2010 IAVIT Convention

[John Heim]

All,

The first ever convention of the International Association of Visually 
Impaired Technologists will be held on the weekend of October 22 - 24, 2010 
in Madison, Wisconsin, USA.  The convention will be hheld in conjunction 
with the 2010 Vision Midwest Conference in Madison.

I will be moderating an open discussion at the Vision Midwest Conference 
about the greatest technical challenges facing blind technologists today. So 
far, this is the only official IAVIT event scheduled. But there will be many 
other events of interest to blind technologists scheduled through Vision 
Midwest.  A list of the presenters at the conference is below. Note that the 
list of events is quite extensive and includes everything from a talk by Dr. 
Greg Vanderheiden of the University of Wisconsin Department of Engineering 
Trace Center to a talk on beer making.

More information about the Vision Midwest Conference can be found at the 
following sites:
www.VisionMidwest.org <http://www.visionmidwest.org/>
http://www.facebook.com/visionmidwest
http://twitter.com/VisionMidwest

*Basic Conference Information*

Target Audience - Blind and visually impaired individuals and professionals
serving the blind and low vision population initially focused on the states
of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, but also
including the other Midwestern states of Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North
Dakota, Ohio and South Dakota.

Conference Date/Duration - (2010) October 22 - 24, 2010 (including a three-
day conference Diabetes Symposium (including Diabetic Retinopathy and
Diabetic Macular Edema), a two-day Braille Symposium and a one-day Retinitis
Pigmentosa Symposium).

Location - (2010) The Exhibition Hall at the Alliant Energy Center, Madison,
WI (main), with other locations in Madison and adjoining municipalities.

Main Conference Elements - Educational Presentations (professional- and
consumer-oriented), Sports (blind bowling, GPS hunt, running, tandem cycling
and yoga), Vendor/Service Provider/Nonprofit Exhibition Hall and Cultural
Amenities (including Chazen Art Museum tactile tours and a live music
concert).
*
**Partnerships*

1. WisTech is a sponsor of the conference and we will be having an AT
training at the conference.  The AT training will be utilized by the
Wisconsin Office for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and is being promoted
to other professionals throughout Wisconsin and other Midwestern states.

2. Pathways to Independence (Wisconsin state employment entity) is a sponsor
of Vision Midwest Conference employment and career programming.

3. The Vision Midwest Conference 2010 is the annual conference of WAER and
the Wisconsin Office for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and will be the
location and programming provider for a meeting of the Blinded Veterans
Association of Wisconsin.

4. The Vision Midwest Conference will have reciprocal programming and be
working with ILAB (http://ilab.psu.edu) who is having a conference on the
same time at UW-Madison, and the Vision Midwest Conference will also benefit
from shared programming and attendees of the International Association of
Visually Impaired Technologists, which is holding their convention on the
same weekend in Madison.

5. Wisconsin Braille, Inc. will provide significant programming and guidance
for the Braille Symposium.

6. We have arranged tactile art museum tours at the Chazen Museum of Art -
see http://www.12state.org/2010/04/chazen-museum-of-art-tours

7. American Printing House for the Blind (APH) will be having a National
Instructional Partnership program the Sunday of the conference with Dr.
Lauren Lieberman on adaptive physical education for visually impaired
children.
*
**Confirmed Conference Presenters*

Adaptive Technology Resources (ATR) staff (Wisconsin), on "NetTaker -
Portable Computing and Notetaking Solution", "OCR (Optical Character
Recognition) Solutions for Blind & Visually Impaired Individuals",
"Accessible Cell Phones - Look what I can do with my cell phone!" and
"Screen Magnification & Reading for Low Vision".

Sharlyn Ayotte (Ottawa, ON, Canada), Chief Strategy Officer, Founder and
former CEO, T-Base Communications Inc., panel on assistive technology policy
and an individual presentation on VIPs creating and developing private
sector businesses.

Lindsey Baker (St. Paul, MN), Rehabilitation Counselor Supervisor for State
Services for the Blind, on vocational assessments/evaluation for individuals
who have a vision loss and a panel on transitioning from volunteering and
internships to paid professional work.

Cory Ballard (Milwaukee, WI), Adaptive Products Specialist at the Badger
Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired, on cell phones and on
digital talking book players.

William Bielawski, Director of Adaptive Technology at The Chicago Lighthouse
for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired, four presentations on
Adaptive Technology.

Amy Bigna (Racine, WI), Senior Research Services Manager, SC Johnson
Company, panel on VIPs working in the private sector.

