AERWAVES
A publication of the Northern Rockies AER
(Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired)
October, 2014
NORTHERN ROCKIES PRESIDENT'S REPORT
By: KEN McCULLOCH
I have been around a long time. I became a charter member of AER when it was founded in 1984 and I am very proud to have been in on its inception and active in writing the original by-laws. When you folks elected me president-elect two years ago in Seattle, I kidded you that you just wanted to see me show up to meetings with my walker. Unfortunately, it isn't too far from the truth and age has become endemic in our organization as well as countless others. We are going to have to come with ways to attract young people not only to our organization but to the entire VI field. I realized I needed a strong board to help out... members that had a good background and knowledge of AER and how it can help those struggling or those feeling isolated in the VI field. In preparation for this I set up a leadership meeting immediately following the conference in Chico. Our new board members were given by-laws, duties of each office, and basic leadership training on how to be active and vital board members. Unfortunately time ran out to complete a nice list of goals but here are mine for the next two years:
1. Increase membership from the upper 30s to 50 members by convention time next year.
2. Have an active board with active newsletter and website.
3. Decrease the median age of membership from about 60 to about 50 – 55. (Get a bunch of young members!!)
4. Provide dynamic and extremely beneficial conferences in Idaho and Wyoming (possibly even Utah).
5. Begin an open discussion with Utah on a possible merger.
6. Provide a timely list of regional job openings during the summer for various programs such as
SWEP, SOP, and Casper Mountain. Make an AER presence known in these other organizations.
7. Promote the advantages of belonging to this organization such as insurance benefits, accreditation, conferences, interaction with others in the field, etc.
If you don't hear from us often, we're not doing our job. Communication is a two-way street. Let us know your ideas too and how we can help the population with visual impairments succeed in a difficult world.
New Board New Experiences
By: Ken McCulloch
The new NRAER board, along with the new Montana Association for the Blind board and Bozeman MAB board, crowded into the Medical Arts Conference Room in Bozeman on October 18 to hear Teresa Geremiah-Chart, a non-profit specialistand leadership guide for boards. She gave a spell-binding speech on the need to be knowledgeable of new regulations governing non-profits and the need for strong leadership from each board member. In this day and age of low young adult involvement in organizations, strong boards are a must for survival. She stressed that board members must obligate themselves to attend all meetings and financially contribute to their organization if they expect others to do so.We can no longer recruit board members using lines like "it's a very easy job and you will have very little to do". Candidates may take you seriously and do just that harming the goals and dynamics of your organization!
NRAER members were present from Montana, Idaho and Wyoming who also shared various aspects of non-profit laws and circumstances in their states.
Attendees were given a tour of the Bozeman Low Vision Center in which VI folks can look at magnification devices and aides and appliances before they buy from a dealer. If you would like a tour of this center please call Donna at (406) 556-7103.
Dr. Kenneth Younger, a retired ophthalmologist, also gave an address on how non-profits, professional organizations, and consumer groups can work with the medical community.
Meet your New Board
By: Sharon Woods
I am happy to introduce the new board members for our NRAER organization elected by the membership attending the NRAER meeting at the conference in Chico Hot Springs. Your president, Ken McCulloch has served individuals with visual impairments in both Idaho and Montana. Although Ken is “retired”, he continues to be passionate about serving and is currently a key player in the new low vision facility in Bozeman, MT. He is a long standing member, with honors, from the NRAER chapter. Pam Boespflug is our past president. She is dedicated to service to children with visual impairments through her work as an outreach consultant for Montana School for Deaf and Blind. Pam serves children, families and schools on the “Hiline” of Montana. Pam’s long career in our field includes many years as head teacher of the department for visually impaired at Montana School for Deaf and Blind. Amy Wicks is our president elect. She is an outreach consultant for Montana School for Deaf and Blind, serving central Montana. Amy brings her strength in technology to the field of serving individuals with visual impairments. Claire Parrin will continue as our treasure as she has been for the past two years. Claire serves individuals with visual impairments in the beautiful areas around Teton, Wyoming. Claire brings her additional specialty of adaptive P.E. to the field of serving individuals with visual impairments. Matthew Queen is our Idaho representative. Matthew serves individuals with visual impairments through his work for the Commission for the Blind in Boise, Idaho. He also serves as a regional specialist serving across state lines. Mary Rich-Williams is our Wyoming state representative. Mary serves children in her region of Wyoming including the Gillette area. Mary has been an active and dedicated member of NRAER for many years serving a long-term position as parliamentarian. Mark O’Brien is our Montana representative. Mark is an orientation and mobility specialists who has served adults in the western part of Montana for many years. He has been a NRAER member in good standing for many years. Dana Ard is our parliamentarian. Dana has been a member of NRAER since its beginning! She is devoted to the field and has been a presenter at conferences and at Montana School for Deaf and Blind Family Learning Weekend. Dana will have a big job keeping this board on the straight and narrow, but if anyone can do it, she can. It is my pleasure to serve our membership as your secretary. I, Sharon Woods, have served children with visual impairments for eleven years as a TVI/COMS and recently completed certification for serving individuals with sensory impairments and autism/deafblindness. The past eleven years of membership in NRAER have inspired me to serve!
2014 NRAER Conference Chico Hot Springs in Montana
By: Pam Boespflug
The NRAER convention in Chico Hot Springs October 15-17 was an awesome event! Thank You Kerri Norick and the conference committee for dedicating so much time and energy to the many details including contracting great presenters, welcoming everyone with a packet of goodies and finding a rustic comfy facility. What it lacked in a variety of eating places was made up in the awesome choices of food at the restaurants!
