Spring Conference Survey

On behalf of our board, I hope this email finds you well. We know that everyone has been waiting to hear about how we will be providing our spring conference this year; the 2021 conference will be hosted virtually.  We are looking forward to planning an exciting and accessible conference for all those who wish to attend. We believe that we will reach a greater audience in our state through this format while keeping the integrity of our annual conference and the safety of attendees first.

We are in the planning phase of choosing the best format to host the conference. The most difficult part is planning which times and days to host. As a board, we created a survey for attendees to submit feedback on which conference format, dates, and times work best for your schedule. 

Whichever virtual format we choose, all sessions will be available to access digitally for a set amount of time after the session ends. Meaning, you will be able to attend sessions you may have missed due to a schedule conflict. We will be offering CECs for this conference as well as more opportunities to connect with professionals.
Please complete this survey by 1/5 to help us move forward in the decision-making process. Thank you and Happy Holidays.
Survey Link: https://forms.gle/31aN8S3bkJdDgzrG9

PNW AER Mixer Re-Cap and New Logo

If you were unable to attend our mixer last night, stay tuned for more exciting events and connections from our board in October! If you would like to provide input or feedback for future events and connections, please complete the survey at the bottom of this email.

We would like to take this time to introduce our board and the significance of AER & PNWAER as professional organizations.

Please welcome our 2020-2021 Board Members.

Stacey Gibbins, President

Sean McCormick, President-Elect

Brittany Valicoff, Past-President

Julie McEnderfer, Treasurer

DeEtte Snyder, Secretary

Board Members’ at Large – Pam Parker, Scott McCallum, Sara Zachariah

What is AER and PNWAER?

Pacific Northwest AER (PNWAER) is a chapter of The Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER).  This chapter provides a unique opportunity to connect with local professionals who provide services and resources that enable individuals who are blind or visually impaired to achieve their educational, employment and personal independence goals. Example, our spring conference held every year or our newest virtual mixers!

Our chapter covers professionals living in the state of Washington.

PNWAER is active all year round. It is led by a group of board members that are voted into position by PNWAER members!

Why Join: When you join AER and our chapter, you join a community of excellence. This membership brings professionals together to ensure success of one another and success of the people we serve. Added bonus, members have access to AER’s learning series and discounts on AER conference registrations.
How To join PNWAER officially you need to be a member of AER. An AER membership provides an automatic membership to our chapter if you reside in Washington State. There are several membership types, click the link to find the best fit for you! https://aerbvi.org/membership/

Not ready to commit but want to follow along? Join us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/pnwaer/

Last night we unveiled our new PNWAER logo. Image description, PNWAER’s logo, a circle inside the image is a whale that is dark blue and lighter, the whales tail is flipped up, geometric white waves are placed above the whale.

PNWAER Mixer Invite

On behalf of PNWAER’s Board of Directors we are happy to invite you to our first ever PNWAER Virtual Mixer! On September 24, joined by special guest Dr. Craig Meador, President, American Printing House from the Blind, from 5pm-6pm we will be hosting a mixer for professionals across the state to share, connect and spread joy! This event is free to attend and will be hosted by our board. Our hope is to engage, inspire and pave the way for future mixers creating a platform for diverse content in a relaxed setting. Put on your comfy clothes, pour your favorite beverage and join us and your colleagues for an hour of connection.

We’re using SignUp.com for registration. Once you are registered you will receive a link to the Zoom meeting.

Here’s how it works in 2 easy steps:

1) Click this link to see our SignUp on SignUp.com: https://signup.com/go/mQCkFML

2) Sign up! It’s Easy – you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on SignUp.com.

Note: SignUp.com does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually.

Support and Materials Needed- Southern Oregon ESD

The Southern Oregon ESD lost their main office last night due to the on-going fires in the area. The office housed a lot of the TVIs, COMS and braillists materials serving the area.

April Love shared this with us, “The devastation in our community is widespread. We have yet to do an inventory of all that is lost but I thought I would reach out to this group of vision professionals to ask you to keep us in mind if getting rid of any vision materials.”

Any materials can be sent to the address below:

Attn: April Love

Southern Oregon ESD

409 NW 3^rd Street

Grants Pass, OR 97526

Conference Payments

Conference Cancelled- UEB Re-certification Information

For conference participants who registered and paid to take the UEB re-certification exam, please contact Kandi at Braille@wssb.wa.gov to assign a new proctor, hold an exam, or arrange a refund

2020 PNW & OR AER Conference Cancelled!

Come Together Conference

On behalf of Oregon AER and Pacific Northwest AER, we are cancelling the ‘Come Together’ Conference scheduled for March 19-21, 2020 at the Heathman Lodge in Vancouver, Washington. This decision was not made lightly and we regret the missed opportunity to connect with you and other professionals between our two great states.

Over the last month, we have been closely monitoring the evolving situation with the COVID-19 outbreak to ensure we are taking every precaution to look after our community. In the past week, government agencies, school districts, and organizations nationwide have taken steps to reduce the exposure of COVID-19. Many of our attendees have been wondering why we did not cancel sooner and on behalf of both boards we would like to say thank you for your continued patience and support. In complete transparency, we have been working tirelessly with International AER and our venue, Heathman Lodge, to negotiate contractual obligations as these have a significant financial impact on both chapters and our future.

The ‘Come Together’ conference will not be held next week, March 19-21, 2020. Currently, we are working through options with Heathman Lodge on the possibility of rescheduling this event. If you have not contacted the Heathman Lodge to cancel your hotel reservations, please do so as soon as possible.

We know that you have questions about refunds for your registration costs. All payments made for attendance as a participant or exhibitor will be fully refunded to you. If you would like to make your payment a donation to help us cover contractual and other expenses with cancelling this conference please shoot us an email at hello@oregonaer.org and pnwaerbvi@gmail.com as soon as you can.

If you have any questions, please contact your State’s AER President. We appreciate your patience with responses from our board as information is being negotiated and finalized. More information below for Exhibitors, Presenters, and UEB Registrations.

We look forward to connecting with you at future workshops and conferences.

Wishing you Health & Happiness,

Ashley & Brittany
OR & PNW AER Presidents, Respectively
hello@oregonaer.org and pnwaerbvi@gmail.com

SFASU TVI Program- Deadline Extended!

Deadline Extended to April 1st!

Application deadline has been extended for the Stephen F. Austin Teacher of the Visually Impaired Training Program to April 1st. 

This program is grant funded and pays for all tuition. It is open to teachers in Washington State who are looking to add an endorsement to become a Teacher of the Visually Impaired. 

      INTERESTED?____

If you are interested or know of someone who may be interested in becoming part of this in-demand field, please see the attached application instructions. This grant is competitive so make sure to apply as soon as you can!

Exhibitor Registration Closed

Registration closed for Exhibitors! There are still sponsorship opportunities, please email us to inquire!

Early Bird Registration Ends 2/29/2020

Come Together Conference 2020

March 19-21, 2020 at the Heathman Lodge in Vancouver, WA.

Early Bird Registration Rates end on 2/29/2020. Over 18 CRC Credits Requested. Receive up to 18 ACVREP Credits and Clock Hours.