Gwen Botting (Michigan), President of Michigan Parents of Children with
Visual Impairments and Chair of Quality Education Team for Students who are
Blind or Visually Impaired, on "'I can do it myself!'  How Parents'
Attitudes Make All the Difference!" and panel on parenting.

Clyde Brewer (Indianapolis, IN), Employment Services Specialist BOSMA
Enterprises, panel on transition to adulthood/work.

Robert Buettner, Rehabilitation Services Director at the Badger Association
of the Blind and Visually Impaired, on "Living Successfully with Low Vision"
and a panel on "Current Challenges and What the Future Holds for VIP
Organizations".

Larry Caplan (Evansville, IN), Master Gardner, Horticultural Educator for
the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service, on sensory gardening.

Mark Carson (Illinois), Midwest Sales Director for HumanWare, on braille
notetakers.

Center for Sight and Hearing (Rockford, IL) will have staff demo current
technology for remote captioning and video-remote interpreting at the
conference.

Jane Charlton (Janesville, WI), Content Editor for AFB Senior Site eLearning
Center on Aging and Visual Impairment, on the American Foundation for the
Blind (AFB) Senior Site.

Joe Cioffi, President of St. Paul, MN-based ClickAndGo Wayfinding Maps, on
wayfinding technology.

Kristina King Cohen (Palo Alto, CA), Education Program Manager of
Bookshare/Benetech, on "Bookshare - Everything You Need to Know About the
World's Largest Online Library of Accessible Books".

Dr. Norman Coombs (California), CEO EASI Equal Access to Software and
Information, on removing barriers to online learning.

Tracy Curley (Princeville, Hawaii), Founder and CEO of Rousettus LLC, on
Yoga instruction using the Visually Impaired Yoga Mat.

Jeremy Curry (courtesy of ATR), Director of Training at GW Micro, on
"Notetakers for Blind Consumers -  Classroom, Wayfinding and Personal
Benefits", "DAISY Players - Educating, Informing and Entertaining Busy
People" and "Screen Reading with WindowEyes".

Susan Dalton (Marengo, IL), M.S.Ed., CVRT, Transition Specialist
TransVision, panel on transition to adulthood/work, and presentation "On the
Road to Independence".

Mary Ann Damm (courtesy of WisBrl), NLS Certified Transcriber and National
Braille Association (NBA) Certified Textbook Transcriber and co-author of
NBA Braille Formats Course, "Translating Print into Braille" (for TVIs and
Transcribers).

Larisa DeZayas, COMS and President of WAER, on "Accessible design for safer
street crossings".

Kurt Fiene, President of the Elmhurst Running Club (Illinois) and national
championship for visually impaired runners marathon winner, on VIP running
and training.

Beth Finke (Illinois), NPR commentator, award-winning author, teacher and
journalist, panels on blogging and writing.

Kelly Ford (Redmond, WA), Test Lead with Microsoft, presentation on
accessibility from a development perspective and panel on VIPs working in
the private sector.

Dr. David M. Gamm, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Assistant Professor,
Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus, Edwin and Dorothy Gamewell
Retina Research Professor, on stem cell research.

Don Golembiewski (Spring Green, WI), Hadley School for the Blind Instructor,
developing/improving support groups.

Dr. Justin Gottlieb, UW-Madison Associate Professor and Director of the
Retina Service Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, on Diabetic
Retinopathy.

Dr. Betsy Gruba, Director of Technology for the Wisconsin Council of the
Blind and Visually Impaired, panel on marriages with blind and sighted
spouses, and knitting.

Naomi Harm (Brownsville, MN), K-12 technology specialist and the Technology
Director for the Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association,
whose credentials include being a/an National Intel Senior Trainer,
National/International Keynote Speaker, 21st Century Skills Affiliate, Smart
Technology Trainer, Thinkfinity Field Trainer, 21st Century Literacy
Specialist, Adjunct Faculty at UW-Lacrosse and a consultant, on
collaborative education technology topics.

Marilyn Harmon, Teacher of the Visually Impaired in Milwaukee Public Schools
and Associate Lecturer at UW-Milwaukee Exceptional Education Department, on
blind and visually impaired infants and pre-schoolers.

Dr. Mark Harris, Director Student Disability Services at University of Iowa,
presenting on a panel of directors of college/university Student Disability
Services with a visual impairment focus.

Earle Harrison, President and Founder of Handy Tech North America, on "Have
a Free Screen Reader, Whether You Need One or Not!" and "Active Tactile
Control, the World's Most Sensitive Braille Displays".

Debra Hegstrom, Minneapolis Institute of Arts Associate Educator of the
Docent Program, on museum accessibility.

