[accessibleimage] Additional exhibits of potential interestRe: Announcing a Blindness Symposium

Take part in hands-on demonstrations, ask questions, and get the latest info from more than ten companies and not-for-profit organizations that will showcase their products and services for people with vision loss. Exhibits will be held continuously from 1:30-5:45 PM on Fri., March 6, 2009, in the dining room of McKenna Hall on the campus of The University of Notre Dame, with select presentations happening simultaneously in Rooms 112 and 114 of the same building.
· ADEC, Inc. This not-for-profit corporation based in in northern Indiana since 1952 is the result of collaboration between disabled persons and their families, community leaders, and like-minded organizations. Its mission is to ensure that children and adults with disabilities can live happy and productive lives and can participate fully in their communities. ADEC sponsors a variety of training and work-centered programs for disabled citizens. ADEC is committed to breaking down barriers, both physical and attitudinal, through active community education, advocacy, and support. http://adecinc.com/php/about/index.php
· Bosma Enterprises. This Indianapolis-based organization operates as a unique non-profit hybrid, relying on a combination of private gifts, corporate and foundation contributions, and profit-driven contracts to create jobs and fund training and outreach programs. Bosma prepares people who are blind to meet the challenges they choose to take on and also prepares the business community to integrate people who are blind into their business plans. http://bosma.org/about_us.htm
· Chicago Lighthouse. Since its founding in 1906, the Chicago Lighthouse has evolved from providing basic food, clothing and shelter assistance into helping people who are blind, visually impaired or multi-disabled to live more independently. Vocational training and competitive job placement have been a primary focus of this agency for nearly a century. The
Birth-To-Three Family intervention Program initiates early intervention services to infants, toddlers and their families. As far back as the 1950s, the Lighthouse’s Adult Living Skills program has been known as one of the first in the nation to teach independent living skills to adults who are blind and developmentally disabled. The Lighthouse is a fixture on Roosevelt Road in the heart of the Illinois Medical district of Chicago’s West Side. http://www.thechicagolighthouse.org/defaultabout.asp?page=history
· Cognitive Aid System for the Blind People (CASBLIP). The main aim of this collaborative research project is to develop a system capable of interpreting and managing real world information from different sources to assist blind or visually impaired users. The system would present users with enhanced image and audio maps of their surroundings to meaningfully improve their independence and overall quality of life. Partners in this endeavor include the German conglomerate Siemens Ag, the University of Bristol (Great Britain), La Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (Spain), and La Universidad de la Laguna (Spain). Individualized demonstrations of one of CASBLIP’s experimental products may be arranged in advance by writing to Dr. Georg Bodammer: Georg.Bodammer@xxxxxxxxxxxx He is willing to hold such a demonstration either at Notre Dame on March 6-7 or in the Greater Chicago area the following week. For a broader view of the objectives and different components of CASBLIP, refer to http://www.casblip.upv.es/
· Easter Seals Crossroads Assistive Technology Center. Based in Indianapolis, this organization works nationwide to help persons with all manner of disabilities lead fulfilled and productive lives. The center’s director Wade Wingler will showcase technology-related initiatives that have been made possible through state and federal grants and by the recent passage of the Indiana Assistive Technology Act (INDATA). These programs, many of which are free to disabled Hoosiers, include device loans and exchanges, alternative equipment financing, technology training, and computer reutilization. http://centerforassistivetechnology.org/resources/42
· Eye Can See. Tom Blackman demonstrates the ScripTalk prescription label reader and the KNFB Mobile Reader. He also discusses a broad array of Freedom Scientific products, including the latest editions of the PAC Mate notetaker and the JAWS for Windows screen reading software package. http://www.envisionamerica.com/scriptalk/ or http://freedomscientific.com/ 

