantis and Chameleon are tools that can improve students’ access to/production of information. Both devices support literacy. Attend this session to learn about the instruction and implementation of its use for school-age students.
• Th.3.c Room 237, The One Where We Walk it Out Using O&M Techniques (Para Strand)/ Bowie and Neil Participants will gain a basic understanding of Orientation & Mobility and proper techniques for supporting students’ independence and travel.  Participants will engage in real life O&M activities.
• Th.3.d Room 238 Ensuring Meaningful Access for Learners with CVI/Stephanie Steffer. Children with CVI can show improvement in their brain’s ability to process visual information, however to do so, requires targeted interventions. Dr Christine Roman-Lantzy tells us, “But mere exposure to visual input is not sufficient for individuals with CVI” (Roman 2018). In order to provide access, provide targeted interventions, we as educators need to understand the variety of theoretical strategies and how they relate to a child’s CVI Range score. ​
• ​Th.3.e Banquet Hall, CVI and O&M for Babies and Early Childhood part 1/Kathy Zwald Cortical Visual Impairment issues begin with babies and toddlers and early intervention instruction must include orientation and mobility skills for early motoric and sensory development. During this session early O&M skills will be discussed with learning modules that can be used by any vision professional.

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​2:30pm - 5:00pm 

GAB Tour Group 

Tour historic Georgia Academy for the Blind, established 1852, located at 2895 Vineville Ave. since 1902. Twenty-two acres of phenomenal vision services, K-12 instruction, OT, PT, O&M, WBL, SLP, CTAE and Project SEARCH.   Age 3 – transition and beyond. GAB has a state-of-the-art pool and sensory environment and is home to the acclaimed Smokey Powell Center. Meet Kirby the GAB canine employee who holds certifications as a therapy animal and guide dog. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the hub of all things blindness K-12- The Georgia Academy for the Blind.  “Creating a brighter future by working together”

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​2:30pm - 3:30pm

60-minute Concurrent Sessions 

• Th.4.a Room 212 (Stadium), Connecting with CareerConnect and the TransitionHub/Olaya Landa-Vialard The APH CareerConnect website is the go to source for all things pre employment, employment and much more. Attendees will participate in this interactive session as our session facilitator
  walks attendees through the latest features. Learn about services offered through the TransitionHub, our just launched interactive Job Seekers Toolkit, new partnerships and our YouTube page. An overview of two new offerings in 2022 including Career Conversations and College Conversations will round out the session.
• Th.4.b Room 234, Access for Visually Impaired Students with Significant Additional Impairments/Bruce McClanahan Switch access software has not been developed specifically for totally blind children with significant additional impairments.  We must find switch access software or portions of switch access software that “happens to work” with this population group.  Examples of apps which happen to work are EIEIO from Creative Communicating and Counting Songs 1 & 2 from Inclusive.
• Th.4.c Room 237, The One Where We Talk it Out and Work it Out (Para Strand)/Bowie and Neil Participants will explore fun and creative ways of communicating and collaborating with members of the student’s IEP Team to support students’ ECC.
  
• Th.4.d Room 238, O&M Apps Part 1 (Blind Square, Soundscape, Aira, and more)/Sarah Bussey, Stephanie Hardwick, Shirley Robinson This is a 2 part session where we will review 3 different APPS to use with and introduce to your O&M students to increase their access and travel within the community. You will need access to each of the following APPS. Once we have reviewed each APP we will team up and take it out of the room! This is a very hands on and interactive session! We will be learning alongside the participants and we can't wait for this "feet in the streets" session! Apps include BlindSquare,  Soundscape, and  AIRA.​
  • https://www.blindsquare.com/
  • https://www.iaccessibility.com/apps/blind/index.cgi/product?ID=27 
  • https://aira.io/download-and-try-it
• Th.4.e Banquet Hall, CVI and O&M for Babies and EC Part 2/Kathy Zwald Cortical Visual Impairment issues begin with babies and toddlers and early intervention instruction must include orientation and mobility skills for early motoric and sensory development. During this session early O&M skills will be discussed with learning modules that can be used by any vision professional.

