TAER 2025 Conference: Full Schedule

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8:00am MDT

Annual Business Meeting

Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:30am MDT

Corpus A/B - General Sessions

Speakers

Stephanie Walker

TSVInCOMS, APH

Stephanie’s professional career in the field of visual impairments began with a Master of Arts in Special Education with a focus on Visual Impairments and Orientation & Mobility from Texas Tech University. Her experience working with students with visual impairments extends over... Read More →

Saturday March 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:30am MDT
Corpus A/B - General Sessions 900 N Shoreline Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78401

10:00am MDT

Behavior Outside the Classroom

Saturday March 22, 2025 10:00am - 11:15am MDT

Nueces B - Breakout

This session will explore ways to foster safety, success, independence, and connectedness with students with sensory impairments. We will address why students may have distress and offer some practical strategies to consider in these situations.
This session places strong emphasis on the relational dynamics between students and educators.

Speakers

Lynne McAlister

Saturday March 22, 2025 10:00am - 11:15am MDT
Nueces B - Breakout 900 N Shoreline Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, USA

10:00am MDT

Don't Fear the Veer: A Study of the Numbers

Saturday March 22, 2025 10:00am - 11:15am MDT

Aransas - Breakout

Veering, swerve, spiral, whatever word we use, this can be an issue with our students and clients affecting orientation and safety. We conducted a test or study to learn more about veering and other travel issues and would like to show some numbers and results.

Speakers

Vance Lankford

Saturday March 22, 2025 10:00am - 11:15am MDT
Aransas - Breakout 900 N Shoreline Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78401

COMS

10:00am MDT

Feel the Beat, Touch the Art: A Multi-Sensory Journey

Saturday March 22, 2025 10:00am - 11:15am MDT

Corpus Ballroom A - Breakout

This session is an immersive, hands-on experience designed to engage participants in the world of art and music through touch and sound. Techniques from the TSBVI publication, “Artful Instruction,” will be introduced and participants will use their sense of touch, hearing, and intuition to experience creativity in new ways.

Speakers

Jat Heitman

Saturday March 22, 2025 10:00am - 11:15am MDT
Corpus Ballroom A - Breakout 900 N Shoreline Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78401

ECC

10:00am MDT

Blind Children’s Vocational Discovery and Development Program’s Nonvisual Skills Training for Independence

Saturday March 22, 2025 10:00am - 11:15am MDT

Laguna Madre

Every person who is visually impaired will encounter moments where their vision is not "working for them". This presentation will describe how the Blind Children’s Program developed a hands-on nonvisual skills training program to enhance program participants’ independence, community engagement, and future vocational success.

Speakers

Shirley Franklin

Saturday March 22, 2025 10:00am - 11:15am MDT
Laguna Madre 900 N Shoreline Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78401

ECC

10:00am MDT

Supporting Success: A Person-Centered Approach to Transition Planning for Students with Visual Impairments

Saturday March 22, 2025 10:00am - 11:15am MDT

Corpus Ballroom B - Breakout

This session equips VI professionals with person-centered transition planning strategies, focusing on discovery activities, collaborative team roles, and effective communication. Rather than relying on a specific tool, participants will learn about the flexible nature of this approach and gain clarity on what an effective, person-centered process entails.

Speakers

Belinda Fayard

Saturday March 22, 2025 10:00am - 11:15am MDT
Corpus Ballroom B - Breakout 900 N Shoreline Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78401

Job Tools

10:00am MDT

Thinking outside of the Braille Cell

Saturday March 22, 2025 10:00am - 11:15am MDT

Nueces A - Breakout

Explore the Mangold method for developing proficient braille readers in this informative workshop. Learn how to make lessons engaging, motivating, and effective for new braille students. We'll cover Mangold Basic Braille Units 1-3, offering teacher-tested strategies to reduce scrubbing and backtracking while enhancing braille proficiency.

Speakers

Stephanie Herlich

Saturday March 22, 2025 10:00am - 11:15am MDT
Nueces A - Breakout 900 N Shoreline Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, USA

Literacy

10:15am MDT

Break

Saturday March 22, 2025 10:15am - 10:30am MDT

Omni Corpus Christi

Saturday March 22, 2025 10:15am - 10:30am MDT
Omni Corpus Christi 900 N Shoreline Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78401

11:30am MDT

Go-Go Gadgets

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:30am - 12:45pm MDT

Aransas - Breakout

A variety of Independent Living Skill gadgets will be presented to help one teach students of varying abilities different ways to approach kitchen skills. Additionally, images of high-marked appliances will be shown to provide guidance for increasing accessibility at school and home.

Speakers

Yvonne Corson

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:30am - 12:45pm MDT
Aransas - Breakout 900 N Shoreline Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78401

COMS

11:30am MDT

APH Abacus Bee Texas Style

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:30am - 12:45pm MDT

Nueces B - Breakout

The APH Abacus Bee is a fun and engaging competition designed to ignite a passion for mathematics for blind or low vision students. The competition ensures participation through individual learning styles through print or braille and encourages the use of mental math and abacus skills unlocking mathematical potential.

Speakers

Mari Garza

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:30am - 12:45pm MDT
Nueces B - Breakout 900 N Shoreline Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, USA

ECC, Math

11:30am MDT

Empowering Self-Advocacy through Creative Strategies

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:30am - 12:45pm MDT

Corpus Ballroom A - Breakout

Professionals will gain insight into fun ways to empower students with confidence to advocate for their needs in the classroom and community. In this session, participants will explore a variety of ways to help students learn about their vision and accommodations they need through various lesson plans and accompanying activities.

Speakers

Anissa Letterman

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:30am - 12:45pm MDT
Corpus Ballroom A - Breakout 900 N Shoreline Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78401

ECC

11:30am MDT

The Legacy of Blind Blues Musicians

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:30am - 12:45pm MDT

Laguna Madre

Throughout history, blind musicians have demonstrated skill across many musical forms. Many found a niche in the American blues scene. This presentation will discuss blues genres chosen and sometimes dominated by blind performers. We'll also discuss the artists themselves: their stories, their contributions, and offer representative music samples.

Speakers

Billy Brookshire

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:30am - 12:45pm MDT
Laguna Madre 900 N Shoreline Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78401

ECC

11:30am MDT

STAAR and the TSVI

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:30am - 12:45pm MDT

Corpus Ballroom B - Breakout

STAAR is stressful for everyone, but when you have a student who can't just test online like everyone else, there's added stress. Let's learn about accommodations for students who are blind or visually impaired so they can test and you can know they have all the access they need.

Speakers

Janet Bean

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:30am - 12:45pm MDT
Corpus Ballroom B - Breakout 900 N Shoreline Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78401

Job Tools, Evaluation/Assessment

11:30am MDT

Learning in a New Light: Using 3D printing, tactile graphics and computer programs to support students learning in the Classroom

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:30am - 12:45pm MDT

Nueces A - Breakout

A discussion on innovative ways to assist students with visual impairments to access a variety of materials in the General Education setting including Math, Maps, Charts, Graphs, and using AI to help create accessibility.

Speakers

Jose Briseno

Saturday March 22, 2025 11:30am - 12:45pm MDT
Nueces A - Breakout 900 N Shoreline Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, USA

Technology