NE/AER | Northeast Resource Center for Vision Education
NE/AER NEWSLETTERNortheast Chapter?? ? ? ? ? ? Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impairedwebsite: neaer.umb.edu?? ? The Northeast Chapter Newsletter is published 3 times a year by NE/AER: Nancy Milczanowski, Editor;Lisa Pruner and John Reilly, Printing and Email Distribution; Cindy Reed-Brown, Stamping and Mailing.President-Elect MessageHello NE/AER Members!?Indeed it is a very happy New Year for our chapter because our IRS tax exempt status as been reinstated and we are back on track!!? This is great news for our chapter in a fiscally responsible type of way and furthermore it is GREAT NEWS for all of us because we can now resume our pursuit of professional development by hosting and attending our very own NE/AER Annual Conference.? Yes, it is true!? If you haven't heard already, Massachusetts will be hosting the annual conference next November 3-6, 2015 at the Sea Crest Beach Hotel in North Falmouth, MA.? The Education/ Itinerant Personnel Division will be hosting a pre-conference.? I know we will all be very happy to attend and catch up on our professional lives.? Meanwhile, don’t forget to look to your division(s) for any Spring Workshops or Conferences that maybe coming up.?At the past two board meetings we developed a Mission and a Vision statement.? These statements are included in the newsletter and you can read them on our website at .? Having these statements support and reinforce our work on the board.? ?It has been a challenging year to not have been able to offer our annual conference – an event that is both dear to our hearts and also functions as the chapter’s main member benefit.? We appreciate everyone having patience during this process.? It has been a learning experience for all of us and we look forward to 2015 being a year where we can resume our mission and fulfill our vision for our Chapter.? Our next Board Meeting is scheduled for March 13, 2015.? Until then, Happy New Year and Enjoy, Enjoy, Enjoy!Rishi K. Connelly, President-ElectOur MissionThe Mission of the Northeast Chapter of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (NE/AER) is to support?professionals who provide education and rehabilitation to individuals with?visual impairments.? This includes offering members Continuing Education?and Professional Development via workshops, conferences, networking opportunities, and excellence recognition.? NE/AER also provides public advocacy for its?members, the vision profession as a whole, and the individuals who are impacted?by these services.Our VisionOur vision is to strive to reach the highest standards of knowledge and?excellence through member benefits and services.Northeast Chapter /AER2014-2015Officers:President: vacantPresident-elect: Rishi Connelly(rconnelly@)Past President: Kelli Jarosz (Kelli.Jarosz@)?Secretary: Michelle J. Antinarelli (Mjant@)?Treasurer: Lori Cornelius (Lori.cornelius@)?Board Members-at-Large:Paul BarberKerry CliffordAdele GeringerLauren GoldsmithAisha HixonFaith HorterChris JaroszMary QuinnMeg RobertsonNichole SukeforthInternational District 4 Representative:John M. McMahonCommittees:Awards and Recognition: Donna MitchellBylaws: Cammy Holway-MorarosContinuing Education: Kimberly StumphLegislative: Kathleen TurnerMembership: Nancy DrukeNewsletter: Nancy MilczanowskiNominations: Cindy Reed-BrownRecruitment, Training and Retention:?Kathy ClarrageStudent Representative:Nalida L. BessonDivision Chairs:VR, Employment and BEP: Tim HindmanMultipleDisabilities/BD/Infant/Preschool:Gail Johnson, Dennis Gallant, Mary QuinnPsychosocial Services: Adele GeringerInformation and Technology: Chris JaroszLow Vision: Mimi Flanary, Donna LeBlancOrientation and Mobility: Claudia LibisEducation Curriculum and Itinerant Personnel:Catherine Summ, Cheryl BrownVRT: Ira Chomsky, Etsuro NishiyachiAging: Cammy Holway-MorarosPersonnel Prep: Laura BozemanMembership Committee Report?The Northeast Chapter of AER has 322 current members and 158 lapsed members (over the past five years).? There are many benefits to being a member in our chapter (and in AER) including reduced rates at conferences and the opportunity to apply for grant/scholarship funding to attend AER sponsored conferences.? The grants can be used to defray the cost to attend smaller workshops that are put on by our divisions or the larger NE/AER Annual Conference or AER conferences.? You can find information about grants/scholarships as well as an application form on our website:? ?? Don’t forget, the planning has already begun for our NE/AER fall conference this November.? Why not apply for a grant to help defray the cost!?While we are still the largest chapter of AER, we would love to see our membership back up to the 400+ level which is where we have been in the past.? If you know anyone who has inadvertently let their membership lapse (or maybe it has slipped by you), you can easily reinstate your membership on line: .?Happy Winter!?Nancy Druke, ChairLegislative Committee Report - National & State BillsNovember 2014UNITED STATES CONGRESSHB 4040 - Introduced: Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to require states that classify children by? disability