2018 American Foundation for the Blind Leadership Conference
The 2018 AFB Leadership Conference, cohosted by San Francisco's LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Northern California Chapter of the Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) will take place April 5-7 at the Oakland Marriott City Center.
The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), together with San Francisco's LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired and Northern California AER, are pleased to present the 2018 AFB Leadership Conference, which will cover the most pressing and relevant topics in the field of blindness and offer many opportunities to learn from the best and brightest minds in our field, make new connections, and reunite with old friends while earning continuing education credits. We offer professional development credits through two groups: the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP) and Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC). Our program features one-hour sessions and you may accumulate one hour for each session attended.
Held annually, AFBLC attracts established and emerging leaders in the blindness field. Conference attendees include technology experts, corporate representatives, university professors, teachers of students with visual impairments, orientation and mobility instructors, vision rehabilitation therapists and counselors, and parents. They come from diverse organizations and institutions spanning the public and private sectors, including school districts, specialized schools for the blind, the Veterans Administration, private agencies, and universities.
To learn more about the 2018 AFB leadership Conference, please visit the conference page on AFB's website.
LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Francisco Recently Announced Holman Prize Applications to Open in January
The LightHouse for the Blind in San Francisco is thrilled to announce the return of the Holman Prize for Blind Ambition, their annual $25,000 award for blind adventurers and creators.
In 2017, the Prize's inaugural year, the LightHouse received more than 200 applications from 24 countries. The LightHouse says, "We couldn't be prouder of our three winners, who encompass a wide range of ambition and ingenuity." Last year's winners are described below:
Ahmet Ustunel is training to kayak Turkey's Bosphorus Strait, completely solo; Penny Melville-Brown is taking her YouTube baking show to six continents; Ojok Simon is teaching his fellow Ugandans to become self-sustaining beekeepers.
Named after the 19th century blind world traveler James Holman, the Holman Prize empowers blind men and women from around the world to complete the journeys and projects of their dreams.
Applications for the prize open on January 16, 2017, and the LightHouse encourages applicants to start planning ahead. The initial application is a quirky one: a 90-second YouTube video explaining what you would accomplish as a Holman Prizewinner (as well as a brief written questionnaire). Once applications close, a select group of semifinalists will be chosen to submit in-depth written proposals, and later, finalists will be interviewed by LightHouse staff.
To learn more about the prize, please visit the Holman Prize website.
You can read more about the Holman Prize in the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, the BBC and PRi's The World.
If the FAQ page doesn't answer your questions, feel free to get in touch with Max Savage Levenson, Holman Prize Coordinator, at mlevenson@lighthouse-sf.org.
The American Foundation for the Blind Now Accepting Applications for its 2018 Scholarship Program
The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) administers 4 post-secondary education scholarships for up to 8 deserving students who are legally blind. The available scholarships for 2018 are detailed below.
The Rudolph Dillman Memorial Scholarship: Four scholarships of $2,500
Requirements:
Full-time Undergraduate or Graduate student
Studying rehabilitation or education of persons who are blind and/or visually impaired
The Paul and Ellen Ruckes Scholarship: Two scholarships of $2,000
Requirements:
Full time Undergraduate or Graduate student
Studying engineering or computer, physical, or life sciences
The R.L. Gillette, Gladys C. Anderson, and Karen D. Carsel Memorial Scholarship: One scholarship of $3,500
Requirements:
Female undergraduate student
Studying music
The Delta Gamma Foundation Florence Margaret Harvey Memorial Scholarship: One scholarship of $1,000
Requirements:
Undergraduate or graduate student
Studying rehabilitation or education of persons who are blind or visually impaired.
Visit the AFB scholarships website for further information and to complete an application.
Please direct all scholarship questions to:
Aaron Preece, Scholarship Coordinator
Telephone: 304-710-3034
E-mail: apreece@afb.net
Deadline Nears for National Braille Press Touch of Genius Prize.
The Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation was developed to inspire an entrepreneur, educator or inventor to continue the promotion of braille and tactile literacy for blind and deafblind people worldwide. The Prize can be granted for innovative, accessible computer software, Android applications, iOS applications, or tactile hardware that promotes braille and/or tactile literacy for blind people. The deadline to apply is January 12, 2018. For more information please visit the Touch of Genius Prize website.
