Announcing the 2019 AFB Leadership Conference
February 28–March 1, Crystal Gateway Marriott
The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is pleased to present the 2019 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.
Held annually, AFBLC attracts established and emerging leaders in the blindness field. Conference attendees include technology experts, corporate representatives, university professors, and researchers. They come from diverse organizations and institutions spanning the public and private sectors.
The conference will have five primary areas of focus, including leadership, aging and visual impairment, education, technology, and employment. We are pleased that the National Rehabilitation and Training Center on blindness and Low Vision at Mississippi State University will hold its State-of-the-Science conference during AFBLC, presenting research findings on important aspects of employment and visual impairment. An exciting program is being finalized and will be released soon, so please check back with the conference page for updates.
The 2018 AFBLC attracted approximately 400 attendees from 40 states and four countries.
Attendees will receive a special group rate of $195/night at the Crystal Gateway Marriott. Reserve online through our dedicated reservations page. If you prefer to speak with a reservations specialist, please call 888-236-2427 and reference our conference to get the group rate.
If you are interested in sponsorship, advertising, or exhibiting opportunities, please contact Amanda Kolling directly.
Deadline Approaching to Submit for Envision Conference East
Submissions are now being accepted for Envision Conference East and West 2019, presentations in Clinical Education courses and Research Abstracts.
First, select a conference: Choose Envision Conference East, Envision Conference West, or if you want to be considered to present at both locations, choose All Conferences
The deadline to submit for Envision Conference East is November 30, 2018.
The deadline to submit for Envision Conference West is June 30, 2019.
Help address current practice gaps in standards of low vision rehabilitation patient care, through clinical education or breaking research. Envision wants to hear the challenges you've faced, solutions that have worked for you or innovative research proposals.
The program committee is placing an emphasis on Intermediate and Advanced instruction level submissions.
The Envision Conference planning committee is looking for Submissions in multidisciplinary educational programming and research, including the following:
- Opportunities to build collaborations between low vision researchers, practitioners, educators and health care organizations.
- Co-management models of interdisciplinary care.
- Pediatric vision loss and rehabilitation.
- Neuro-visual deficits.
- Applied research in areas of assistive technology, clinical practice outcomes measures and vocational accessibility and outcomes.
- Facilitating national and international exchanges of vision rehabilitation information among individuals, groups and institutions.
- Patient communication and dual sensory loss.
- Developing strategies for strengthening the role of low vision on the public health agenda.
- Addressing disparities in access to low vision care.
- Identifying practice gaps in low vision care delivery methods.
- Providing opportunities and training to address national eye health epidemics (e.g. diabetes and diabetic retinopathy; glaucoma; macular degeneration).
Multiple submissions, in both categories of Clinical Education and Research Abstracts, by a single author or multiple authors are accepted. For more information visit the Submissions page.
Envision Conference East will be held March 22–23, 2019, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama:
Envision Conference West will be held October 5–6, 2019, at Western University of Health Sciences' College of Optometry, Pomona, California.
National Braille Press Announces Opening of Submissions for Touch of Genius Prize
The National Braille Press's Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation is now accepting entries. The Touch of Genius Prize was developed to inspire entrepreneurs, educators, or inventors to continue the promotion of braille and tactile literacy for blind and deafblind people worldwide. This prize can be granted for innovative and accessible computer software, Android applications, iOS applications, or tactile hardware that promotes braille and/or tactile literacy. NBP encourages all applicants to think outside the box to what can be used to help improve the lives of blind people.
The winner of this prize will receive up to $20,000, which will help them to continue to innovate in the fields of technology and education for blind people. Frank Gibney and the Gibney Family Foundation, helped fund and establish this award in 2007, inspiring people to go beyond what was thought possible.
The deadline to apply is January 11, 2019. Full application details and more information can be found at the National Braille Press website.
Flying Blind Newsletter Changes Format, Improves Navigation
Flying Blind, the weekly access technology publication, recently changed its format to make navigation more efficient for screen reader users. If you haven't read Flying Blind or haven't read it for a while, check out Flying Blind's new format and sign up on its mailing list.
Dolphin Announces Guide Reader Pod and Software
Dolphin has announced Guide Reader, a more simple system used for downloading and reading digital books, newspapers, and magazines for people with visual impairments. Guide reader is produced in two forms: Guide Reader Pod, which is a stand-alone device and Guide Reader Software, which operates on a Windows computer. The Guide Reader Pod is a small cube, four inches on a side, and can be connected to either a television or to computer speakers alone. In the U.S., material from Bookshare, the National Library Service (NLS), and NFB Newsline are available. The Guide Reader Pod and Software use a TV-like remote for navigating the interface. The product has been designed to be easy to use and a help button is available to assist users if they need guidance. It is also possible to adjust color/contrast as well as make adjustments to the voice used to read menus and materials. Guide Reader Pod retails for $465 while Guide Reader Software retails for $280. Visit the Guide Reader site for more information.
