[nobe-l] Join us for the Blindness Symposium; March 6

[Lori]

> Please share this as appropriate. There are a few attachments with more
> details and you can always contact me with additional questions. Our 
> line-up
> continues to grow!
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> This note is meant to announce that a high-profile blindness symposium is 
> to
> occur in McKenna Hall on the campus of The University of Notre Dame on
> Fri., 6 March, 2009, from 9:00-5:45.  Please forward to
> anyone you believe might have an interest in this, perhaps posting an
> advisory in any newsletter or podcast to which you contribute.
>
> Because the greater South Bend, Indiana, area is reasonably close to
> Chicagoland, southern Michigan, Indianapolis, and Ohio, a significant 
> number
> of persons will potentially find it feasible to attend.  The highest 
> profile
> facets of this event are the
> keynote address by Dr. Marc Maurer, president of the National
> Federation of the Blind; and the presence of Olympic gold medal-winning
> swimmer and entrepreneur Adolph Kiefer.  Dr. Maurer will be on center
> stage roughly from 10:45 A.M. to 12:30 P.M and will speak directly to
> the enormous gap that remains in respect to employment of the blind in
> 21st century America.  Kiefer will participate while a paper on a new
> swimming
> navigational aid for the blind is presented at 3:30 in the afternoon.
>
> Another noteworthy fact is that this upcoming symposium has been
> created at Notre Dame and is being administered by an ND
> special professional named Dr. Essaka Joshua, who conducts and supervises
> academic
> research in the area of disability studies.  So this will be first and
> foremost an academic conference put on by one of North America's most
> prestigious institutions of higher learning.  To that end, papers about 
> the
> literary and
> historical significance of blindness through the ages will be formally
> presented by scholars from universities both in the USA and in Europe.
> Athletically-minded attendees and parents of blind swimmers will be able 
> to
> see first-hand a brand-new, highly affordable navigational aid called
> AdapTap that blind swimmers may use to keep their bearings in the often
> confusing and fast-moving
> environment of a swimming pool.  Attached to this message are both a flier
> and a poster describing the formal part of this symposium.  These are
> official promotional pieces created at Notre Dame, and both the flier and
> poster are suitable for immediate handout or mounted display.  They are
> accessible to blind computer users as well, if opened in any version of
> Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat identified as 7.x or later, in conjunction
> with either JAWS for Windows or Window-Eyes screen reading software.
>
>
>
> In addition, there is a second aspect to the March 6 symposium, intended 
> to
> line up with the practical needs of teachers or members of the blind
> community:  Following Dr. Maurer's time in the spotlight and a brief lunch
> break, the afternoon will feature a technology fair that
> runs concurrently with the last three paper presentations.  As a
> part of that tech fair, we will present four focused seminars of
> practical and educational significance to special education teachers,
> vocational rehabilitation professionals, blind persons, and family members
> or friends of blind persons.  The lineup for these presentations, as it
> stands now, is as follows:
>
> 2:00 PM:  Select members from the leadership team of GW Micro (makers of 
> the
> BrailleSense Plus notetaker and the Window-Eyes screen reading program,
> based in Fort Wayne, Indiana).
>
> 3:00 PM:  Wade Wingler of the Easter Seals Crossroads Assistive
> Technology Center in Indianapolis.  Wade discusses the new INDATA
> Project making technology affordable for members of the disabled
> community who earn a low income and/or who do not qualify for direct
> state funding assistance.
>
> 4:00 PM:  The Sendero Group, featuring accessible GPS solutions and
> other leading-edge portable technology for the blind.
>
> 5:00 PM:  Hadley School for the Blind, based in Winnetka, Illinois.
> Hadley has provided distance learning opportunities in Braille, in
> large print, and now online, for nearly 90 years to blind citizens of
> more than 100 countries.
>
> In addition to the presenters listed above, we are expecting
> demonstration/informational booths  to be staffed by adec Inc., Bosma
> Enterprises, Cross Roads-Easter Seals, Eye Can See, GW Micro, Hadley 
> School
> for the Blind, the Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library, the National
> Federation of the Blind of Indiana, Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic,
> Sendero Group, and the Social Security Administration, among others.
>
> Last but not least, we hope to get a sneak peek at some experimental
> navigational technology not yet released to the general public that is 
> being
> developed and tested in
> the nations that make up the European Union.  At least one of these
> experimental devices never has been seen before in North America. 
> Attached
> to this message is a detailed description of these and all other 
> exhibitors
> who have agreed thus far to participate.  The description is formatted so
> that it should open in any version of Microsoft Word released since the 
> year
> 1998.
>
>
>
> Both the academic conference and the technology fair will be open at
> no charge to the general public.  But because space in the auditorium and
> demonstration rooms is limited, registration is strongly encouraged.
>
>
>
> If you wish to attend, or if you have a question relating specifically to
> the academic portion of the March 6 program, please send a message to
> BlindnessSymposium at gmail.com.
>
>
>
> For more information about the technology fair portion of the afternoon's
> proceedings, you are encouraged to write personally to one or both of the
> co-coordinators: Kane Brolin  kbrolin65 at gmail.com or Lori Miller
> Lori at asmodean.net.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Kane Brolin
> Office:    (5..., Ext. 1
> Mobile:   (574)386-8868
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