PAST Conference Schedule

Embassy Suites -Madison - 2nd Floor 

Tactile Graphics Workshop, Amanda Thompson 

Many TVIs do not know we can make high quality tactile graphics using Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Canva, and other mainstream apps, or they just feel overwhelmed at the entire process and don’t even try. We know we need to produce high quality tactile graphics, in accordance with BANA guidelines, and that these graphics support literacy, including reading comprehension and foundational literacy concepts. Students need access to high quality graphics as best practice, and to prepare them for standardized testing, college entry exams, college, and the workforce.

This workshop will demo using Word, Docs, and Canva. The brief presentation portion will also cover differences in embossed, swell, and thermoform braille tactiles, as well as share fonts for creating the files. The presenter will also share tips for embossing or printing the graphics to problem-solve common user errors. After a brief demo, participants will create tactile graphics together! Please bring your computer to this session!!

Embassy Suites - Monte Sano -2nd Floor 

APH  Monarch Basics

for those new to the device or needing some extra support for their own learning. 

To allow the best possible experience for everyone, participation will be limited to no more than 30 professionals. 

Financial assistance in the form of reimbursement will be made available to participants that apply and demonstrate need. Financial reimbursement is capped at $500 per eligible participant. These funds can be used to cover travel, hotel, and conference expenses.

Additional Separate Registration and Acceptance for Monarch Sessions Required! 

 Particpants may register for one or both APH Monarch sessions!!!

Link to more information regarding APH Monarch trainings and application

Embassy Suites Red Stone - Second Floor 40 (rounds)  -  For Conference planners

Bus to  Ivy Green - Tour of Birthplace of Helen Keller  

Gather in Embassy Suites  Saturn by 8:25 to leave

REGISTER EARLY - SPACE IS LIMITED 

Includes bus to Tuscumbia, AL from Embassy Suites, entry fee and tour

The (SCIVIS) Experience - Behind the scenes Tour of Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students Experience at the US Space and Rocket Center.  

Gather in Embassy Suites  Orion by 8:55 to leave

Tours Facilitated by Dan Oates  and Trina Britcher

REGISTER EARLY - SPACE IS LIMITED 

NOW FULL

Includes Van Shuttle to US Space and Rocket Center from Embassy Suites

Embassy Suites -Madison - 2nd Floor 

3D Modeling Workshop - Amanda Thompson 

Sometimes ordering materials with quota funds can take eons. Sometimes an item is too expensive to purchase, but you could adapt it and print it yourself. And sometimes you have a great idea to solve a simple problem for a student and wish you had the skills to model your own materials.

This session will support participants and empower them to learn the basics of 3D modeling, learn the lingo, explore different printers on the market, see some examples and then make their own models (with help!). Participants will use Tinkercad (free, web-based software) to model items. They will upload a pre-created file to adjust and tinker with and then create their own model from the start. Please bring your computer to this session!!

Embassy Suites - Monte Sano - 2nd Floor

APH Monarch Advanced

focusing on deeper-dives, new applications, and creative use cases for a variety of scenarios. 

To allow the best possible experience for everyone, participation will be limited to no more than 30 professionals. 

Financial assistance in the form of reimbursement will be made available to participants that apply and demonstrate need. Financial reimbursement is capped at $500 per eligible participant. These funds can be used to cover travel, hotel, and conference expenses.

Additional Separate Registration and Acceptance for Monarch Sessions Required!    Particpants may register for one or both APH Monarch sessions!!!

Link to more information regarding APH Monarch trainings and application

Red Stone - ES Second Floor - Conference Preparation

 Bus Trip to Ivy Green - Birthplace of Helen Keller 

Gather in Embassy Suites Saturn to Leave by 1:25

REGISTER EARLY - SPACE IS LIMITED  - NOW FULL - join wait list as we may rent additional van.

Includes Van Shuttle to US Space and Rocket Center from Embassy Suites

The (SCIVIS) Experience - Behind the scenes Tour of Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students Experience at the US Space and Rocket Center. 

Gather in Embassy Suites Orion to leave by 1:25

Facilitated by Dan Oates and Trina Britcher

REGISTER EARLY - SPACE IS LIMITED 

NOW FULL  

Van Shuttle to US Space and Rocket Center from Embassy Suites

8:30 - 9:30 am

Opening General Session   

Von Braun Center - South Hall (1-2-3)

Welcome 

Opening Remarks

Sponsor Introductions

Gold Sponsor talks

9:30 - 12:30 (morning trip - $25)

The (SCIVIS) Experience -Behind the scenes Tour of Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students Experience at the US Space and Rocket Center. 