to: (1) identify, locate, and evaluate children who have visual disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing.2014-06-13: To House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education CommitteeSB 2887 - Introduced: Accessible Transportation for All Act - Requires owners or operators of a for-hire transportation company, taxi service, or transportation network company to provide accessible vehicles for hire by disabled individuals in need of transportation?HB 3975 - Introduced: Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to cover low vision devices under Medicare.2014-01-29: To House Ways and Means CommitteeHB 3749 - Introduced: Medicare Demonstration of Coverage for Low Vision Devices Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to commence a project to demonstrate and evaluate the impact of covering low vision devices under part B.?2013-12-13: To House Subcommittee on Health CommitteeAER ADVOCACYLetter to U.S. special education administers and human resource directors regarding? the need to hire quality instructors for specialized services.?Take Action: The Alice Cogswell Anne Sullivan Macy ActCONNECTICUTSB 00385 - Introduced: To amend statutes concerning the duties and responsibilities of the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities and the professional staff of the commission.2014-03-07: To Joint Judiciary Committee.MASSACHUSETTS?S 583 - Introduced: For legislation to ensure equal access to college course materials for visually impaired students. Higher Education.2014-06-05: Accompanied a study order, see S 2168S 163 - Introduced: For legislation to establish the licensure of interpreters and oral trans iterators for the deaf. Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure.2014-04-17: Accompanied a study order, see H 4042? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? H 2818 - Introduced: Relative to accessible electronic information technology for persons with disabilities. State Administration and Regulatory Oversight.2014-06-04: Accompanied a study order, see H 4143H 900 - Introduced: For legislation relative to prescription drug voice synthesizers. Financial Services.2014-04-15: Accompanied a study order, see H 4039RHODE ISLANDH 8362 - Passed: House Resolution Creating A Special Legislative Commission To Study Captioning And Audio Descriptions For Persons Who Are Hearing Or Visually Impaired In Rhode Island Commercial And Residential Settings (this Creates A Ten Member Commission To Study ...2014-06-19: House read and passedH 7068 - Introduced: Include wireless telephones in the adaptive telephone equipment loan program that services the needs of persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, severely speech impaired, or those with neuromuscular impairments2014-02-26: Committee recommended measure be held for further study.VERMONTS 0027 - Passed: An Act Relating To Respectful Language In The Vermont Statutes Annotated2014-03-21: Signed by the Governor on March 21, 2014NEW HAMPSHIREHB 1555 - Passed: Relative to the neglect of elderly, disabled, or impaired adults and relative to financial exploitation.2014-06-27: Signed by the Governor on 6/19/2014; Chapter 0151; Effective 1/01/2015?MAINELD 1352 - Passed: An Act To Provide Integrated Community-based Employment and Customized Employment for Persons with Disabilities2013-06-10: PASSED TO BE ENACTED, in concurrence.LD 1805 - Passed: An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Review Committee Established To Examine the Impact of Unfunded Education Mandates and Other Regulatory Burdens2014-03-21: PASSED TO BE ENACTED, in concurrence.If any members are aware of any pending legislative actions in their states please forward that information so it can be shared to Kathleen.turner3@Kathleen Turner, Legislative Committee ChairDIVISION NEWSDivision 2: Rehab Counseling and Employment ReportInternational AER’s Division 2, having poled its members, petitioned the AER Board and was granted a change of name. It is now called “Rehabilitation Counseling & Employment Division”. ?The International Conference in San Antonio this past July and early August provided varied and stimulating employment-themed sessions. The International Division 2 held its biennial elections and under the new chair’s (Adele Crudden from Mississippi State) guidance, charted out its course for the next two years. In response to those decisions, our NE/AER Division 2 is in the process of aligning itself with International Division’s vision and mission statements and new biennium goals. These goals include attracting new division members, supporting cutting edge employment strategies and aligning with WIOA’s highlighted focus on transition services. ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Tim Hindman, NE/AER Division 2 ChairSAVE THE DATE!!Mark your calendars for our 2015?Fall ConferenceNovember 4-6. 