Conference Cancelled- UEB Re-certification Information

UEB Re-certification Exam Information

For conference participants who registered and paid to take the UEB re-certification exam, please contact Kandi at Braille@wssb.wa.gov to assign a new proctor, hold an exam, or arrange a refund

2020 PNW & OR AER Conference Cancelled!

Come Together Conference

On behalf of Oregon AER and Pacific Northwest AER, we are cancelling the ‘Come Together’ Conference scheduled for March 19-21, 2020 at the Heathman Lodge in Vancouver, Washington. This decision was not made lightly and we regret the missed opportunity to connect with you and other professionals between our two great states.

Over the last month, we have been closely monitoring the evolving situation with the COVID-19 outbreak to ensure we are taking every precaution to look after our community. In the past week, government agencies, school districts, and organizations nationwide have taken steps to reduce the exposure of COVID-19. Many of our attendees have been wondering why we did not cancel sooner and on behalf of both boards we would like to say thank you for your continued patience and support. In complete transparency, we have been working tirelessly with International AER and our venue, Heathman Lodge, to negotiate contractual obligations as these have a significant financial impact on both chapters and our future.

The ‘Come Together’ conference will not be held next week, March 19-21, 2020. Currently, we are working through options with Heathman Lodge on the possibility of rescheduling this event. If you have not contacted the Heathman Lodge to cancel your hotel reservations, please do so as soon as possible.

We know that you have questions about refunds for your registration costs. All payments made for attendance as a participant or exhibitor will be fully refunded to you. If you would like to make your payment a donation to help us cover contractual and other expenses with cancelling this conference please shoot us an email at hello@oregonaer.org and pnwaerbvi@gmail.com as soon as you can.

If you have any questions, please contact your State’s AER President. We appreciate your patience with responses from our board as information is being negotiated and finalized. More information below for Exhibitors, Presenters, and UEB Registrations.

We look forward to connecting with you at future workshops and conferences.

Wishing you Health & Happiness,

Ashley & Brittany
OR & PNW AER Presidents, Respectively
hello@oregonaer.org and pnwaerbvi@gmail.com

SFASU TVI Program- Deadline Extended!

Deadline Extended to April 1st!

Application deadline has been extended for the Stephen F. Austin Teacher of the Visually Impaired Training Program to April 1st. 

This program is grant funded and pays for all tuition. It is open to teachers in Washington State who are looking to add an endorsement to become a Teacher of the Visually Impaired. 

      INTERESTED?____

If you are interested or know of someone who may be interested in becoming part of this in-demand field, please see the attached application instructions. This grant is competitive so make sure to apply as soon as you can!

Exhibitor Registration Closed

Registration closed for Exhibitors! There are still sponsorship opportunities, please email us to inquire!

Early Bird Registration Ends 2/29/2020

Come Together Conference 2020

March 19-21, 2020 at the Heathman Lodge in Vancouver, WA.

Early Bird Registration Rates end on 2/29/2020. Over 18 CRC Credits Requested. Receive up to 18 ACVREP Credits and Clock Hours. 

Agenda Released!!
The Draft Agenda is now released (subject to change) special thank you to everyone who submitted a proposal!

Featuring over 35 presenters!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1d6GHg8aBJ4HR7OzKyBcmednozwwjCXb5fFCNK9dRCjA/edit

 

Materials Sharing Table
“Material Sharing” was such a hit last year, we are happy to offer again this year!! The idea is to allow conference attendees to ‘bring things’ and ‘take things’.
Materials can be anything and everything vision related- books, tech, stickers, audio books, etc. UEB only books/braille materials, please.
The “Material Sharing” is for items that are consumable or personally purchased items (not items that belong to a district/agency or non-consumable items that are for a specific student). These are items that you are okay to provide with no guarantee to get back. We encourage you to find any items that are no longer being used; looking forward to seeing you all in Vancouver in a few weeks!
UEB RE-Certification Information

AER Community,

As the conference draws closer, both PNW & Oregon Chapter Boards are working hard to make it the best conference yet! The deadline for Presentation Proposals is coming up on January 31st, but it is not too late to submit your topic.
In other news, since sending out the UEB announcement, we’ve been delighted with an overwhelming positive response. We’d like to share with you more details about this offering.
The UEB Review and UEB Recertification Test will be held on Friday, March 20th during the conference. Please see details about registering below.
**Should you not have access to a Perkins Braille writer for the re-certification exam, please contact Kina Blackburn at minkinadenise@gmail.com. We will have a few Perkins Braille writers to borrow for the test.

 

Please email us with any questions you may have. Happy New Year!
Brittany & Ashley
Presidents of PNW & Oregon AER Chapters, respectively
Register & Book Your Hotel Today!

Register and Book your Hotel Today!!

Please join us March 19-21, 2020 at the Heathman Lodge in Vancouver, Washington for the Oregon and Pacific Northwest AER Joint Conference. We look forward to it!

Hotel Information
The Heathman Lodge is located at 7801 NE Greenwood Dr. in Vancouver, WA. Call (360) 254-3100 to reserve your room and mention the AER Conference to secure the conference rate.

Thursday’s Full Day Presentation Line Up

TVI Strand: Megan Mogan, Tactile Strategies for Early Communicators: Practical Ideas for Interactive Daily Routines 

O&M Strand: Half Day:  Dr. Robert Wall Emerson, Accessible Pedestrian Signals, Intersection Geometry and Assessing Risk 

O&M Strand: Half Day:  Saaron Putnam-Almague, Darlene Daniels and Dr. Amy Parker, Principles and Instructional Strategies for Students with Complex Needs Including Cerebral/Cortical Visual Impairment, Deafblind, and Multiple Disabilities

Rehab/Adult Services: Half Day:  Dr. Nora Griffin-Shirley, O&M for Older Adults with Vision Loss (Max 30 participants)

Rehab/Adult Services: Half Day:  Ashley Jopling and Guests, Psychosocial Adjustment to Vision Loss including discussion of Parent grief and loss, Stress Management approaches, and Compassion Fatigue for the Professional 

 

2020 Conference Registration Open!!!

Come Together

You’re invited to the Pacific Northwest and Oregon AER Conference!

Please join us March 19-21, 2020 at the Heathman Lodge in Vancouver, Washington for the PNW and OR Joint Conference. We look forward to seeing you there! 

Register Today  https://pnwaerbvi.org/spring-conference-registration/  

Featuring a Keynote Panel on Collaboration 

Expert Panelists:

Billy Henry, Founder/CEO at Northwest Association for Blind Athletes

Char Cooke, Rehabilitation Instructor at the Oregon Commission for the Blind

Kathryn Botsford, PhD., TVI and Executive Director at Vision Education Research

Scott McCallum, Superintendent at Washington State School for the Blind

Hotel Information

The Heathman Lodge is located at 7801 NE Greenwood Dr. in Vancouver, WA. Call (360)254-3100 to reserve your room and mention the AER Conference to secure the conference rate.