NFB Utah 2010 State Convention Agenda

Positive Change: Celebrating Success-Planning for a Postive Future

Friday, May 21

7:30-8:45 am Convention Registration, Foyer

7:45-8:30 am Breakfast Board Meeting, Cascade Room

General Session
(David Poteet, Board Member, National Federation of the Blind of Utah—Door Prize and Auction Chairman; Everette Bacon, Board Member, National Federation of the Blind of Utah, President, Salt Lake Chapter—Raffle ticket chairman )

Be sure to submit your name in Braille for the door prize drawings. We will be drawing for a free 64 GB Apple iPod Touch. Also remember to purchase your raffle tickets for our iPad
drawings.

9:00 am Call to Order: Ron Gardner, JD, United States Access Board, President, NFB of Utah

National Anthem: Barbie Elliott, President, Weber/Davis Chapter, NFB of Utah
Invocation: Richard Condie, Member, Weber/Davis Chapter, NFB of Utah

9:10 am Setting the Stage—Taking part in Positive Change: Ron Gardner

9:20 am Changing how we get the News and how we get our Books:
NFB NEWSLINE: Everette Bacon, MA, Rehabilitation Technology Specialist, Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, President, Salt Lake Chapter, Board Member, NFB of Utah
The Change has arrived—Digital Books are Here!: Bessie Oakes,Program Manager, Utah State Library for the Blind and Donna Jones Morris, Director, Utah State Library

9:45 am Changes in the Utah Transit Authority (UTA)—You can get there from here: Matt Sibul, Project Manager, Airport TRAX; Jamie Van Bevers, Senior Planner for Central Bus Operations; Sherry Repscher, ADA Compliance Officer

10:00 am National Report—Our National Organization leading the way in changing what it means to be blind: Dr. Marc Maurer, President, National Federation of the Blind, Baltimore, Maryland

11:00 am Changes and new priorities in blindness rehabilitation: Don Uchida, Executive Director, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation; Bill Gibson, MEd, Director, Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired (DSBVI); Everette Bacon, MA, Rehabilitation Technology Specialist; Kenna Arcury, Coordinator, Business Enterprise Program; Shawn Schmidt, BEP Manager; Adam Rushforth, MBA, Technology Instructor, DSBVI, Board of Directors, Utah Valley Chapter, NFB of Utah; Claudia Palomar, Student, DSBVI, Member, Utah Valley Chapter, NFB of Utah

11:45 am Changing the myth that blindness means giving up—positive Engineering for life: Bill Clapp, PhD, Department Chair for Computer and Electronics Engineering, Weber State University, Member, Board of Directors, Weber/Davis Chapter

12:15 pm Lunch – Cascade Room “Building Blocks and Turning Points”
Karl Smith, Owner, Axis Technology; Secretary, NFB of Utah, Board of Directors

General Session

1:30 pm Changes in Technology—It is really accessible: Steve Sawczyn, Assistive Technology Consultant/Instructor, President, NFB of Maine; Kevin Hughes, Western Region Sales Representative, Humanware; Adam Reynolds, 
Owner/President, Rocky Mountain Low Vision; Karl Smith, Owner, Axis Technology

2:30 pm What I would tell every parent of a blind child—Patricia Maurer, Director of Community Relations, National Federation of the Blind, Baltimore, Maryland
The role of Braille and a positive philosophy about blindness in my early childhood—Brook Sexton, MEd, NOMC and NCLB

3:00 pm Changing What it Means to Be Blind: Ron Gardner, JD, President, NFB of Utah

3:30 pm Education of Blind Children in Utah, A Report on changes at the Utah School for the Blind: Steve Noyce, Superintendent, Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind; Denise Colton, PhD, President, Utah Parents of Blind Children, NFB of Utah, Board Member, National Organization of Parents of Blind Children; Louise Walch, NBPCB Coordinator, NCLB Specialist

