Robin Bliven is the Outreach Director at The Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind. She attended the University of Tennessee for her bachelor's and master's degrees in education of the Deaf and hard of hearing. She has taught in Pre-K-12th grade across the country in both itinerant and site-based settings. She has experience in both hearing and vision loss in her work as the lead teacher for sensory disabilities in Pitt County, North Carolina. Robin moved to Virginia and into the role of Outreach Director in 2021. She lives in Chesapeake, Virginia with her 2 daughters. Robin spends her free time watching a lot of softball, driving people places, and trying to keep up with laundry.

Sue Bowmaster: Her vision decreased gradually as a small child, and Sue became totally blind when she was six. She graduated from Georgetown University in 1967 with a major in Spanish. After college she joined the Peace Corps and spent two years in Honduras and Costa Rica, working with blind children and young adults. Returning to the U.S., Sue got a job with the Department of Labor. She spent 31 years with the Office of Federal Contract compliance Programs which is responsible for enforcing laws requiring affirmative action and equal opportunity in employment. In 1991 she adopted an 18-month-old blind baby girl from Madras, India. She retired in 2006. After retirement she dealt with some health issues requiring a hip and a knee replacement. She became a member of ACB IN 1988, attending her first convention in Richmond, Va. In 1989. Sue has served on several ACB committees, the local chapter of Guide Dog Users Inc., six years on the International Relations committee, and several board positions. She is currently secretary of ACBVa's board of directors. Sue and her daughter, Mia, have received services from DBVI, including orientation and mobility, independent living skills, and employment readiness. Sue is currently serving her first year of a three-year appointment on the Va. State Rehabilitation council.

Amanda Bradley was a private school elementary and middle school teacher in Fairfax County and D.C. and is currently in Richmond. She has also been a tutor and special activities coordinator.

Ericke S. Cage is the 13th president of West Virginia State University. He was unanimously selected for the position on March 31, 2022, by the WVSU Board of Governors, having served the university previously since September 2021 as interim president. In June 2024, President Cage signed a new five-year contract to continue to lead the university until 2029. Under President Cage's leadership, West Virginia State University has achieved several significant milestones, including the development of a five-year university strategic plan known as Future State; the creation of a Cybersecurity Innovation Center; the launch of the university's first doctorate degree program in educational leadership; and a return to downtown Charleston with the new WVSU Center. A native of Halifax County, Virginia, President Cage came to WVSU from Norfolk State University where he served as executive advisor to the president and Board of Visitors. President Cage is a graduate of Virginia Tech and the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science. He holds a juris doctorate from the Rutgers University Law School and a Master of Law degree in litigation and dispute resolution from the George Washington University Law School.

W. LaMont Council, PT, DPT, NCS is an Outpatient Specialist I Physical Therapist who has worked at Riverside Health's Outpatient Physical Therapy Denbigh Clinic in Newport News, VA for over 1.5 years. He worked as a Physical Therapist III for Centra Virginia Baptist Hospital's inpatient rehabilitation unit in Lynchburg, VA USA for 15 years prior to his current job and was also an adjunct professor at the University of Lynchburg in their DPT program teaching in the area of Prosthetics and Orthotics for 7 years. He is an ABPTS Board-Certified Specialist in Neurological Physical Therapy who earned his Masters of Physical Therapy (MPT) Degree from Winston-Salem State University (NC) in 2007 and his Doctoral of Physical Therapy (DPT) Degree from Chatham University (PA) in 2009. He completed his undergraduate education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (NC) earning a Bachelor of Arts while double majoring in Biology and Exercise and Sport Science in 2002. He has been married to his wonderful wife, Amanda and they are the proud parents of four terrific children: Marie, Lucy, Rachel, and Walker.