2015Seacrest Beach HotelNorth Falmouth, MAMore Details Coming Soon!!Division 9: Orientation and Mobility ReportThe O&M Division Executive Committee met on December 3, 2014. In my role as District 4 representative to the O & M Division, here are some items that members may find of interest.?There is an ad hoc committee that continues to work on "best practice of OT?and vision related practice in the O&M World".? A paper is being written?emphasizing the differences between O&M & OT. Hopefully it will be finished by the?end of the year.? The thought is if VRT division wants to, they too could use it?as a model to write/support their paper as well.? We DO need to fight this?fight, or OTs will roll right over our professions.??One of the biggest hazards?is the billing for medicare - they can bill for "Mobility" - the coding doesn't?specify "orientation" &? mobility for b/vi.? It is important that we STOP?letting people call us "mobility". There is a big professional push to get us?recognized as O&M (keep that O and don't allow our local professionals to chop?us down to "mobility").? I already previously shared that Grace?Ambrose wants to change our title to O&Mbvi.? Please help take a stand and at?least get the professional respect to be called O&M Specialists!?For those of you who are saving your pennies for IMC Montreal 2015, the word is?registration is going to be $600!!! Yikes ! Really!? I swear that's what they?said and based on the follow-up conversations of "Wow, that's a Lot of?money!" I'd say that was what they said!? Anyway...save your pennies!?Kathy Clarrage, COMS?District 4 (NE/AER & NY/AER) DirectorDivision 15: Aging??I wanted to share the information found below about an AER Conference on Vision Loss, Aging and Veterans. Unfortunately, this is occurring the same exact week as our NE/AER conference.?AER is pleased to announce an exciting new educational/learning opportunity coming in 2015. The?Conference on Vision Loss, Aging, and Veterans: Leveraging our Collective Wisdom,?will tackle important issues facing vision rehabilitation therapists, low vision therapists, orientation & mobility specialists, occupational therapists and others in the vision medical field who work with blinded veterans and older persons with vision loss. The event is set for November 2015 in Norfolk, Virginia.This conference will provide attendees with methods for building bridges by combining knowledge gained from years of working with older persons and injured military personnel with visual impairments to improve services to both groups.Also, if there is a topic or two that you would like to have a workshop or pre-conference developed around please email me at:? cmoraros@? . We could collaborate with other divisions if there is interest. For example what about something on “Fall Prevention Relative to the Aging Blind” or “The effects of the aging process on vision, cognitive processes, physical abilities and quality of life”. Please send me your thoughts, ideas, learning interests ASAP and we’ll see where we can take it from there.?Cammy Holway-Moraros, ChairNEWS FROM CONNECTICUTThe editors of the parents’ newsletter, the BESB BUZZ, have announced that the fall edition is available on their website (besb). It features several articles that may be of interest to NE/AER members.?To view the newsletter, go to besb, click the “ENTER SITE”, scroll down to “BESB DEPARTMENTS” and locate “Children’s Services”, and then click on “Children’s Services Newsletters”. You will see the latest version listed first, and can also view past issues by clicking on them.?The editors are open to any questions or suggestions regarding the BESB BUZZ newsletter.?Nieves Sauerbrunn, Jan EriksonCo-editorsFrom Division 16 - Planning for the Unified English Braille (UEB) TransitionSince the Braille Authority of North America (BANA) first announced the transition to the Unified English Braille Code (UEB) in November of 2012, the way in which teachers in Connecticut would handle the transition to the new code has been on our minds. Now, as the calendar?turns? and we are a year aware from implementation, we need to take a closer look at our transition planning.?Our first steps toward the transition took place during the 2013-2014 school year by forming a committee and planning a training. However, it was not until the start of the 2014-2015 school year that we began to write a formal transition plan.? Along the way, we have learned a few things that may be helpful in your own planning for the transition and, although the situation in your state, district, or region may be different, hopefully this information will be helpful and save you some time.?1. Establish a timeline by determining when teacher, student and transcriptionists will be introduced to the UEB. ?2. Gather and Review Resources from sources such as , CNIB, the Hadley school, APH, and Duxbury?3.? Plan for how materials will be provided to students4.? Plan for how assessments will be provided for students, including standardized assessments, such as SBAC?Even with sufficient planning we expect that we will meet with some unanticipated? issues surrounding the transition. We hope to remain flexible and modify out plan as needed. If you are currently planning for the UEB and have any questions or have any resources that you have found particularly useful please feel free to contact our committee. Thank you to all of our committee members for helping to compile this list and working hard to ensure the transition goes