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​3:30pm - 3:45pm

Afternoon Break and Networking 

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​3:45pm - 4:45pm

60-minute Concurrent Roundtable Discussions 

• Th.5.a Room 212 (Stadium), Objective Ed/Marty Schultz Thanks to winning more NIH, NIDILRR and NSF grants, we’ve created more skill-building games for students from pre-K through transition. Sonic Math – teaches early math for pre-K to 1st grade BuddyBooks – helps low vision students with reading O&M – from Barnyard to your own neighborhood, lots of wayfinding and navigation skills Braille Literacy – Braille AI Tutor and Braille Sheets Pre-ETS – Getting a summer job through an accessible choose-your-own-adventure story ​
• Th.5.d Room 238, O&M Apps Part 2 "Feet in the Street"/ Sarah Bussey, Stephanie Hardwick, Shirley Robinson This is a 2 part session where we will review 3 different APPS to use with and introduce to your O&M students to increase their access and travel within the community. You will need access to each of the following APPS. Once we have reviewed each APP we will team up and take it out of the room! This is a very hands on and interactive session! 
• Th.5.e Banquet Hall, Roundtable Discussions (CVI: The State of CVI with GSAP, Transition with Shirley Robinson/Kendrix/ Kimbrough, VI AT with Dr. Siu/SPC, Itinerant Teaching Maniscalco, Sensorimotor Learners with Spratling and Boyle)

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GVEST Night Out on The Town 6:00pm

Join us as we celebrate a night out on the town! We will start the evening at Bearfoot Tavern Bar & Grill in downtown Macon. Following your meal, keep the party going by joining us at Macon's Dueling Piano Bar!
Fall Line Brewing Company
567 Plum St, Macon, GA 31201
​Macon's Dueling Piano Bar
570 Mulberry St, Macon, GA 31210

Friday, October 14, 2022

​7:30am - 8:00am

Sign In and Registration 

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​8:00am - 9:00am

60-minute Concurrent Sessions 

• F.1.a Room 212 (Stadium), O&M Assessment/Kathy Zwald It is important to have an understanding of the role each sensory system plays in our ability to attend and learn. As educators in the VI world, we must consider each sensory system when working with our students. As we gain a knowledge of what motivates them, calms them, or alerts them, we will have the ability to unlock the world around them. Learn about how meaningful and functional routines can support sensory balance, development and active participation. ​/ Kathy Zwald Developing effective O&M instruction and adhering to IEP goals can be a very tricky exercise and often does not fit the type of instruction needed for a variety of students who are blind or visually impaired. During this session, several different tools for O&;M assessments will be discussed and analyzed for goal success.
• F.1.b Room 234, Total Life Learning: Preparing for Transition Part 1​/Denise Fitzgerald The objective of this session is to introduce the Total Life Learning Curriculum  to enhance school transition programming. This curriculum is designed for students with sensory impairments of any age and level of participation. The curriculum was developed by a cross disciplinary team to include all areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum. The curriculum includes a CD with a write on assessment tool. Each of the 6 Strands includes ideas for lessons and activities with each concept broken down into ideas for ALL levels of participation.
• F.1.c Room 237, Back to the Basics- Part 1: The One Where We… “Do it the GEORGIA way”/Stephanie Hardwick, Chris Maniscalco, Tara Bowie How to get what you need and where to get it, such as: Low Vision Eval (clinics, referral packets, TVI responsibilities), APH Registration/GIMC, Quota Funds/Census, IEP and access to Infinite Campus, logins, student access, counties vary in what you will have access to, Assistive Technology (low vision devices, electronic devices, low/no tech materials), Help Groups (GA Vision Google Group, TVI/O&M FB Group)
• F.1.d Room 238, Building Capacity: An Innovative Model for AEM/Carolyn Phillips, Guy Toles, Carey Jackson The Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation (CIDI) in the College of Design at Georgia Tech has been working in collaboration with the University System of Georgia (USG), the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE), the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA) and Walton Options Independent Living Center, to build capacity and serve Georgia students with disabilities through increased access accessible education materials (AEM), Braille accessible Information Communication Technology (ICT) and assistive technology (AT). As we strategically expand our services, environmental scans and discovery interviews were conducted to explore AT and AEM service delivery models throughout the US. A customized model for service delivery of AEM, Braille, ICT and AT in Georgia has been developed, active and continues to evolve which focuses on increasing access to educational environments for students. Multiple dynamic projects have been created, piloted and implemented within this model. These projects, pilots and service delivery experiences have revealed some successes and important lessons learned on the provision of AEM, Braille, ICT and AT. Join us, as the CIDI team shares their insights and lead a discussion of how the dynamic CIDI Service, Education and Research Model provides a possible framework to build upon to better serve our students with disabilities through appropriate AEM, Braille and AT services and education through strategic partnerships.
• F.1.e Banquet Hall, “Appcentuate the Positive!”: Using iOS Apps and Other Digital Tools to Enhance Your FVE/LMA Tool Kit/ Mary-Ann Boger Research shows that students are motivated by technology. Why not add some motivating resources to your FVE/LMA tool kit to put the "fun" back into this essential assessment? This hands-on presentation will showcase iOS apps and digital resources for various components of the FVE/LMA and also showcase two note taking apps to help TVIs with collecting and organizing their data efficiently.