Meet at VBC South Hall Main Entrance Lobby Area by 9:30

REGISTER EARLY - SPACE IS LIMITED 

Van Shuttle to US Space and Rocket Center from Embassy Suites/Von Braun Ctr

Dan Oates and Trina Britcher

10:00 am - 11:00 am

Concurrent Session I  - Embassy Suites and Von Braun Center

Embassy Suites (ES)

Big Springs B  -ES  First Floor   Braille Club: Connecting Learners, Supporting Literacy, and Building Community Virtually 

Orion  -ES  First Floor   Cradle to Classroom: Building Early Literacy Skills with Assistive Technology

 Madison - ES Second Floor   Matrix of Possibilities: Selecting the Right Assistive Tech for Literacy Success

Red Stone - ES Second Floor Putting the FUN in Fundamentals of Braille

Monte Sano - ES  Second Floor Shortcuts Across Systems

Big Springs Ballroom CD  First Floor ES - Social Room/Gathering Space

Von Braun Center (VBC)

VBC South Hall Ballroom 1   Lost Between the Dots: Deciding on a Braille Curriculum

VBC South Hall Ballroom 2 - The Braille Presumption in the IDEA: What It Is, Why It Exists, and How It Is Used

VBC South Hall  Ballroom 3 - Promoting Diversity and Equity in STEM Education for Students who are Braille Readers and New Resources from Project INSPIRE 2

VBC South Hall Meeting Room 1 - Round Tables Discussions

• Table 1 - Breaking Barriers: Music Literacy for Every Learner

• Table 2 - Promoting Braille Literacy in the Classroom: Simple Strategies and Adaptations

• Table 3 - Harnessing AI to Enhance Braille Instruction for Students with Visual Impairments

• Table 4 - Supporting Dual Language Development in Students with Visual Impairments: A Systematic Review

VBC South Hall Meeting Room 2  Learning Through Play with LEGO Braille Bricks - New activities

11:15 am - 12:15 pm

Concurrent Session II - Embassy Suites and Von Braun Center

Embassy Suites (ES)

Big Springs B  -ES  First Floor   The Magic of Music and Literacy

Orion  -ES  First Floor  iPad Technologies to Teach and Reinforce Literacy and Communication for All Skill Levels

Madison -ES  Second Floor Orientation and Mobility: Moving Towards Literacy

Red Stone -ES Second Floor Literacy Is A Right, Not A Privilege

Monte Sano - ES Second Floor Studying the Neural Basis of Braille Literacy and Numeracy

Big Springs Ballroom CD First Floor ES  Social Room/Gathering Space

Von Braun Center (VBC)

VBC South Hall Ballroom 1  Empowering Literacy

VBC South Hall Ballroom 2  Let's code with LEGO Braille Bricks - New activities

VBC South Hall Ball Room 3  Students with Binocular Conditions and Learning Medial Assessments: Tips for TVIs

VBC South Hall Meeting Room 1 Low Tech Tactile Map Design

South Hall Meeting Room 2  The What, Why, How & WOW of Calendar Systems

1:30 - 4:30 pm   (afternoon trip - $25)

The (SCIVIS) Experience - Behind the scenes Tour of Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students Experience at the US Space and Rocket Center. 

Meet at VBC South Hall Main Entrance Lobby Area by 1:25pm

REGISTER EARLY - SPACE IS LIMITED 

Van Shuttle to US Space and Rocket Center from Embassy Suites

Dan Oates and Trina Britcher

1:30 - 5:30  (afternoon trip - $25)

Trip to Ivy Green - Birthplace of Helen Keller

Meet in Saturn near lobby entrance to Embassy Suites by 1:25pm

REGISTER EARLY - SPACE IS LIMITED 

Bus to Ivy Green - Tuscumbia, AL from Embassy Suites

1:45 pm - 2:45 pm

Concurrent Session III - Embassy Suites and Von Braun Center

Embassy Suites (ES)

Big Springs B  -ES  First Floor From Beginner to Pro: Accessible media, study and productivity tools of Accessibyte Studio and the Accessibyte All Access platform

Orion  - ES First Floor From Assessment to Action: Integrating Functional Vision, Learning Media, Technology, and ECC

Madison - ES Second Floor Learning Media Assessment for Emergent Literacy: How We Assess Early Learners and Learners with Complex Needs

Red Stone - ES Second Floor Anything But The Muffin Tin!