4:10 pm Project Strive and Utah Network for Mentoring Excellence, Positive changes in transition and job readiness services for blind youth and young adults: Marla Palmer, Project Coordinator,Board Member, Utah Parents of Blind Children; Cheralyn Creer, UnME Coordinator, 1st Vice-President, NFB of Utah; Mary Jo Hartle, MEd, NOMC, Director of Education, NFB Jernigan Institute

5:00 pm Adjourn; Dinner on your own

5:30 pm Project Strive Reception—By Invitation Only
Scholarship applicants and family members, Project Strive participants and invited guests have been invited to our inaugural event for Project Strive
Wasatch 1 and 2 Rooms

6:00 pm Technology demonstrations and hands-on opportunities
KNFB Reader Mobile, iPad, GPS, Humanware APEX, iPhone, digital book player, low vision technology. This section will include Karl Smith, Axis Technology; Lisa Nelson, Special Services librarian, Library for the Blind; Kevin Hughes, Humanware; Adam Reynolds, Rocky Mountain Low Vision; Everette Bacon, Rehabilitation Technology Specialist
Timpanogos Room

6:00 pm Seniors living with blindness—Changing the myth that blindness brings idleness
Bill Gibson, Director, DSBVI; Bill Clapp, PhD, Department Chair for Computer and Electronics Engineering, Weber State University
Majestic Room

8:00 pm Game Night Activities—Fundraiser Donation $10/person -$15/family
Games for all ages such as Yahtzee, Uno, Twister, Texas Hold ‘em, Blackjack, and other awesome fun-filled games in addition to the first fully accessible regulation sized dart board!
Cascade Rooms

Saturday, May 22

7:30-8:30 am President’s Breakfast Meeting – Cascade Room
Reports from Chapter and Affiliate Presidents
Barbie Elliott: Moderator
Sachin Pavithran, President, Cache Valley Chapter
Barbie Elliott, President, Weber/Davis Chapter
Everette Bacon, President, Salt Lake Chapter
Kara Campbell, President, Utah Valley Chapter
Bill Clapp, President, Seniors Division, NFB of Utah
Mac Biggers, President, Utah Association of Blind Students
Dr. Denise Colton, President, Utah Parents of Blind Children
Steve Sawczyn, President, NFB of Maine
Bill Packee, President, NFB of Alaska
Rena Smith, President, NFB of Nevada
Lynne Majewski, President, NFB of Delaware
Grace Pires, President, NFB of Rhode Island

9:00 am Invocation:

9:05 am Meet the Scholarship Applicants: Sachin Pavithran, MS, CRC, Program Coordinator, Utah Assistive Technology Program, Center for Persons with Disabilities, Utah State University;President, Cache Valley Chapter Board Member, NFB of Utah

9:20 am Descriptive Video for the Blind: Mike Renlund, Digital Cinema Specialist, Megaplex Theatres

9:30 am Rehabilitation Training Centers for the Blind: Al Spooner, Assistant Director, Outreach and Marketing, Blindness Learning In New Dimensions, Incorporated (BLIND, Inc); Deja Powell, MEd, NOMC, Graduate, Louisiana Center for the Blind, Programs Manager, Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness, Louisiana Tech University; Ray Martin, MA, CVRT, Coordinator, Professional Services, DSBVI

10:00 am Changing the Unemployment Rate for the Blind—The blind at work: Adam Rushforth, MBA, former Financial Manager/Comptroller, Dox Tek, Inc., Rehabilitation Technology Specialist, DSBVI; Robin Doyle, Adjunct faculty, Salt Lake Community College; Quintin Williams, Braille Proofreader with USIMAC, Member, Cache Valley Chapter; Stephanie Cordova, Masters Degree candidate, Special Ed. Teacher, Cottonwood Treatment Center; Glen Peel, Owner, Horseshoe Mountain Hardware and Lumber, Inc.

