A Welcome from the 2017 SWOMA Planning Committee

Welcome to Houston and Region 4 Education Service Center! Hurricane Harvey could not stop us and for that we are very grateful. The 2017 SWOMA Planning Committee hopes you have a wonderful experience at this year’s Southwest Orientation and Mobility Association Conference; please let us know how we can assist you. We will be wearing ribbons so you can easily find us if you need assistance or have a question.

We appreciate the support of the vendors who have joined us this week and encourage you to make time to visit with them while you are here.

This year’s SWOMA Planning Committee includes the following individuals:

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Pandora Ashley

Sue Behm

Andrew Bernet

Jill Brown

Julie Brown

Debra Fournier-Pursel

Carolina Gonzalez

Tracy Hallak

Cindy Haughn

Paul Hull

Beverly Jackson

Mary Kob

Mindy Meadows

Scott Meyer

Lelan Miller

Toni Provost

Meghan Raney

Patricia Rutan

Alecia Self

Mary Shore

Chris Tabb

Melanie White

Marjie Wood

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Would you like to help plan the 2018 SWOMA Conference? Please contact Chris Tabb at or phone him at 512-206-9226. It is a great way to take on a leadership role for your profession and to have an influence on the sessions provided at the SWOMA Conference.

Thursday, October 19th

6:00 - 8:00 PM

Crowne Plaza Hotel

Hotel sponsored receptionfor those arriving on Thursday evening and staying at the hotel.

Friday, October 20th

8:30 AM - 5:00 PM

Registration

Foyer outside of 100 A-F

Sign-in starts in the foyer areas at 8:30 AM continues until 5:00 PM.

8:45 - 9:00 AM

Welcome and Housekeeping

100 A-F

SWOMA Planning Committee representatives share information and housekeeping notes important to SWOMA participants.

9:00 – 10:00 AM

General Session

100 A-F

Street Crossings for Travelers Who Are Visually Impaired, Part 2

Linda Myers, COMS and Wendy Scheffers, COMS,San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA

Wendy Scheffers and Linda Myers, authors ofTAPS: Street Crossings for Travelers Who Are Visually Impaired, will give an overview and will be sharing some of their favorite pages from the book and how they use them on lessons. Topics will include:managing risk to the lowest level/acceptable level, intersection analysis for travelers with low vision or who are blind, street crossing timings for all intersections (uncontrolled, stop sign controlled, signal controlled and channelized right-turn lanes), and scanning (left/right scanning and lane by lane scanning).

10:00-10:15 AM Break

10:15 - 11:45 AM

General Session

Street Crossings for Travelers Who Are Visually Impaired, Part 2

Linda Myers, COMS and Wendy Scheffers, COMS,San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA

11:45 AM - 1:00 PM

Lunch

Participants are on their own for lunch. Check at the registration table for a list of nearby restaurants.

1:00 - 2:30 PM

Breakout sessions:

Participants will select one of the following four sessions:

#1 - Money! Money! Money! For My Students

100 A

Alecia Self, COMS, Wylie ISD, Wylie, TX

Grant writing may seem a little daunting, but once you get the verbiage down it's easy as pie. My first year in the classroom, I learned the value of writing grants and how the materials impacted the students in my classroom. Since then I have written a number of grants totaling over $15,000. In this session, I will share with you resources and ideas to gain funding through grants in order to provide your students with materials, training for teachers that support your students, concept development lessons, as well as expanded core curriculum events. Components for grant writing typically require data showing both the need for the requested grant and data for how the requested grant will be implemented and the expected results. This session will go over the basics of how to tie all that data together for a successfully written grant.

#2 -Mobility Devices and Very Young Children: Clues to MakingInformedDecisions

100 B-C

Kay Clarke, COMS, Worthington, OH

In the past three decades, the field of O&M has increasingly embraced the use of various mobility devices with very young children. This session will provide a glimpse into the early development of thinking, hand skills, and tool use that forms the foundation for effective use of mobility devices. Considerations will then be offered for selecting, evaluating, and using devices in early childhood.

#3 - O&M Assessment & Instruction Strategies for Individuals who are DeafBlind or have Combined Vision and Hearing Losses (CVHL)

100 D

Ed Gervasoni,CTE Support Specialist, ASDB/CTE, Tucson, AZ

This session will initially explore the assessment of different adult individuals based on the type and level of DeafBlindness, types of strategies they already have and will need in their travel skills toolbox, and current level of AT application usage. The participants will be introduced to and explore specific strategies for different types of DeafBlind or CVHL travelers. The session will also include teaching communication strategies for successful interaction during community outings.

