Getting In Touch with Literacy 2025
MAIN CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Tentative - Subject to change
LINK TO FULL INTERACTIVE APP AGENDA with session descriptions and speakers
Pre-Conference, Field Trip Options, Evening Welcome Reception
Registration Check-in 8:00 am - 5:30 pm - Embassy Suites Lobby & 7:30pm - 8:30pm
5:30 - 7:30 PM WELCOME RECEPTION
Embassy Suites Atrium and Big Springs Ballroom
with OPENING KEYNOTE SPEAKER, SINGER/SONGWRITER, BLESSING OFFOR
and students from Alabama School for the Blind
Live music, Drinks, Hors d'oeuvres
Exhibit Set Up 7:30 am - 9:15 am
Registration Open - 8:00am - 4:00pm
Von Braun Center - South Hall Entrance
Exhibits Open 9:15am - 4:30pm Von Braun Center South Hall Pre-function Area
Silent Auction open 12:15pm - 4:30pm Von Braun Center South Hall Rear Pre-function Area
8:30 - 9:30 am
Welcome
Opening Remarks
Sponsor Introductions
Gold and Silver Sponsor Talks
9:30 - 12:30 (morning trip - $25)
Meet at VBC South Hall Main Entrance Lobby Area by 9:30
Limited Space - Pre-Registration Required
Van Shuttle to US Space and Rocket Center from Embassy Suites/Von Braun Ctr
Dan Oates and Trina Britcher
Break with Exhibitors/Transition 9:30 am - 10:00
with Snacks/Drinks at Skybridge
10:00 am - 11:00 am
Big Springs B -ES First Floor The Magic of Music and Literacy
Orion -ES First Floor Cradle to Classroom: Building Early Literacy Skills with Assistive Technology
Madison - ES Second Floor Cooking with Confidence: Adaptive Strategies for a Friendly Kitchen
Red Stone - ES Second Floor Braille Club: Connecting Learners, Supporting Literacy, and Building Community Virtually
Monte Sano - ES Second Floor Enabling People who are Blind and Visually Impaired to Independently Access Auditory/Tactile Graphics
Von Braun Center (VBC)
VBC South Hall Ballroom 1 Round Tables Discussions
Table 1 - Supporting Dual Language Development in Students with Visual Impairments: A Systematic Review
Table 2 - Harnessing AI to Enhance Braille Instruction for Students with Visual Impairments
Table 3 - Breaking Barriers: Music Literacy for Every Learner
Table 4 - Promoting Braille Literacy in the Classroom: Simple Strategies and Adaptations
VBC South Hall Ballroom 2 -
VBC South Hall Ballroom 3 -Project INSPIRE: Promoting STEM Education for Students Who Read Braille
VBC South Hall Ballroom 4 Learning Through Play with LEGO Braille Bricks - New activities
VBC South Hall Ballroom 5 Lost Between the Dots: Deciding on a Braille Curriculum
Break/Transition - Drinks at Skybridge ES side- 11:00 - 11:15 am
11:15 am - 12:15 pm
Big Springs B -ES First Floor Putting the FUN in Fundamentals of Braille
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
Von Braun Center (VBC)
VBC South Hall Ballroom 1 Empowering Literacy
VBC South Hall Ball Room 3 Students with Binocular Conditions and Learning Media Assessments: Tips for TVIs
VBC South Hall Ballroom 4 Let's code with LEGO Braille Bricks - New activities
VBC South Hall Ballroom 5 Low Tech Tactile Map Design
12:15 - 1:45 Lunch on Your Own
Silent Auction Opens At Von Braun Center South Hall
1:30 - 4:30 pm (afternoon trip - $25)
Meet at VBC South Hall Main Entrance Lobby Area by 1:25pm
Limited Space - Pre-Registration Required
Van Shuttle to US Space and Rocket Center from Embassy Suites
Dan Oates and Trina Britcher
1:30 - 5:30 (afternoon trip - $25)
Meet in Saturn near lobby entrance to Embassy Suites by 1:25pm
Limited Space - Pre-Registration Required
Bus to Ivy Green - Tuscumbia, AL from Embassy Suites
1:45 pm - 2:45 pm
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
Monte Sano - ES Second Floor Learning to Draw, Drawing to Learn
Von Braun Center (VBC)
VBC South Hall Ballroom 1 ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS
Table 1: A Case Study teaching Confusers at the same time
Table 2: Implementing the Science of Reading: A Collaborative Approach to Literacy for All
Table 3: A Day Camp Approach for Young Children" Getting Kids (and Parents!) Excited and Involved through the ECC
Table 4: My Sight: Inclusive Instruction about the Eye
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 4 Launching into Inclusivity: Designing Empowering Stories Featuring Fictional Characters with Visual Impairments
VBC South Hall Ballroom 5 Better Together: The Collaborative Learning Media Assessment Project (CLMAP)
Break/Transition 2:45 - 3:15
Snacks/Drinks at Skybridge ES side
Silent Auction Continues
3:15 pm - 4:15 pm
Big Springs B -ES First Floor The Sciences of Literacy
Orion -Resources for Digital Math Learning Created by the Tech Access and Equity in Math (TEAM) Initiative
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
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 Ballroom 4 Creating Interactive and Engaging Literacy Lessons for Students with Multiple Disabilities and Complex Needs
VBC South Hall Ballroom 5
Break/Transition 4:15 - 4:30
4:30- 5:30 pm
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 Paige Connect - Bringing Technology to Low-Tech Braille
Monte Sano - Second Floor Anything But The Muffin Tin!