·        GH, LLC.  Using a content-independent media conversion process,
this company offers a full range of accessible media formats and
software applications, including DAISY Digital Talking Books, an
Accessible Testing System, Braille, and Tactile Graphics, that enable
people with print disabilities to improve their educational
experience, become more competitive in the workplace, and lead more
enjoyable lives. http://www.gh-accessibility.com/
· GW Micro. The leadership team representing this innovative Hoosier company, based in Fort Wayne, demonstrate the latest capabilities of their Window-Eyes speech and Braille access software for the PC, as well as portable products such as the Braille Sense Plus notetaker and its companion GPS navigation system. http://www.gwmicro.com/
· Hadley School for the Blind. For nearly 90 years, this Illinois-based institution has provided distance learning opportunities for blind high school students, adults, and their families in a wide variety of courses ranging from Braille and personal wellness to the fundamentals of business, literature, math, science, and foreign languages. http://hadley.edu/default.asp
· Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library. This institution is affiliated with the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, a division of the Library of Congress. NLS administers the free program that lends recorded and braille books and magazines, music scores in braille and large print, and specially designed playback equipment to residents of the United States who are unable to read or use standard print materials because of visual or physical impairment.
NLS administers the program nationally while direct service to eligible individuals and institutions is the responsibility of cooperating libraries in the various states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands. Service is also extended to eligible American citizens residing abroad. http://www.loc.gov/nls/aboutnls.html
· National Federation of the Blind of Indiana. With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind is one of the largest and most influential membership organizations of blind people in the United States. The NFB improves blind people’s lives through advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs encouraging independence and self-confidence. The NFB has affiliates in all fifty states plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, and over seven hundred local chapters. http://www.nfb.org/nfb/About_the_NFB.asp?SnID=1264837192
· Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic. This not-for-profit organization, based in Princeton, NJ, produces and distributes a wide array of recorded books and study materials for the use of students and adults who have proven physical or mental challenges that make it difficult to learn through conventional reading techniques. RFB&D materials are offered via CD-ROM, Internet download, and cassette tape to qualifying patrons, and their literature ranges from popular fiction to advanced postgraduate research materials. RFB&D is capable of producing customized recordings for students and institutions with specialized needs. Much of their catalogue is made available free of charge to qualifying patrons. http://www.rfbd.org/
· Sendero Group. This company developed the first accessible GPS and talking map software. GPS products "Powered by Sendero" software provide access to detailed street and business location information. The blind traveler can now be a co-pilot , not just a passive passenger in a car. Sendero staff, most of whom are visually impaired, know from personal and professional experience that orientation and mobility skills and tools for blind folks are key to enjoyment and success in all walks of life. For a brief multimedia sneak preview of how Sendero’s gps product can empower blind navigators, go to http://www.senderogroup.com/public/gps/.
· Social Security Administration. Because many blind persons and others struggling with severe long-range disabilities receive benefits from the SSA in lieu of job-related income or while working their way into a productive livelihood, information from this federal agency proves vitally important in helping disabled Americans to understand what is available to them and how changing federal regulations figure to affect their lives. http://ssa.gov/
· United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA). USABA’s mission is to enhance the lives of blind and visually impaired children and adults by providing the opportunity for participation in sports and physical activity. This community-based organization of the United States Olympic Committee has touched the lives of more than 100,000 persons through programs in cycling, judo, powerlifting, skiing, swimming, wrestling, and more. It endeavors at all times to create an environment that fosters the wide acceptance of blind and visually impaired people in American society at large. 

http://usaba.org/Pages/usabainformation/aboutus.html
----- Original Message ----- From: "Lori" <twilight2@xxxxxxxxxxxx> 
To: <accessibleimage@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2009 7:20 PM
Subject: [accessibleimage] Announcing a Blindness Symposium
Please read the following announcments and attachments.For our exhibits, GH 
LLc, the Chicago Lighthouse for the  Blind, and the United States
Association of Blind Athletes will also be joining us.
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@xxxxxxxxx
.
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@xxxxxxxxx
or Lori Miller
Lori@xxxxxxxxxxxx
.
Sincerely,
Kane Brolin
Office:    (5..., Ext. 1
Mobile:   (574)386-8868
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