2015 M-Enabling Summit: Conference and Showcase
The 2015 M-Enabling Conference will be held June 1–2, 2015 in Washington DC at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel.
The two day high-level conference and showcase is entirely dedicated to solutions promoting and implementing accessible mobile communications and services for senior citizens and people of all abilities. During the Summit, participants will gain insight into how accessible mobile applications and services transform customer relations for the private and public service sectors. Further, the Summit will provide the opportunity to network with influential industry and government leaders from around the world.
For more information, visit the M-Enabling webpage, or contact:
Ron Akins
301-493-5500, ext. 3310
akins@ejkrause.com
Pat Hazan-Tessler
301- 493-5500, ext. 3386
tessler@ejkrause.com
Francesca Cesa Bianchi
Vice President, Institutional Relations
G3ict
678-534-8518
fcesabianchi@g3ict.org
Envision Announces Dates and Location for 10th Annual Envision Conference 2015
September 9–12, 2015
Grand Hyatt Hotel, Denver
Envision recently announced that its 10th annual Envision Conference will be held September 9–12, 2015 at the Grand Hyatt in Denver. Organizers of the program, which gathers specialists from around the globe to share knowledge on the latest findings and approaches related to addressing vision impairment, are now accepting submissions of prospective clinical education and research abstract presentations to be included on the four day agenda. Full details of the 2015 program are available at the conference website.
The Envision Conference typically offers 90 hours of clinical education and research sessions pertaining to low vision. Participants enhance their ability to:
- describe the most current research and clinical practices in low vision rehabilitation
- recommend appropriate patients who could benefit from low vision rehabilitation
- recognize the multidisciplinary nature of professionals involved in low vision patient care
- assess the potential for patients to maximize functional vision through low vision rehabilitation
- select appropriate resources and adaptive strategies for patients with permanent vision loss
- develop strategies for strengthening the role of low vision on the public health agenda
- address disparities in access to low vision care
- provide opportunities and training to address national eye health epidemics
Many sessions can earn attendees continuing education accreditation through agencies including: the Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (COPE), the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation & Education Professionals (ACVREP), the Commission on Paraoptometric Certification (CPC), Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC), and the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO).
Two Scholarships Offered
This year Envision is introducing two scholarships to attend its annual conference. Each scholarship will be awarded to either a full-time student studying clinical areas of low vision rehabilitation (optometry, ophthalmology, occupational therapy, orientation and mobility, or low vision therapy), or to a Ph.D. candidate specializing in research related to low vision applications or clinical outcomes. Scholarships will cover the full cost of registration, but do not include travel or hotel expenses. Students interested in applying for a scholarship should submit a curriculum vitae, at least one letter of reference from a professor or clinical supervisor, a completed application, and a one-page narrative explaining their interest in low vision rehabilitation or research and outlining how attending the conference would benefit their education or career.
Applications are due by April 15, 2015. Notification of acceptance will occur by May 15, 2015.
Envision Names Athlete Matt Simpson and Optometrist Jeanne Derber Keynote Speakers For Envision Conference 2015
Envision recently announced that Matt Simpson, a champion goalball player and the membership and outreach coordinator for the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes, and Dr. Jeanne Derber, a Colorado Springs-based optometrist and director of vision services for the?United States Olympic Training Center, will serve as co-keynote speakers at its 10th annual Envision Conference, September 9–12 in Denver.
Envision's 10th annual conference will provide a multi-disciplinary forum for the exchange of ideas and information on approaches to low vision rehabilitation. Over four days, ophthalmologists, optometrists, occupational therapists, researchers, academics and other vision care professionals will attend sessions, view exhibits of the latest low vision products and services and share knowledge from around the globe in an effort to improve approaches to minimizing the adverse impact of vision loss.
The keynote address will take place during the Opening Plenary Session on Thursday, September 10. Full details of the 2015 program are available on the Envision website.
Valley Braille Service Founder and Chairman Retires
Valley Braille Service, Inc. recently announced the retirement of its Founder and Chairman of the Board, Richard H. Dortch.
Richard devoted many years to providing Braille to the blind community, often offering his music services to small choral and church groups who could not afford to purchase music for their blind members. Richard received many awards, including a Certificate of Commendation from the United States Senate and a Congressional Certificate of Congratulations from the United States House of Representatives, and also served on the board for the Nevada Council of the Blind.
Day-to-day operations will continue to be managed by Deb Wilson, President of Valley Braille Service, Inc. Deb has worked closely with Richard the last few years to ensure a smooth transition in leadership and a continuing attention to quality that is important in producing accurate transcriptions.
Freedom Scientific Releases MAGic® 13 Screen Magnification, with Support for Windows® 8.1
Freedom Scientific recently announced the release of version 13 of MAGic Screen Magnification Software in English, German, and Spanish. It increases the size of what a user sees on the monitor, up to 60 times magnification, and can also speak out loud what is on the screen.
"This release brings all of MAGic's current features into the Windows 8.1 environment, as well as adding many new features," says Dusty Voorhees, Senior Product Manager at Freedom Scientific. The Text Viewer is an entirely new concept that automatically clarifies low-contrast, stylized, and variable sized text, and displays it in a separate window. This feature allows users to actively work in their applications without having to make adjustments as they encounter anomalies, providing improved speed and productivity when working with complex documents or web pages.
Additional Features:
- Support for Office® 2010 and 2013 in both Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.
- More magnification levels for better user control. MAGic has added one-quarter-step increments from 2× to 4× magnification and whole-step increments up from 4× to 60× magnification.
- Dozens of languages and Vocalizer Expressive voices from Nuance® Communications are included at no extra cost. These voices represent a new level in human-sounding responsive synthesized speech, and are the same voices that are offered with JAWS®.
For a full list of the features of this release, visit the MAGic What's New page.
