By Carla Ruschival
The 58th annual ACB conference and convention, to be held in Rochester, N.Y., from July 5th through 12th, promises to be a rich source of continuing education opportunities for anyone working in the field of blindness and visual impairment. Rehabilitation teachers and counselors, teachers of the visually impaired, low-vision therapists, orientation and mobility instructors, and others can earn the credits needed for ongoing certification in their specialized areas while attending the ACB conference and convention.
The American Council of the Blind is a provider of continuing education opportunities in the field of blindness and visual impairment through the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP). CEUs will be available for a wide range of programs, workshops, seminars, and other events presented by ACB and its committees, special-interest affiliates, and representatives of government agencies and private industry. Subjects will include employment, technology, health issues, orientation and mobility, advocacy, braille, low vision issues, daily living skills, social skills and leisure activities, and much more. Programs offering CEUs will begin on Saturday, July 6 and continue through Wednesday, July 10.
Pre-registration for the conference and convention opens in mid-May, and will include details on continuing education sessions and the ability to register for credits. You may also register for CEUs at the convention.
Individuals registering for continuing education opportunities have several responsibilities:
- You must arrive at each session on time, and you must stay for the complete session. A unique code will be announced at the beginning of each session, and another unique code will be announced at the end of each session. You must make note of these codes, as they cannot be obtained after the session is over.
- Following the convention, you are responsible for completing a form that will have been emailed to you prior to the convention; you must enter the codes from your CE sessions on this form. You must also complete a report and evaluation form for each session. This will not only provide feedback to the presenter, but will help ACB improve its continuing education offerings in the future. Return all forms to ACB no later than Aug. 15, 2019.
- Upon receipt of your completed forms, ACB will issue your CE certificate indicating the number of credits earned with ACB. You are responsible for submitting your certificate to ACVREP.
Please share this information with schools, agencies and private contractors in your state so that others may take advantage of this great opportunity. For more information, contact Carla Ruschival, continuing education chair, by phone at 1-877-630-7190, or by email, [email protected].