#4 - Yoga and Movement for Children with Visual and Multiple Impairments

100 E-F

Kassy Maloney, COMS, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Austin, TX

Yoga and simple movement activities provide a safe and motivating way for children with disabilities can practice the motor, literacy, self-determination, social, and (my personal favorite) motor planning skills they need to lead productive, independent lives. From motor planning to spatial awareness, yoga increases children's mobility skills from the ground up.

2:30-3:00 PM - Break

3:00 - 4:30 PM

Breakout Sessions

Participants will select one of the following four sessions:

#1 On the Go Data and Progress Monitoring

100 A

Alecia Self, COMS, Wylie ISD, Wylie, TX

Bring your laptop and a student's lEP Goals and let's create data together. Trackingdata on your mobile device will help you stay on top of your paperwork and eliminate theneed for heavy bulky binders andpaper overload

#2Active Learning Approach to Orientation and Mobility Instruction

100 B-C

Kate Moss Hurst, Statewide Staff Development Coordinator, Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired, Austin, TX

Active Learning is an instructional approach developed by Dr. Lilli Nielsen of Denmark that targets individuals who are visually impaired with additional sensory, motor and cognitive impairments and who function at development levels between birth and 48 months (sensorimotor/pre-operational learners). This session provides information on how Active Learning can be used in O&M instruction and also about Active Learning Space, a resource for learning more about Active Learning.

#3 Driverless Vehicles: Impact on O&M

100 D

Scott Meyer and Charlotte Simpson, TWC Criss Cole Rehabilitation Center (CCRC), Austin, TX

This presentation will provide information about driverless vehicles and their implications for O&M and society. A timeline will be shared on when driverless vehicles along with V2V communication will begin to shape how people live, work and travel. Vision Zero will also be discussed as this has already had implications in most major cities for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians in which driverless vehicles will enable the goals set within vision zero to become reality and potentially change….just about everything…even more than smart phones have so far.

#4 A Model for Blindness Wayfinding: Combining iBeacon Messaging with Searchable Precompiled Directions and Pre-journey Exploration

100 E-F

Joe Cioffi, COMS andCEO, ClickAndGo Wayfinding Maps and InTouch Graphics. Inc.,Minneapolis, MN

This session will focus on some current and near future applications of ibeacon technology as a support to both "blind navigation" and "information access" in indoor and outdoor environments. Some of the presentation will focus on ibeacons applications as a stand-alone support (i.e. to provide audible landmarking, facilitate information access, and provide some level of wayfinding support). Other parts of the presentation will focus on ibeacon applications that act as a "complement" to a more comprehensive narrative wayfinding model that in cludes a searchable user-friendly datatbase, low vision map supports, tactile maps, and pre-journey exploration options. Examples will be presented of ibeacon and wayfinding projects recently launched in transit and higher education environments in New York City and Washington DC.

4:45 - 5:45 PM

After Hours Optional Activities

These optional activities are available for participants. You may select one:

#1 Blindfold Practice

SWOMA Conference Volunteers

Lobby Area

Blindfold practice is open to anyone who wishes to participate. You need to bring your own cane and blindfold. SWOMA Planning Committee staff will facilitate this opportunity for you to get hours practicing under blindfold.

#2 Nearby Explorer: Discovering the World Around Me

Keith Creasy,Programmer at American PrintingHouse for the Blind

100 A

A programmer on the software development team developing accessible applications for persons with visual impairments at APH, Keith will discuss Nearby Explorer. The app is designed to specifically meet the needs of travelers who are blind. The focus is on how blind pedestrians can use the app for orientation, navigation, and independent use of transit systems. The presentation will also cover its features for indoor use. Some important features include Geobeam, route information for public transit in many cities, turn-by-turn navigation, and more.

6:00 - 8:00 PM

SWOMA Networking Social

Crowne Plaza Hotel -

Join your colleagues for a happy hour networking social at the hotel before heading out for dinner. Light snacks and beverages will be provided.

Saturday, October 21s

8:30 - 10:00 AM

General Session: Hi-Tech O&M for Everyone! Part 1

101

Diane Brauner, Manager of the Paths to Technology, Perkins eLearning, Boston, MA, and Ed Summers,Software Accessibility Specialist,SAS Institute, Inc.,University of North Carolina at Wilmington,Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina

Join a tech-savvy blind traveler and a veteran COMS as they share how to use technology for Orientation and Mobility purposes for students of all ages and abilities. You will learn strategies for nurturing curiosity and confidence in young students, students with multiple disabilities and students who are ready to take on the world! This session will include demonstrations of mainstream iOS apps used for orientation purposes as well as apps designed specifically for travelers who are visually impaired.