Monte Sano - ES Second Floor Enhancing Literacy with Assistive Technology for Blind and Visually Impaired Students

Big Springs Ballroom CD First Floor ES  Social Room/Gathering Space

Von Braun Center (VBC)

VBC South Hall Ballroom 1  Better Together: The Collaborative Learning Media Assessment Project (CLMAP)

VBC South Hall Ballroom 2  Exploring Reading Rates of Students from the Florida Low Vision Project

VBC South Hall Ballroom  3  All Day Access to Braille Literacy Instruction: Implementing Intensive Support Strategies

VBC South Hall Meeting Room 1  ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS

• Table 1: A Case Study teaching Confusers at the same time 

• Table 2: A Day Camp Approach for Young Children" Getting Kids (and Parents!) Excited and Involved through the ECC

• Table 3: Implementing the Science of Reading: A Collaborative Approach to Literacy for All

• Table 4: My Sight: Inclusive Instruction about the Eye

VBC South Hall Meeting Room 2  Launching into Inclusivity: Designing Empowering Stories Featuring Fictional Characters with Visual Impairments

 3:15 pm - 4:15 pm

Concurrent Session IV - Embassy Suites and Von Braun Center

Embassy Suites (ES)

Big Springs B  -ES  First Floor Resources for Digital Math Learning Created by the Tech Access and Equity in Math (TEAM) Initiative

Orion  -The Sciences of Literacy

Madison - ES Second Floor Transition Planning for Students who are Blind and Low Vision: An Online Curriculum – Confirmed

Red Stone -ES Second Floor Unlocking Literacy: Effective Learning Models for Educators of Students with Visual Impairments

Monte Sano - ES Second Floor Reimagining the LMA Process for Children 0-5

Big Springs Ballroom CD First Floor ES  Social Room/Gathering Space

Von Braun Center (VBC)

 VBC South Hall Ballroom 1  Prison Braille Programs Today: Challenges and Opportunities

VBC South Hall Ballroom 2  Potential Use of the Braille Brain Foundations Assessments

VBC South Hall Ballroom 3  Creating a Culture of Literacy: A Team Approach

VBC South Hall Meeting Room 1 Braille Reimagined: AI-Powered Reading with BuddyBooks for Braille and Over 1M Bookshare Titles

VBC South Hall Meeting Room 2 (80 rounds) Creating Interactive and Engaging Literacy Lessons for Students with Multiple Disabilities and Complex Needs

4:30- 5:30 pm

Concurrent Session V - Embassy Suites and Von Braun Center

Embassy Suites (ES)

Saturn

Big Springs B  -ES  First Floor Exploring Concepts, Expanding Access: Themed Boxes for Meaningful Learning

Orion  - First Floor Discover the Monarch, a Cutting-Edge Tactile Display Combining Multiline Braille and Tactile Graphics

Madison - Second Floor Getting in Touch with Accessible Coding: Finch 2.0, LEGO Spike, and Blocks4All in K-12 Computer Science Education

Red Stone - Second Floor

Monte Sano - Second Floor Braille literacy through literature for students with visual impairments and neurodivergent learners

Big Springs Ballroom CD First Floor ES  Social Room/Gathering Space

Von Braun Center (VBC)

VBC South Hall Meeting Room 1 (80 rounds)

VBC South Hall Meeting Room 2 (80 rounds)

South Hall 1, (200)

South Hall 2 (200)

South Hall 3 (200)

8:45 am - 9:45 am

Concurrent Session VI - Embassy Suites and Von Braun Center

Embassy Suites (ES)

Big Springs B  -ES  First Floor  My Student is Using Apps and Websites for Math: What Can I Do to Promote Their Participation and Success?

Orion  - ES First Floor Bite by Byte: Breaking JAWS Instruction into Bites

Madison - ES Second Floor The Use of Thematic ECC Extension Activities to Enhance Literacy Instruction

Red Stone -ES  Second Floor Multi-Sensory Stories, Building Concepts: Accessible Literacy Strategies for Complex Learners in Preschool and Beyond - confirmed

Monte Sano - ES Second Floor Money Matters – Beyond Traditional Personal Financial Literacy

Big Springs Ballroom CD First Floor ES  Social Room/Gathering Space

Von Braun Center (VBC)

VBC South Hall Meeting Room 1  Inclusio: Supporting Graphicacy Across Multiple Mediums

VBC South Hall Meeting Room 2  Maximizing Literacy Experiences for All Students: How to Create and Teach Image Descriptions

South Hall Ballroom 1, 2,3 (600) (available)

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Exhibits /Poster Sessions  

Von Braun Center South Hall Pre-Function Area

Silent Auction Ends at Noon

  1:30 - 2:30 pm 

Concurrent Session VII  - Embassy Suites and Von Braun Center

Embassy Suites (ES)

Big Springs B  -ES  First Floor  Let Literacy Ring; The Impact of the NFB BELL(r) Academy