Being legally-blind Margaret (Margie) DeMars is your past, present and future student. Having been diagnosed with Myopic Degeneration at the age of seven, it has been a lifelong struggle losing both central and peripheral vision. Because she feels the past 15 years are the most important jobs that she has held, she will focus on her volunteer work with the blind, deaf-blind & vision impaired in TN & VA. Highlighting some actions: grant writing, news articles, facilitating InSight on Vision conferences & starting Southside Otta Sight (SOS) Group in Danville has been her privilege. Past positions: Board of Directors of Visually Impaired Support (VIS) Group, TN 11 yrs, TN Council of the Blind (TCB) 8 yrs, Secretary of the TN Organization of the Deaf-Blind (TODB) 10 yrs. Currently, serve as Director's for ACBVA, SOS Group, ACB SASI, VIS & TODB's Advisory Boards.

Matt Harding is currently working for DBVI in Southwest Virginia covering the Roanoke and Bristol offices. He was an Orientation & Mobility Specialist for 28 years, and a TVI for seven. He has worked for the VA hospital and the School for the Deaf and Blind in Tucson. He then moved to Virginia where he was a TVI in Newport News and Roanoke County. He also worked for himself and Allied Instructional Services as a Mobility Specialist in over ten counties. He received his undergraduate degree in English Literature from St. Olaf College, took a semester in Paris at the Sorbonne, then got his master's in special education: vision and O&M at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

Mary Kate Harris has been a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments with Fairfax County Public Schools for 15 years. She received her undergraduate degree in elementary education from Longwood University and a Masters in Special Education with endorsement in teaching students with Visual impairments from George Mason University. She has worked both as an itinerant and in a resource room setting for middle and high school students. She is a self-proclaimed math nerd who enjoys supporting students in and adapting materials for higher level math and science classes.

Tish Harris, MBA, is the Pre-Employment Transitions Services and Career Pathways Coordinator for the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired where she has delivered innovative programs and partnerships to assist students with career exploration and taking steps towards success in education and employment. Tish has piloted multiple successful and sustainable events and academies, leading to a dramatic increase in student connections with DBVI. Tish also teaches business at Blue Ridge Community College and sits on the local Career Pathway Consortium in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

Kate is currently serving as the Chief Research, Evaluation and Program Management in the ITS Joint Program Office at the US DOT. In addition to the ITS JPO, Kate has worked at the USDOT in FHWA and FMCSA in FMCSA's research and technology offices and in FHWA's Freight office. She serves as the Program Manager for both the Connected Vehicle Pilot and Smart City Programs and has run the ITS JPO Truck Program and the Dynamic Mobility Applications Program. She has a diverse background, including work as a marketing manager, financial researcher, a paralegal and serving in the Peace Corps as a business advisor. She has both a BA in Economics and an MBA as well as being a certified PMP.

Christopher Hekimian obtained a master's degree in Electrical Engineering in 1995 and a Doctor of Science degree in Systems Engineering in 2004. He has worked in national defense. He is also an inventor and a researcher and has served as a teacher for gifted children and as a substitute teacher for middle school students. He currently produces a line of music training aids for use by teachers and students.

After being diagnosed with an untreatable retina disease, Dr. Hekimian developed several technologies related to vision health. Most recently he developed the Farmer Noah system for Orientation and Mobility training. The system is designed to develop the key skills necessary for the blind to master their environments and to move about them with safety and confidence. Chris works together with his wife Christine.

Dennis Helms grew up in a small community in Southwest Virginia called Meadows of Dan, located about 3,000 feet above sea level right off the Blue Ridge Parkway. He left home at the age of five to attend VSDB (Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind). He later attended public school and graduated from Bassett High school in 1976. He graduated from Longwood University in 1980 with an undergraduate degree in music education. His first job was at Virginia Tech as a data entry operator. He graduated from UVA, The University of Virginia, in May 1984 with a Masters in Special Education with an emphasis in vision. He began working in Richmond for the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired that August. He transferred to Roanoke in April 1986. Later he received certification as a rehabilitation teacher and retired and retired July 1, 2023, after nearly 40 years of service working as an employee of Virginia.

His hobbies are music, sports, walking and fishing. He is married with a 31-year-old daughter. He has also been a member of The American Council for the Blind. He has served as Chapter President of Virginia AER. He was presented with Virginia AER's Dominion Award of Excellence as nominated and affirmed by his peers.