10:00-10:15 AM - Break

10:15 AM - 11:45 AM

General Session: Hi-Tech O&M for Everyone!Part 2

101

11:45 AM - 12:30 PM

SWOMA Working Luncheon(Provided with Registration Fee)

Introducing Victor Trek, New Product Release for Orientation and Mobility, Jim Sullivan from HumanWare

101

Please join us for the SWOMA luncheon and a presentation by Jim Sullivan from HumanWare. You must be registered for this event to attend to make sure we have you in the count for this meal.

12:30 - 2:00 PM

Closing Breakout Sessions

Participants select one from two session options listed below.

#1 Indoor Navigation with Beacons Panel, Keith Creasy, Diane Brauner and Ed Summers

100 A-B

Keith Creasy,Programmer at American PrintingHouse for the Blind, Louisville, KY, Diane Brauner, Manager of the Paths to Technology, Perkins eLearning, Boston, MA, and Ed Gervasoni, CTE Support Specialist, ASDB/CTE, Tucson, AZ

This session will bring together experts in the field of technology assisted travel for those with blindness and visual impairment. Discussion topics will include: present state of technology, what can reasonably be done by the "lay-person", and what the future holds for travelers who are blind and visually impaired. Participants will also have the opportunity to ask their own questions of the panel.

#2 Nurturing Early Purposeful Movement and Travel: Practical Strategies for Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers

100 D-E

Kay Clarke, COMS, Worthington, OH

Welcome to the world of babies and young children! Grounded in early childhood research, this session will highlight developmentally appropriate practices and feature examples of practical strategies for providing O&M services for very young children and their families. Come join the fun before you head for home!

Continuing Education Credits from ACVREP

This year’s SWOMA has been approved by ACVREP and SBEC for continuing education credits. In order to receive these CEUs and get a certificate you MUST do the following things:

Step 1: Sign the roster at the beginning of each day of the conference.

Step 2: Get a code at the END of each session you attend and keep track of it in your session guide.

Step 3: Complete the evaluation online within 60 days (or by December 20th) and submit the codes for each of the sessions you attend. You will receive an email with the link to the online evaluation within a week of the conference. IF YOU DO NOT receive the link within a week please contact Carrie Keith at or Brian Sobeck at .

Step 4: After you complete the evaluation and enter the correct codes you can go to sign into your account and click on “Registration History/Certificates” in the left-hand navigation to print out your certificate. If the hours are not correct please contact Brian Sobeck at .

Vendor Information

Below is a list of the vendors exhibiting at the 2017 SWOMA Conference. We thank them for their financial support and willingness to share their information with SWOMA participants. Please take time to visit with them during breaks and meal times.

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Active Learning Space

Kate Hurst

American Printing House for the Blind

Keith Creasy

Bookshare / Benetech

Jeanie Bell

Eye Catch Signs Ltd

John Sullivan

HumanWare

Jim Sullivan

Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Curriculum Department

Debra Sewell

Texas School for the Blind and Visually ImpairedOutreach Programs

Professional Preparation

Mary Shore

The Seeing Eye, Inc.

Chelsea White

VFO (Freedom Scientific)

Bobby Lakey

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Active Learning Space

A Collaborative Project of Penrickton Center for Blind Children, Perkins School for the Blind and Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired

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Active Learning Space is a website collaboratively developed by Penrickton Center for the Blind in Taylor, Michigan, Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts, and Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Austin, Texas. It providing information and training on focused exclusively on the Active Learning approach.

Active Learning approach is based on the work of Dr. Lilli Nielsen. It is not just a piece of equipment, such as a "Little Room", but rather it refers to a total approach, for instructing individuals with severe multiple disabilities. It contains an assessment, a curriculum, specifically-designed equipment, and instructional strategies that support learners to be active participants in their surroundings.

Please visit Active Learning Space and join our community of learners.

Blindness

Formore than 25years, HumanWare's inspirational vision has resulted in a range of highly intuitive and intelligent solutions that empower people who are blind by giving them the independence to participate effectively within a sighted world. HumanWare offers a wide range of innovative products, including the BrailleNote® Apex and Brailliant, the leading productivity devices for the blind in education, business and for personal use; Victor Reader®, the world's leading family of digital audiobook players, Trekker® Breeze, and many other empowering solutions.

Low Vision

Whether you suffer from macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy or cataracts, you can enjoy a more complete life with a little help from the HumanWare Low Vision product range. For more than 25 years, HumanWare continues to set new standards in research and development in order to design and manufacture products that enhance the lives of people with low vision.

Dedicated People

HumanWare is recognized as an industry leader dedicated to their mission: providing high-tech tools that allow blind, low vision and learning disabled people to maintain their independence and live full, productive lives. Our commitment to excellence in everything we do is achieved only because our people are prepared to go that extra distance to meet - and exceed - the needs and expectations of all our customers every day.