Orion  - ES First Floor Books for All: Bookshare for the MATT Connect and Refreshabraille Devices

Madison - ES Second Floor Beyond the Book Box

Red Stone - ES Second Floor Tactile Learning: Teach How They Learn

Monte Sano - ES Second Floor Unlocking Literacy: A Treasure Box of Literacy Activities for Preschool Blind/Low Vision Learners

Big Springs Ballroom CD First Floor ES Social Room/Gathering Space

Von Braun Center (VBC)

VBC South Hall Ballroom 1  Celebrating Braille Literacy: A Partnership with a Public Library

South Hall Ballroom 2 From Geometry Transformations to Political Cartoons: How TSVIs Describe and Teach Image Descriptions

South Hall Ballroom 3 Predictable Charts at Your Fingertips: Shared Writing for Students with Visual Impairments and Complex Communication Needs

VBC South Hall  Meeting Room 1 Learning to Draw, Drawing to Learn

VBC South Hall Meeting Room 2  Building Typing Skills with Typio, Typio Pro, and Braillio

3:00- 4:00 pm 

Concurrent Session VIII - Embassy Suites and Von Braun Center

Embassy Suites (ES)

Big Springs B  -ES  First Floor  AI-Fueled Lived-Experience Storytelling: Role-Model Narratives That Empower Self-Determination

Orion  - ES First Floor Feeling a thousand words – Creating Tactile Graphics with Screen Readers

Madison -ES  Second Floor 3D Printing & STEM – WORKSHOP

Red Stone - ES Second Floor STEM

Monte Sano - ES Second Floor Assessment-Driven Braille Instruction

Big Springs Ballroom CD First Floor ES  Social Room/Gathering Space

Von Braun Center (VBC)

VBC South Hall Ballroom 1, Active Tactile Control: A Braille Force-Multiplier

VBC South Hall Ballroom 2, OPEN

VBC South Hall Ballroom 3  Unlocking Literacy Success with the Natural Order of Contractions---What Does Data Show?

VBC South Hall Meeting Room 1 Laying a Firm Foundation with Polly – WORKSHOP

VBC South Hall Meeting Room 2 At Your Fingertips: Systems, Services, and Resources that Support Access to the Curriculum by Braille Readers in K-12

4:15 pm - 5:15 pm

Concurrent Session IX - Embassy Suites and Von Braun Center

Embassy Suites (ES)

Big Springs B  -ES  First Floor  Walking Together Into Literacy 

Orion  -ES  First Floor Let’s Talk about Students’ Assistive Technology Use and Services: Examining National Survey Data

Madison - ES Second Floor Connecting with Learners through Multicultural/Multilingual Children’s Books – PANEL

Red Stone  - ES Second Floor- Understanding the CVI brain and how it impacts literacy: Validated assessments, Literacy needs, and Tools for Learning

Monte Sano - ES Second Floor It's new! What to do? Be an expert in teaching and using the Johns BRI 12th Ed. in an LMA

Big Springs Ballroom CD First Floor ES  Social Room/Gathering Space

Von Braun Center (VBC)

VBC South Hall Ballroom 1   Students with Visual Impairments and Complex Communication Needs: A Systematic Review of AAC Interventions

VBC South Hall Ballroom 2  Usability evaluation of multi-line refreshable braille displays

VBC South Hall Ballroom 3  From Buzzwords to Braille: State Standards for Literacy and Braille Instruction

VBC South Hall Meeting Room 1 Making a Tactile Graphics Medley: Combining Embosser and Collage Graphics- WORKSHOP

VBC South Hall Meeting Room 2 Building Print and Braille-Rich Collections for Children with Vision Loss: Partnering with Libraries to Foster Student Success and Lifelong Learning

 9:00 am - 10:00 am 

Concurrent Session X - Embassy Suites 

Embassy Suites (ES)

Big Springs B  -ES  First Floor Connecting the dots between Notetakers and Braille displays 

Orion  - ES First Floor  Mission Sensory Efficiency: Expanding Upon Sensory Channel Preference in the Learning Media Assessment Process

Madison - ES Second Floor Enabling People who are Blind and Visually Impaired to Independently Access Auditory/Tactile Graphics

Red Stone -ES  Second Floor Cooking with Confidence: Adaptive Strategies for a Friendly Kitchen

MonteCarlo - ES Second Floor  Paige Connect - Bringing Technology to Low-Tech Braille

Big Springs Ballroom CD First Floor ES  Social Room/Gathering Space

10:15 am - 11:00 am 

Closing Wrap-Up - 

Embassy Suites (ES)

 Big Springs Ballroom CD

If you have any questions - please email us at gitwlconference@gmail.com