Stephanie Herlich, MA, a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments and Orientation and Mobility Specialist for 20+ years, coordinates the Assessment Center at California School for the Blind. She is an educational consultant for Exceptional Teaching, and lectures at San Francisco State University. She authored The Mangold Braille Program, Unit 3 UEB (Exceptional Teaching), co-authored Getting to Know You: A Social Skills Curriculum for Students Who Are Visually Impaired and Their Sighted Peers (APH), and was a contributing author of Learning to Listen Listening to Learn, (APH) and ECC Essentials; Teaching the Expanded Core Curriculum to Students with Visual Impairments (APH).

Mike Hess, a tech veteran with 20 years of experience managing 7-figure projects for Fortune 500 companies, often found himself as the token blind guy. Knowing that the invaluable skills he developed because of his blindness were the keys to his success, he couldn't understand why unemployment amongst the blind and visually impaired (BVI) community was so high. Recognizing the untapped potential of the blind and visually impaired community, he founded the Blind Institute of Technology (BIT). Mike has successfully placed BVI and disabled professionals in Fortune 500 companies nationwide. To address the need for marketable tech skills among people with disabilities, Mike established the BIT Academy. The Academy is the only Salesforce-approved training provider for people with disabilities.

Michelle A. C. Hicks, Ph.D., is currently a visiting assistant professor of special education and disability policy program at the Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Education in Richmond, VA. She received her master's degree in education from Old Dominion University and her bachelor's degree at Hampton University. Her research interest is improving the post-secondary outcome for students with blindness and visual impairment. Prior to entering academia, Michelle taught students with Autism, specific learning disabilities, specific emotional disabilities, and visual impairment.

Hilary Hodes is the Project Coordinator for the Virginia Deafblind Project (VDBP).She provides training and technical assistance to teams working with students with both vision and hearing loss. Hilary has worked in special education for over 15 years, including teaching in specialized and inclusive settings in Brooklyn and London prior to joining the VDBP team. She is passionate about collaborating with the educational team, including families, to fit together the many pieces of supporting children with complex learning needs. Hilary received a Masters in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University in Curriculum and Teaching and a Masters of Science in Education from Hunter College, City University of New York in Special Education with an annotation in Multiple Disabilities including Deaf-Blindness.

Robin F. Hoerber was born in Teaneck, New Jersey. She was raised in the rural farming community of Montague, New Jersey. Born three months premature and weighing only three pounds and nine ounces at birth, she developed Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) which resulted in her total blindness. In those days, New Jersey and Washington State were the only two states that permitted mainstreaming in the public schools. Other states advocated for residential education for children with vision impairments and total blindness.

Robin grew up in the rural farming community of Montague, New Jersey with her three younger, fully sighted siblings. She was raised to be as independent as possible. She had a reader for materials not available to her in Braille. Her books and tests were brailled by volunteer transcribers. Robin completed her Bachelor of Arts Degree in psychology with a minor in English from Dickenson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania in 1975 and her master's in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling in 1977 from East Carolina University.

As a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, Robin has handled Social Security and Epilepsy caseloads. She worked for the Programs for Accessible Living in Charlotte, North Carolina where she gained invaluable experience dealing with clients having a wide variety of disabilities. She helped to provide people with community-based services, including information and referral, independent living skills training, and advocacy and community education.

At a mission's church program Robin gained hands-on experience in ministering to the needs of elderly persons in the congregation and a large homeless population in the area. The mission's services included substance-abuse counseling, information and referrals, management of the food pantry and clothing closet, and fostering interagency cooperation. She gained tremendous experience in working with the public at the J.C. Penny Call Center as a Customer Service Representative. She taught other blind employees how to utilize adaptive equipment on the job. In the Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy she worked as a Disability Rights Advocate for individuals with physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities by facilitating mediation and/or negotiation activities with service providers, government officials, and employers. Without exception, independence, choice, and self-determination were at the forefront of all her client-related interactions.

Robin has served as a Braille Instructor at the Virginia Center for the Blind and Vision Impaired while she certified as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor and Braille Instructor.

