TENTATIVE SCHEDULE (may be changed due to speaker availability)

Thursday, April 26, 2007

7:30 Michigan Optometric Association sponsored Continental Breakfast / Registration

8:30 Welcome - President Mary Beth Kullen

8:45 Keynote Address - Jim Gandorf, AER Executive Director

AER Update: AER is your professional organization; Update on the Issues Affecting the Community of Vision Professionals and what AER is doing about them.

9:45 Exhibitors Open

Concurrent Sessions (not necessarily in order)

Advances in Stem Cell Technology and Gene Therapy
Kimberly Dresner, M.D., Ph.D., Associated Retinal Consultants

New Perspectives on Vision Loss and Aging
Dr. Susan Gormenzano, OD, FAAO, American Optometric Association - Low Vision Rehabilitation Section & Verona Morton, Ph.D.

The MCB Path to College Success
Sherry Gordon, Acting Western Regional Manager, Michigan Commission for the Blind (MCB), James L. Baird, Rehabilitation Teacher, O&M Specialist, and Certified Teacher of Industrial Arts, Michigan Commission for the Blind Training Center (MCBTC), David Greenwald, Orientation and Mobility Specialist - MCBTC, Mary Zemlick, Occupational Therapist, Registered ASL QAII Interpreter, MCBTC.

Michigan Department of Education - Testing and Comparisons of Blind and Visually Impaired Children and Sighted Peers
Peggy Dutcher, OEAA Coordinator, Michigan Department of Education & Collette Bauman, Special Education Consultant, Michigan Department of Education - Low Incidence Outreach

The Aging Eye
Dr. David N. Zacks, M.D., Ph.D., University of Michigan W.K. Kellogg Eye Center

The Travel Environment: the times they are a'changing
Robert Wall Emerson, Ph.D., COMS, Western Michigan University

12:30 Lunch / MAER Annual Business Meeting

Meet and Greet with Marilyn Gense (Parent Luncheon) This informal meeting will provide an opportunity for parents with children with visual impairments and autism to ask questions and discuss issues facing them with an expert. This meeting requires pre-registration.

1:45 Exhibitors Open

Concurrent Sessions (not necessarily in order)

Thinking Outside the Box, How to Make Challenging Programs Accessible
Amanda English, TCVI & COMS, Kalamazoo RESA, and Nancy Gallihugh

How Do I Know: Assessment Planning for Learners with Visual Impairments That May Also Have an Autism Spectrum Disorder
Marilyn Gense, Coordinator of the Program for Visually Impaired and Project Director, Statewide Consultative and Resource Services for Autism Spectrum Disorders

Severity Rating Scale for Orientation and Mobility Services
Susan Langendonk, COMS, Ingham ISD and Susan Bradley, COMS, Livonia Public Schools

Time To Rap - Addressing the Social, Emotional, and Transitional Needs of Visually Impaired Students
Nina Glasner, Social Worker & TVI, Johns Hopkins University & PGCPS

What Do I Do: Essential Strategies for Working with Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Visual Impairments
Marilyn Gense, Coordinator of the Program for Visually Impaired and Project Director, Statewide Consultative and Resource Services for Autism Spectrum Disorders

Motor Development As It Relates to Travel
Annette Skellenger, Associate Professor, Western Michigan University

4:30 Division 9 (O&M) Division 11 (Rehab) Meetings

6:00 MAER Hospitality Event with the exhibitors

Friday, April 27, 2007

8:00 Michigan Optometric Association sponsored Continental Breakfast

Division 8 & 16 (VI & Itinerant Personnel) Division 7 (Low Vision) Meetings

8:30 Exhibitors Open

Concurrent Sessions (not necessarily in order)

Life Can Still Be Livable (Even with Diabetes)
Nina Glasner, Social Worker & TVI, Johns Hopkins University & PGCPS

A Practitioner's Guide to SOD
Sandra Stirnweis, Senior Mobility Specialist, Foundation for Blind Children

Developmental Value of Judo for Children with Visual Impairments
Neil Simon, President, United States Judo Foundation

Considerations for Facilitating Concept Development in Children with Visual Impairments
Annette Skellenger, Associate Professor, Western Michigan University

IMC-12 - Orientation and Mobility in an Inclusive Society
Sandra Stirnweis, Senior Mobility Specialist, Foundation for Blind Children

Driving with Bioptic Lenses
Gayle Berk Agar, OTR, CDI, and CDRS, A&A Driving School Drivers Rehabilitation Center of Michigan, Cheryl DeMea, CDI, CDRS, A&A Driving School Drivers Rehabilitation Center of Michigan

11:30 MAER Awards Luncheon

1:00 Exhibitors Open

Concurrent Sessions (not necessarily in order)

Effects of a Dual Sensory Impairment in the Aging Population
Timothy Hartshorne, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Central Michigan University

Options and Strategies for Addressing Critical Social Skills for Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Visual Impairments
Marilyn Gense, Coordinator of the Program for Visually Impaired and Project Director, Statewide Consultative and Resource Services for Autism Spectrum Disorders

Never Eat Slimy Worms - A brief history of Trekker Training
Erica Ihrke, COMS, Leader Dogs for the Bilnd, & Barry Stafford, COMS, Leader Dogs for the Blind

Whoa, What a Ride! The Ups and Downs of Internet Access for Seniors with Visual Impairments
Mary Beth Kullen, M.A., Community Outreach Coordinator, Greater Detroit Agency for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Purposeful Movement and Functional Travel for Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Visual Impairments
Marilyn Gense, Coordinator of the Program for Visually Impaired and Project Director, Statewide Consultative and Resource Services for Autism Spectrum Disorders

WMU Research Update
Western Michigan University Graduate Students

3:45 Conference Ends

A Special Thanks to
Western Michigan University,
Department of Blindness and Low Vision Studies,
for co-sponsoring the 2007 conference!