John Heim, International Association of Visually Impaired Technologists
President, chairing round table discussion "Accessibility Issues for
Professional Computer Technologists".

Dr. Heather Hinson, Advisory Council Member and Low Vision Service
Optometrist at the Badger Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired, on
low vision evaluations.

Kevin Hollinger (St. Charles, MO), Orientation and Mobility specialist for
the Francis Howell School District and Director S.T.E.P. (Summer Transition
and Employment Program), on utilizing online maps in O&M, and on transition
to adulthood/work panel.

Dr. David Hurd, Professor of Geosciences at Edinboro University of
Pennsylvania with Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning staff on
panel "Building Connections with the project Visualizing Science with
Adapted Curriculum Enhancements (ACE)" and in workshop "A Tactile Guide to
the Solar System with Digital Talking Text."

Erica Ihrke (Rochester Hills, MI), Manager of Technology & Extended Services
for Leader Dogs for the Blind, on dog guides.

Dr. Gaylen Kapperman (DeKalb, IL), Professor and Coordinator of Visual
Disabilities Program at Northern Illinois University, on Nemeth code.

Dr. Arthur Karshmer, Professor and Chair, Department of Technology,
Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Director of The Universal Math Lab,
University of San Francisco, on AutOMathic Blocks System for independently
teaching young blind students math.

Diane Kernan-Schroeder (Hines, IL), RN, MSN, BC-ADM, CDE, Diabetes Clinical
Nurse Specialist at Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Administration Hospital, on
diabetes.

Mike Knezovich (Chicago), freelance writer, panel on marriages with blind
and sighted spouses.

Dr. Amol D Kulkarni, Ophthalmology Resident, Department of Ophthalmology and
Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public
Health, on Retinitis Pigmentosa.

Stephen Kuusisto, University of Iowa Professor/Poet/Blogger "Planet of the
Blind" Author, on blogging and/or careers.

Anne Lambert, Curator of Education at the Chazen Museum of Art (UW-Madison),
panel presentation on museum accessibility/universal exhibit design.

Dennis Lembree (Cupertino, CA), Computer Accessibility expert, blogger,
podcaster, and award-winning Accessible Twitter programmer, on accessible
computer technology.

Natasha Lemler (St. Paul, MN), Rehabilitation Counselor/Vocational Evaluator
for State Services for the Blind, on vocational assessments/evaluation for
individuals who have a vision loss and a panel on transitioning from
volunteering and internships to paid professional work.

Dr. Lauren Lieberman, Professor of Adapted Physical Education at SUNY
Brockport, on adapted exercise.

Gil Lutz (Ohio), Training and Technical Support with the Sendero Group, on
GPS instruction and a GPS treasure hunt.

Rod Maccoux (Green Bay, WI), Home Brewer and Wine Maker, on Home Brewing and
Wine Making.

Scott Moore (Manchester Center, VT), VP of Marketing at Ai Squared, on
"What's New in ZoomText".

Liam Moran, ATLAS Digital Media at University of Illinois, on Scene
Description technologies for online educational video.

Dave Moyle, Martial Arts Trainer, on self-defense for the blind and visually
impaired.

Jerry Munden (Charlotte, NC), Vice President of Business Development Prodigy
Diabetes Care, on VIP accessible diabetes and medical equipment.

Erin Narloch (Wausau, WI), Curator of Education at the Woodson Art Museum,
panel presentation on museum accessibility/universal exhibit design

Jill Oswald, Public School Speech Therapist, panel on marriages with blind
and sighted spouses.

Jennifer Ottowitz, Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapist at the Badger
Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired and Associate Lecturer
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee College of Health Sciences, on "I Can Pick
Out My Own Clothes Now".

Dr. Danielle Poole, Low Vision/Primary Care Attending Optometrist at the
Illinois Eye Institute, on seniors and low vision.

Karen Poppe (Louisville, KY), Tactile Graphics Project Leader for American
Printing House for the Blind (APH), on Tactile Literacy project for
children.

William Powell (Indianapolis, IN), Assistive Technology Manager at BOSMA
Rehabilitation Center and Lecturer III at Indiana State University, Literary
Braille Transcriber NLS, Lifetime Member, National Braille Association, 26
Years as a classroom teacher for K-12 aged students, 15 Years as a Braille
Instructor at the college level, on Braille topic for consumers TBD
(possibly "Overview of Braille - Infancy to Adulthood") and on "BOSMA
Rehabilitation Build Your Own Computer Program".