Last year Robin retired as a Rehabilitation Teacher with the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired. She enjoys serving with her church, taking various classes at LLI, and serving with the Brandermill Midlothian Woodlake Lions Club, baking, providing disability awareness programs to scout and other civic groups, and spending as much time as possible outdoors. Each summer she volunteers with Camp Rainbow Connection, a camp for cognitively challenged adults, through the United Methodist Church as staff counselor. She enjoys visiting her son, his wife, and her grand-daughter, Rebekah who turned four in June.

Helene Holman is the President of Exceptional Teaching Inc., a company founded by Dr. Sally Mangold. Exceptional Teaching Inc. has provided high quality products to individuals with special needs for over 50 years. Over the past 20 years Ms. Holman has collaborated with teachers, parents, and industry leaders to create products that benefit individuals who are blind and visually impaired.

Melanie Hughes is a Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist working with the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired out of the Fairfax office since 1996. She graduated with an M.S. from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (now Salus University). Representing AERBVI, she has served on the American National Standards Institute A117 Committee which develops accessibility standards for the built environment, and on a committee with the NCHRP. Since 1999, she has worked closely with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) on its APS program and many other projects. In 2018, she was the keynote speaker for statewide APS training for VDOT and has trained the maintenance staff and traffic engineers in the needs of vision impaired travelers. She is currently on the AER Environmental Access Committee.

Ana C Khan is a Braille Transcriber. She transcribes all print materials provided to students in class. This includes mostly scientific and math subjects, a few literary materials that require human touch (i.e. tables, graphics, tests, exams, quizzes, etc.), She also creates large sized tactile images, from scratch using a free program called QuickTack, from Duxbury Systems.

Valery Kircher is a COMS/TVI in Virginia. Valery finished her CVI Certification at UMass, Boston in December 2022. Currently Valery is working on her Doctorate in Special Education at the University of Pittsburgh, with her dissertation on CVI and O&M.

Valery is currently a COMS with DBVI in Virginia. She graduated from Kutztown University with a BS in Elementary and Special Education in Vision studies. Valery then went on to attend Western Michigan University where she received her MA in O&M for Children and is ACVREP certified. She has worked as a TVI and a COMS in Virginia's public schools. She has her CVI Certification through UMass Boston. She is currently a Doctorate student at University of Pittsburgh. She is planning to do her dissertation on O&M and CVI in children. She has presented extensively on CVI and O&M at the CVI Symposium (Perkins) in 2024, and 2022; AER International in 2024 as well as 2022, and the online International O&M Conference and past Virginia AER conferences.

Kevin has been with GoodMaps for over a year. He is a newly blind individual who is working in this role to advocate for accessible navigation for the blind community. GoodMaps provides the technology for turn-by-turn navigation for indoor spaces.

Kim Ladd, RN, BS, CPHQ, CDCES, is the Diabetes Educator/ Health Education Specialist for the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI) and the Virginia Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and Vision Impaired (VRCBVI). Her work involves empowering clients who are blind or have low vision to independently manage their diabetes and other chronic diseases with the use of adaptive techniques, low vision aids, accessible devices, and problem-solving. Kim has been a registered nurse for almost 30 years, having received her RN Diploma from Richmond Memorial Hospital School of Nursing and her Bachelor of Science degree from Bellevue University. She is also a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality, a Master Trainer for the Stanford University-developed Diabetes Self-Management and Chronic Disease Self-Management Programs, and a certified American Red Cross CPR/AED/First Aid instructor, adapting the training for the vision-impaired. After having taught diabetes self-management in home health and community settings for years, she began working at DBVI in 2015. Kim is a 2023 Accessible Pharmacy Services Vision Healthcare Award recipient for Diabetes Education.

Domonique Lawless completed her undergraduate degree in German, Education, and Chinese from Belmont University in Nashville Tennessee. She obtained a master's degree in teaching Blind Students and Orientation and Mobility from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston Louisiana. Domonique has over a decade's experience working in the field of blindness, teaching Braille, Orientation and Mobility, Access Technology, and other related living skills. She has worked with students as young as three years old, and as wise as ninety-one years old.

Bethanie Mateer is a Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist. She served as an adjunct Professor at Marshall University Graduate College, an Outreach Specialist with West Virginia's Department of Education, and as a Teacher of the Visually Impaired in Raleigh County.