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​9:15am - 10:15am

​60-minute Concurrent Sessions 

• F.2.a Room 212 (Stadium), FUNctional braille for COMS/Debbie "Cricket" Park Having difficulty validating to your O&M student that a particular braille sign for "WOMEN” says "WOMEN" and not "ELEVATOR"? Come discuss functional Braille in your specific situations with a Braille & O&M enthusiast, getting ideas on how to create your own “braille cheat booklet” in this fun & interactive session.
• F.2.b Room 234, Total Life Learning: Preparing for Transition Part 2/Denise Fitzgerald The objective of this session is to introduce the Total Life Learning Curriculum  to enhance school transition programming. This curriculum is designed for students with sensory impairments of any age and level of participation. The curriculum was developed by a cross disciplinary team to include all areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum. The curriculum includes a CD with a write on assessment tool. Each of the 6 Strands includes ideas for lessons and activities with each concept broken down into ideas for ALL levels of participation.
• F.2.c Room 237, Back to the Basics Part 2: The One Where We “Get Er Done”/Stephanie Hardwick, Chris Maniscalco, Tara Bowie.This presentation will touch on various aspects of the role/duties of a TVI, including evaluations, linking results to goal development, lesson planning and preparation, managing schedules/caseloads, and most importantly collaborating with other professionals (i.e., teachers, OT, PT, SLP, O&M, Counselors).
• F.2.d Room 238, What About Georgia's Plan for UEB Math/Science?/Carson Cochran & Chris Davis This presentation will provide a brief overview of the history of UEB adoption in Georgia and will highlight the most recent updates to the plan, particularly as to UEB Math/Science. While Georgia originally kept UEB encapsulated in the Nemeth code, many of our surrounding southern states have moved toward hybrid plans or more exclusively to UEB. This trend highlights the importance of understanding the basics of UEB Math/Science, as well as the similarities and differences between UEB encapsulated Nemeth and UEB Math/Science. Teachers need to be familiar with both so that they can make the best decisions for their students. This presentation will also announce an option for professional learning offered by Middle Georgia RESA, “Fundamentals of UEB Math/Science”.
• F.2.e Banquet Hall, Sensory Processing and the Importance of Routines/Allison Hawkins It is important to have an understanding of the role each sensory system plays in our ability to attend and learn. As educators in the VI world, we must consider each sensory system when working with our students. As we gain a knowledge of what motivates them, calms them, or alerts them, we will have the ability to unlock the world around them. Learn about how meaningful and functional routines can support sensory balance, development and active participation. ​

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​10:15am - 10:45am

Morning Break 

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​10:45am - 12:00pm

General Session 

• GaDOE Updates
• Closing & Prizes

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Past Conference Information

2021-2022 Virtual 2 day Conference Information

2020-2021 Virtual Monthly Conference Information

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