Mary Powers (Wausau, WI), Orientation and Mobility Instructor at Blind and
Visually Impaired Services of Northcentral WI, facilitating panel on when to
use a cane with Retinitis Pigmentosa.

Kevin Price, Assistive Technology Specialist and Chair of the UIC Web
Accessibility Committee, University of Illinois at Chicago, presenting on a
panel on four-year college/university services to students with disabilities
with a visual impairment focus.

Christopher Quinn (Madison, WI), First Settlement Counseling, moderating
panel on marriages with blind and sighted spouses.

Mark Richert (Washington, DC), Director of the American Foundation for the
Bind Public Policy Center, panel on assistive technology policy and
individual presentation on health care policy.

Constance Risjord (courtesy of WisBrl), National Library Service (NLS)
Certified Transcriber and author of Instruction Manual for Braille
Transcribing (Fifth Edition 2008), on "A Literary Braille Update" (for TVIs
and Braille Readers).

David A. Ross, Biomedical Research Engineer, Rehab Research and Development
Center Department of Veterans Affairs in Atlanta, GA, on Cell Phone
Accessibility Evaluation Study for Persons with Visual Impairments (ongoing
study) and one of the following two presentations (with the other one being
held Thursday, October 21 at the free UW AT Expo), Passive RFID tags to
Provide Signage Access and Indoor Navigation Information (includes demo),
and SeeScan: Camera Cell Phone-based Object Recognition System for People
with Visual Impairment

Jean Salzer, Student Accessibility Center, UW-Milwaukee, presenting on a
panel on four-year college/university services to students with disabilities
with a visual impairment focus.

Dr. Axel Schmetzke, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (University
Library) Professor, on "Accessibility of online library resources: trends,
policy issues, and perspectives".

Dr. Katherine Schneider, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Senior
Psychologist, Emerita, will present "Your Treasure Hunt: Nurturing
Resilience in Blind and Low Vision Children and Youth".

The Seeing Eye, Inc. (Morristown, NJ), staff member, on dog guides.

Nancy Smith, Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired Birth to
Six Vision Teacher (retired and now consulting), on early childhood
development.

Ken Sosalla, Director, Southeastern Wisconsin BOLD, on the history of and
how to create a Lions BOLD (Blind Outdoor Leisure Development) group.

James Stachowiak, Associate Director of the Iowa Center for Assistive
Technology Education and Research (ICATER) at the University of Iowa College
of Education, on ICATER and assistive technology in higher education.

Dr. Kimberly Stepien (Milwaukee, WI), Assistant Professor at the
Ophthalmology-Medical Retina Eye Institute of the Medical College of
Wisconsin, presenting on Stargardt's.

Dr. Jessica Thull, Rehabilitation Psychology Fellow, Hines VA Hospital
Psychology Department, on visual impairment and mental health.

Sean Tikkun, Madison Metro School District Instruction Technology Resource
Teacher and Teacher of the Visually Impaired, on "Apple Universal Design:
accessibility out of the Box".

Dawn Turco (Winnetka, IL), Hadley School for the Blind Senior Vice President
of Educational Operations, on leisure travel.

Dr. Gregg Vanderheiden, Director of the Trace R&D Center and Professor
Industrial & Systems Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at UW Madison,
on panel on assistive technology policy and an individual presentation
covering topics around
http://RaisingTheFloor.net<http://raisingthefloor.net/>and
http://NPII.org <http://npii.org/>.

Eric Wagenfeld, Assistant Dean of Students & Director, Services for Students
with Disabilities, Indiana Purdue University, Ft Wayne, presenting on a
panel of directors of college/university Student Disability Services with a
visual impairment focus and presenting on "Redefining Accessible
Technology:  Accessible Technology on a Budget".

Naomi Wedel (Madison, WI), MS, RD, BC-ADM, CDE, Dean Health Care, on
diabetes.

Wicab, Inc. (Middleton, WI)  will have staff direct a BrainPort
presentation/panel and technology demonstration.

Michelle Williams of Enhanced Vision (courtesy of ATR), on "Ergonomics of
Electronic Magnification Today".

Wisconsin Braille Inc. (WisBrl) members, "Make-a-Shape Book" (for Blind
Parents of Preschoolers and Parents of Blind Preschoolers)

Ed Vitu, owner E. M. Vitu, Inc., on PACMate with built-in JAWS screen
reader.

Gerard V. Xavier, Milwaukee Area Technical Technical College-Madison
Counselor, facilitator of panel on parenting.

Charles Young (Winnetka, IL), Hadley School for the Blind President, on
careers/employment.*
*

On Fri, Jul 2, 2