Mobility Etc.

03/03/2026

Dear Colleagues,

We are thrilled to invite you to two exclusive virtual Zoom sessions with Sam Seavey, creator of the popular YouTube channel The Blind Life, streamed from the 2026 Virginia AER Conference: Navigating Possibilities, Embracing Community.
Conference Dates & Location:
March 25 – 27, 2026
Live at: The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, Danville, VA
Virtual Session Details (March 26):
Session 1: The Future of Orientation and Mobility: From Smart Canes to Robots
Time: 2:10 PM – 3:40 PM EST
Session 2: AI and Assistive Tech: The Smart Revolution for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Time: 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM EST
These sessions promise to be engaging, informative, and inspiring for professionals, individuals with vision impairments, and anyone passionate about accessibility and inclusion.

Cost:
$20 for one session
$30 for both sessions

Additional Details:
Platform: Zoom (Meeting link will be provided after registration and closer to the event date)
CEUs: 1.5 CEUs will be offered per session: ACVREP, NOMC and CRC
Please note: These sessions will not be recorded for later viewing. The only way to access the sessions virtually is through the paid registration link.
Registration Link: https://aervirginia.org/conference/virtual-sessions/

For questions, please contact Meredith Grace LaHue at Meredith.Lahue@dbvi.virginia.gov

We are thrilled to invite you to two exclusive virtual Zoom sessions with Sam Seavey, creator of the popular YouTube channel The Blind Life, streamed from the 2026 Virginia AER Conference: Navigating Possibilities, Embracing Community.

02/27/2026

My favorite O&M conference just opened registration. Come join the fun in New Orleans

02/18/2026

Customization is essential in AAC interface design for CVI. Color preferences, visual fields, and individualized supports matter.

This study outlines practical AAC interface design and scaffolding choices that may transform communication access for CVI learners.

Explore the research on our CVI Knowledge Base: https://pcvis.vision/aac-interface-design-cvi/

Image description: A young woman looks at her AAC device and makes a selection from the tablet screen, which displays a handful of words in white text on a black background for visual access.

01/25/2026

I like this guys thinking….whats everyone’s thoughts about school this week? Happy snow days.

01/22/2026

Nothing is more exciting than a big snow storm with snow days ahead! Happy Snow Day Dance is coming.

Looks like the GFS likes the new ingested data. Lets see what Dr no says but that was a crazy run. Snowed from Saturday night till Monday morning.
No this is not a forecast...just showing you what the model showed. And its the GFS

01/13/2026

Saw this little gem today and put a little extra bounce into my step.

Pictured: 88 days learning left

01/10/2026

The SOMA conference is one of my favorites. This year SOMA/SWOMA conferences are coming together and call for papers deadline is January 15.

This will be an amazing conference. It’s also in New Orleans December 5-8th.

12/25/2025

Happy Holidays

12/15/2025

The Virginia AER Scholarship Committee is NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS for the Barbara McCarthy Scholarship!

Virginia AER awards scholarships annually to undergraduate or graduate students with exemplary academic achievements and a strong commitment to serving people with visual impairments. This scholarship is named in honor of Barbara McCarthy for her dedication, passion, commitment, and leadership within the field of education for persons with visual impairment. The annual scholarship award is $1,500, along with an AER Student membership and upcoming state conference registration in March 2026.

Linked are the application forms and a flyer to share and post.

You can also visit our VAER website for the links and additional information.

APPLICATIONS ARE DUE JANUARY 5, 2026!

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Sarah Franz at sfranz@ais-llc.com
AER logo featuring light blue curved lines creating the shape of the eye, lowercase aer in dark blue and the text Association for Education & Rehabilitation of the Blind & Visually Impaired underneath

11/30/2025

Some intersections on a military base with little accessibility.

Picture 1: crosswalk without a sidewalk-ramp leading to it. A 3 foot median of grass between the sidewalk and road.

Picture 2: across the same crosswalk, the APS for the next crossing is over 25 feet away from the crossing.

11/28/2025

Hope everyone had a relaxing Thanksgiving!

11/11/2025

Who’s ready for snow days?!?

Well Doug goes snowy. Compares this upcoming winter to 2013-2014 which was one of my favorite winters. The seasonal models do like December and January but no so much February. February 2014 was epic so if you take out February…it’s still a decent winter. So i think we will have a some moments this winter but next year with El Niño has more potential in my opinion lol

In the end…nobody really knows and forecasting snow amounts is a total crap shoot like last year where we had plenty of cold and not enough storms. He did mention that he thinks his snow ranges might be too low👀😂