smoothly.Connecticut UEB Transition CommitteeConnecticut Bureau of Education and Services for the BlindDepartment of Rehabilitation ServicesMike Pompano, Chair, DORS-BESB UEB Transition Committeemichael.pompano@Committee: Jill Baker, Suzanne Cappiello, Lori Cornelius, Pattie Fahle, Jessie Kirchner, Nancy Mothersele, Karen Olson, Mary Quinn, Catherine SummFrom NE/AER Grant Recipients:“My First AER International Conference”?When? the three of us, Samantha Green, M.A., CVRT,? Aisha? Hixon, M. ED., CTRS, CVRT, and? Kathy Weymouth,? M. ED., CVRT,? Vision Rehabilitation Therapists working for the Iris Network in Maine, decided to submit two proposals to present at the AER International Conference this year, we never? dreamed? BOTH would be accepted.??The future came this summer in San Antonio, Texas.? Our agency, The Iris Network, a small non-profit organization that serves the blind and visually impaired population in Maine, was supportive, but could not afford to completely fund our expenses for the trip. We were willing to also financially cover some of the expenses, and we also reached out to NE/AER and each applied for a Grant to cover travel expenses.? Thankfully, all three of us were awarded a Grant, which helped tremendously in covering our remaining expenses.? We appreciated their support and being able to share our experiences with our NE/AER colleagues through this summary.It was the first time we three have ever attended an International AER Conference. We were scheduled to do our first presentation, “Do-It-On-A-Dime: Affordably Meeting Adapted Daily Living Supply Needs”, on the first full day of the conference.? Approximately sixty people attended the presentation! They were interested in the topic, engaged in the presentation and shared their tips on the subject. The presentation was recorded and is available on the AERBVI website (). We received a lot of positive feedback on our performance throughout the rest of the conference.Our second presentation, “Survive Your Ride: How To Optimize Your Itinerant Vehicle”, was scheduled two days later. While we had a smaller audience, approximately twenty people, they were equally interested and engaged in the subject.Each of us attended different presentations concerning our special interests and professional areas. We gained new insights into research findings, resource materials, professional contacts, ideas on motivating students, inspiration and great memories.?We found the General Sessions very informative.? Experts spoke on the importance of physical activity for everyone, a panel discussed thoughts about our rapid technology change, and a gentleman who suffers from Non 24 Hour Sleep-Wake Disorder shared his gripping personal story.?We all treasured the experience at the 2014 AER International Conference, and are truly grateful to have had the opportunity to attend. In closing, as professionals, we feel that this provided a great networking opportunity. The support and experience of other vision related professionals was very beneficial to be immersed in!Aisha Hixon, Kathy Weymouth, Samantha GreenReport from the District 4 representative?to the international aerbviHere is a list of “highlights” from the AER Board meeting held in September 26 and 27, 2014.?-All 17 Members of the AER Board of Directors were present for the September 2014 AER Board of Directors Meeting (September 26-27, 2014).?-New AER President, Christy Shepard, presided over her first official AER Board Meeting.?-Dr. Deborah Gold, Canadian Representative to the AER Board of Directors, hosted a Canadian Town Hall Meeting (telephonically) in September and invited AER President Christy Shepard, Immediate AER Past President, Jim Adams, and AER Executive Director, Lou Tutt to attend, and they all did.?-A Special AER Board Meeting will be held in November 2014 to discuss amendments to the AER Bylaws as presented by the AER Bylaws and Structure Committee.?-An AER Conference on Aging and Blindness (including veterans) is being planned for November 2015.?-The leadership of ACVREP and the leadership of AER are planning a teleconference in October 2014?-A $100.00 donation from AER will be made to the Hall of Fame Leaders and Legends, housed at APH, as a memorial to AER’s first president, Dr. Richard L. Welsh, who died September 13, 2014.?-All AER divisions will hold their elections in the spring of the year prior to the AER International Conference.?-AER’s divisions’ goals and budgets due date was changed from September 1 to September 15 each year starting 2015.?-AER will present a letter to the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) for their approval to send to state directors of special education and human resource officers regarding the need for hiring qualified and certified personnel to provide instructional services for students with visual impairments.?-The AER president will appoint an AER Ad Hoc Committee on Fundraising.I am happy to answer any questions you may have related to these highlights.?John McMahon, Ph.D, CVRT, CLVTDistrict 4 Representative for NE/AERDirector, Maine Division for the Blind and Visually Impairedjohn.m.mcmahon@ ................
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