The convention was opened with Jim Adams, past AER president. Jim encouraged all of us to find our inner leader as we can all contribute to making NRAER great. Wednesday’s presentations started off with a choice between trail walking and GPS travel with Bruce Breslauer & Mark O’Brien, technology with Travis Stevenson & Ed Worrell, and an ‘in the hot springs’ session of basic water safety techniques for students with disabilities with Anne Weidenbach. Our, first ever, vendor poster session featured knowledgeable and interesting vendors. Aileen Zaken, Leading Edge Vision; Kevin Hughes, Humanware; Chelsea White, Seeing Eye; Mike Goehring, Guiding Eyes for the Blind; Jerry West, Vision Matters; Travis Stevenson & Ed Worrell, Overhere Consulting; and Stacey Gibbons, Northwest Association for Blind Athletes presented valuable information to all conference attendees. The evening on Wednesday ended with a wine and cheese social event and the bidding began on the silent auction items.
After a relaxing night of soaking in the hot springs we awoke refreshed to a full Thursday schedule. Sessions included several excellent choices. Penny Rosenblum presented on finding wheels in a car oriented society as a keynote and the importance of social skills later in the day. 1Touch with Mark Leon Melonson taught self-defense strategies and his session continued in Friday’s schedule as well. Dog guide protocol was presented by Cheryl Godley. Doctors Hill and Kirkpatrick presented on the optometrist’s perspective to visual impairment and treatments. Colonel Hastings took us all on an emotional and moving experience of the lives of wounded worriers and their journey to healing through fly fishing during our lunch presentation. Before diving back into the hot springs we gathered and enjoyed a delightful desert social on Thursday night.
Friday was a packed schedule. Allison O’Day’s presentation on the new Braille UEB code helped us all get comfortable and prepared for this milestone event. Cortical visual impairment from a parent’s perspective was presented by Barb Schiedermayer. Barb also presented on transitions & GPS. Dana Ard’s session on understanding & facilitating guide dog partnerships added to a wonderful afternoon of information.
Most handouts were replaced by electronic copies of information and can be accessed at
Thank you, Sharon Woods for organizing the silent auction and all those who donated items. The silent auction raised more than $700 towards future scholarships. Scholarships can encourage young professionals in our field to know and experience the benefits of belonging to NRAER; our only local professional organization in our field.
I wish that more people were able to take advantage of this rich, varied, learning experience that included some of the most current trends in blind and low vision education and rehabilitation. Those that attended, I am sure, are pleased to be able share the information upon returning to home community
Allison O'Day
Mark Leon Melonson
Idaho News
By: Matthew Queen
The Idaho Commission for The Blind and Visually Impaired has been updating the Summer Work Experience Program or SWEP and College Days. We are hoping to make the programs more of an experiential learning environment for the clients. The SWEP program has been where the high school student will come to Boise and live in the dorms at Boise State Univ. They will go to work between 6-8 hours a day. They have weekends to have group activities like white water rafting, bowling, and other out of doors activities. The goal will be to have the student work after they have had blind skills training for a period of a few days at our Assessment and Training Center then they will begin working. This will allow the client to broaden their skill base and to be a better student and future employee. These changes will take some time to enact. ICBVI will make the changes in small increments. College Days has been for student getting prepared to go to college. ICBVI wants to invite all college students that need to improve their skills. The adaptive technology is available for the student to use to type papers, prepare presentations, research necessary information, and simply learn the various adaptive technologies that the ATC has. Being familiar with adaptive tech enables our clients to be better students and employees. If you want your clients to get involved with the SWEP of College Days Programs please contact Greg Metsker at 208-334-3220. He will be able to forward you to the right person so you can get the answer to questions you have.
Montana News
By: Beverly Berg and Sharon Woods
The Montana Youth Transitions conference is November 5-7 inMissoula. Would you please pass this information along to the students and families you work with and the other MSDB staff? Here’s the link to information about the conference:
NWABA (Northwest Association for Blind Athletes) and Billy Henry held a Paralympics experience in Missoula Montana in cooperation with MSDB. The event was well attended and a success. The next event is scheduled for November 15th in Billings, Montana. Nearby state students are welcome! Here is a link for more information: MSDB’s November event in Great Falls is cancelled due to building renovations.
Wyoming News
By: Mary Rich-Williams
The Lion’s camp is a wonderful outdoor camp for student ages nine to eighteen. The camp is located on Casper Mountain and takes place each summer providing recreational and expanded core curricular experiences. Wyoming vision outreach continues to offer outdoor experiences as well. Wyoming is looking to the future and has an agreement with another university to provide training for TVI’s in their state.
Teapots
By: Ken McCulloch
Would you like a dynamic and thematic teapot for your kitchen or as a gift for a friend or relative? Now is your chance to get a wonderful collectible teapot for the Christmas season. NRAER is selling these teapots along with other blind organizations. Each teapot is $24.95 or five for $100. All sales goNRAER or other blind organization. If you a have a theme in mind (like seashells, Disney, African animals, etc., let us know and we can send you pictures of the teapots that are left). The teapots will be sold at Townshend Tea House in downtown Bozeman on various Saturdays or we can mail for additional $10 postage. Contact Ken McCulloch at t (406) 556-7103.
Announcements
- Next NRAER conference will be held in Idaho. Please watch for announcements as the conference committee develops their plan.
- International AER conference in 2016 will be hosted in Jacksonville, Florida
- International AER conference in 2018 will be hosted in Reno, Nevada
- Visit our website now and often!
- Join NRAER in order to access your Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness (JVIB) this research based and peer reviewed periodical is essential to staying up-to-date with best practice in our field.
Lost and Found
If you are the owner of the following item left at Chico Hot Springs please let me know by email ()
- Red TYR swimming suit