Von Braun Center (VBC)
VBC South Hall Ballroom 5 Enabling People who are Blind and Visually Impaired to Independently Access Auditory/Tactile Graphics - All Attendees are entered to win a Tactonom Flex
Embassy Suites Hotel Sponsored Social in Atrium 5:30-7:00
Evening Activity -Literacy Around the World
Join us in our 4 Themed Hospitality Suites each serving food and drinks representing their country!8:45 am - 5:15 pm
Registration 8:00am - 2:00pm
Von Braun Center - South Hall Entrance
Exhibits open 9:15 am - 1:30 pm - Von Braun Center South Hall - Pre-Function Area
8:00 AM - Poster Session Set-Up
8:45 am - 9:45 am
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 What, Why, How & WOW of Calendar Systems
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
Von Braun Center (VBC)
VBC South Hall Ballroom 1-2-3
VBC South Hall Ballroom 4 Maximizing Literacy Experiences for All Students: How to Create and Teach Image Descriptions
VBC South Hall Ballroom 5 Inclusio: Supporting Graphicacy Across Multiple Mediums
Break/Transition 9:45 am-10:00 am
Coffee/Drinks/Snacks on Skybridge
10:00am - 11:00 am
Dr. Sheri Wells Jensen
Von Braun Center South Hall Ballroom (1-2-3)
Von Braun Center South Hall Pre-Function Area
Silent Auction Ends at Noon
The Holbrook-Humphries & Alan Koenig
Silent Auction Winners Announced
Von Braun Center - South Hall Ballroom (1-2-3)
1:30 - 2:30 pm
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 Illiteracy for Blind People: A Global Crisis — and BrailleDoodle, a New Tool in the Fight for Change
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
Von Braun Center (VBC)
VBC South Hall Ballroom 1 Celebrating Braille Literacy: A Partnership with a Public Library
VBC South Hall Ballroom 4 Building Typing Skills with Typio, Typio Pro, and Braillio
VBC South Hall Ballroom 5 Enhancing Literacy with Assistive Technology for Blind and Visually Impaired Students
Break/Transition 2:30 - 3:00
Dessert Break at Skybridge to Embassy Suites
3:00- 4:00 pm
Big Springs B -ES First Floor · Braille literacy through literature for students with visual impairments and neurodivergent learners
Orion - ES First Floor Early Childhood Literacy - Extension Activities for All (Core and Expanded Core)
Madison -ES Second Floor · TADA! Tactile Art and Design Adventures, a free and open-source curriculum
Red Stone - ES Second Floor STEM
Monte Sano - ES Second Floor · DVIDB: Teacher of the Visually Impaired Preparation Standards Review & Discussion Panel Session
Von Braun Center (VBC)
VBC South Hall Ballroom 1, Mission Sensory Efficiency: Expanding Upon Sensory Channel Preference in the Learning Media Assessment Process
VBC South Hall Ballroom 2, Connecting the dots between Notetakers and Braille displays
VBC South Hall Ballroom 3 Unlocking Literacy Success with the Natural Order of Contractions---What Does Data Show?
VBC South Hall Ballroom 4 At Your Fingertips: Systems, Services, and Resources that Support Access to the Curriculum by Braille Readers in K-12
VBC South Hall Ballroom 5 Laying a Firm Foundation with Polly – WORKSHOP
Break/Transition 4:00 - 4:15
4:15 pm - 5:15 pm
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
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 Ballroom 4 Building Print and Braille-Rich Collections for Children with Vision Loss: Partnering with Libraries to Foster Student Success and Lifelong Learning
VBC South Hall Ballroom 5 Making a Tactile Graphics Medley: Combining Embosser and Collage Graphics- WORKSHOP
Social - Embassy Suites Hotel Sponsored in Atrium 5:30-7:00
9:00 am - 11:00 am
8:30 am - 10:00 am
Big Springs AB -ES First Floor Breakfast and Round Table Interest Groups
Break/Check Out - 10:00 am - 10:15 am
Snack/Drinks at Skybridge to Embassy Suites
10:15 am - 11:00 am
If you have any questions - please email us at gitwlconference@gmail.com