10:45-11:45 Break Out Sessions

NFB Philosophy 101— Norm Gardner, PhD., Professor of Business Finance, Utah Valley University,Treasurer, NFB of Utah

Cane Walk—Deja Powell, MEd, NOMC; Brian Dulude, MEd, NOMC; Laura Ozios, MA COMS; Brook Sexton, MEd, NOMC; Mary Jo Hartle, MEd, NOMC

Technology: Change in the Mainstream—All About Apple/ Mainstream accessibility is finally here—Everette Bacon, MA, Rehabilitation Technology Specialist; Steve Sawczyn, Assistive Technology Consultant/Instructor

Technology: Changing how the blind access books—Getting the Lowdown on the Download—Adam Rushforth, MBA, Technology Instructor, DSBVI; Ray Martin, MA, CVRT, Coordinator, Professional Services, DSBVI

Parents Division: Annual meeting and elections—Dr. Denise Colton

Changing What it means to be a blind or visually impaired senior citizen—Bill Gibson, MA, Director, DSBVI; Bill Clapp, PhD, Department Chair for Computer and Electronics Engineering, Weber State University; Lisa Nelson, Special Services librarian, Library for the Blind

12:00 pm Lunch

Address from the Governor: Gary Herbert, Governor, State of Utah

1:00-2:30 pm Parents of Blind Children—Promoting a positive IEP Experience—Dr. Denise Colton

1:00 pm Door prizes and exciting auction!

1:45-2:45 pm Break Out Sessions

Technology: New Windows 7 Operating System-Karl Smith, Axis Technology

Technology: Change in the Mainstream—All About Apple/ Mainstream accessibility is finally here—Everette Bacon, MA, Rehabilitation Technology Specialist; Steve Sawczyn, Assistive Technology Consultant/Instructor

Technology: Changing how the blind access books—Getting the Lowdown on the Download— Adam Rushforth, MBA, Technology Instructor, DSBVI; Ray Martin, MA, CVRT, Coordinator, Professional Services, DSBVI

Changing What it means to be a blind or visually impaired senior citizen— Bill Gibson, MA, Director, DSBVI; Bill Clapp, PhD, Department Chair for Computer and Electronics Engineering, Weber State University; Lisa Nelson, Special Services librarian, Library for the Blind

General Session– Wasatch Rooms 1 and 2

3:00 pm Changing the Laws in America—Washington Seminar: Sachin Pavithran, MS CRC; Chris Jefferies, Rehabilitation Teacher/Counselor, DSBVI, Member, Board of Directors, Weber/Davis Chapter, NFB of Utah; Mark Turley, former Systems Analyst, Naval Research and Development Lab, 2010 Census Specialist, Member, Board of Directors, Salt Lake Chapter, NFB of Utah

3:20 pm Changing what it means to have a blind family member: How life improved when my husband went blind—Angela Peters, MD, Member, Salt Lake Chapter, NFB of Utah
Changing what it means to be a blind teenager—Kirt Manwaring, Winner, NFB National Scholarship, Eagle Scout, Member, Utah Valley Chapter, NFB of Utah. A blind mother raising sighted children—Patricia Maurer, Director of Community Relations, NFB From a blind baby to a blind professional – Growing up in a Federation family—Brook Sexton, MEd, NOMC and NCLB

3:55 pm Why I Am a Federationist?  Barbie Elliott, President, Weber/Davis Chapter, Jerry Nealey, Weber/Davis chapter, Masters Candidate, Louisiana Tech University, former President, Weber/Davis Chapter, Brian Dulude, MEd, NOMC,Doctoral Candidate, Member, Utah Valley Chapter, William Black, Executive Chef, Willie B’s Café and Catering, Member, Board of Directors, Salt Lake Chapter

4:30 pm NFB of Utah Board of Directors Elections

4:45 pm Convention Resolutions

5:00 pm Adjourn

6:00 pm National Federation of the Blind of Utah 2010 Awards Banquet

Master of Ceremonies: Ron Gardner, President, JD, NFB of Utah

Invocation: Sandie Gibson

Violin Concerto: Josie Nielson, Winner, NFB National Scholarship

Presentation of the NFB of Utah Helen Colby Award

Congressman Jim Matheson
United States House of Representatives
NFB of Utah President’s Award and Remarks

Dr. Marc Maurer
President National Federation of the Blind
Banquet Address

Presentation of Annual Scholarship Awards: Sachin Pavithran President, Cache Valley Chapter