Established in 1996, WVU Eye Institute Children's Vision Rehabilitation Program (CVRP) that serves visually impaired children, teachers, parents and professionals across West Virginia. With a mission to provide comprehensive vision rehabilitation services to blind and visually impaired school-aged children throughout West Virginia regardless of their ability to pay, the CVRP program continues to grow and evolve with new projects each year based on students' needs. CVRP holds clinics to provide students with updated visual acuities, fields, and recommendations for technology and orientation and mobility. CVRP also holds camps throughout the year for students. One camp being Mobility Camp. This camp provides students from around the state the opportunity to put their O&M skills to the test in a new city.

Whitney Matheson is dually as a Certified Orientation & Mobility and as a Specialist Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments. She received her master's in Vision Studies from the University of Massachusetts Boston in 2016. From the Fall of 2015 through the Spring of 2023, Whitney was both a TVI and O&M for Roanoke City Public Schools. In the Fall of 2023 to the present, she provides O&M services solely for Roanoke City Public Schools, Roanoke County Public Schools, and contracts out to Floyd County Public Schools. She has served on the Virginia AER Board as a member at large (2018-2019), President-Elect (2019-2020), President (2020-2021), and Past President (2021-2022). Also Whitney served on the planning committee for the Virginia AER conference in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2023.

Donna Mayberry, M.Ed. was a Teacher of the Visually Impaired for 32 years in the Central Virginia region specializing in braille and is now the Education Coordinator with DBVI for the Roanoke Region. She has obtained NLS Unified English Braille Literary Transcription certification as well as National Certification in Unified English Braille. She has mentored over 10 provisional TVI educators into full certification and has tutored many Vision Educators through college level braille coursework as well as NLS Transcription Certification. Not wanting Vision Educators to have to reinvent the wheel, she has created multiple braille reference materials and student braille tracking forms for teachers to freely use.

Angie Moran is a certified vision rehabilitation therapist who has been serving in the field since 2011. She is currently a rehabilitation teacher at Virginia Department for Blind and Vision Impaired and is passionate about assisting clients in reaching their goals to increase and maintain their independence while living with vision loss. And one of the many hobbies she enjoys during her free time is running. She has completed six marathons.

Jimmy Morris is currently working as an Orientation and Mobility Instructor for the Virginia Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and Vision Impaired and has been doing so since 2018. He received his master's in counseling with a concentration in Orientation and Mobility from Louisiana Tech University in 2017. After obtaining his National Orientation and Mobility Certification (NOMC), he began a second career as an orientation and mobility center-based instructor. In addition, Mr. Morris had the opportunity to work as an itinerant instructor out in the field for two years for the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired. Prior to teaching, Mr. Morris was a financial manager for over twenty years and provided economic and budgetary guidance to a variety of consumers. Mr. Morris made his way into the rehabilitation field through his own journey with blindness, by successfully completing an adjustment to blindness training program, and by embracing a realization of the empowerment and freedom provided by the long white cane. Because of this personal understanding, Mr. Morris confidently decided to change careers and pay forward his own experience and knowledge to others needing independence. He is currently serving as the Vice President of the Orientation and Mobility Specialist Association (OMSA), and enjoys being outdoors, and grilling for family and friends.

Kristin is a Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist from the Norfolk Office of the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI). She provides orientation and mobility (O&M) assessment, instruction and resources to DBVI clients. O&M services include knowing where you are, planning how to get to where you want to go, and traveling safely and as independently as possible.

Doug is a former DBVI client with Retinitis Pigmentosa. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Indiana University, Bloomington. He retired after 18 years of marketing at the National Education Association's Professional Library. He also spent 10 years at the National industries for the Blind, traveling to agencies to facilitate training in communication, teamwork, and leadership skills. He served two 3-year terms on the DBVI State Rehabilitation Council serving as Chair of the Council for the last two years of his term. Recently, Doug just termed off the National Board of Directors of the American Council of the Blind (ACB). He lives in Falls Church with his wife of 51 years. They have two grown children. Spare time finds him singing in a rock chorus and a gospel chorus.

Although blindness consumed the first 4 years of his life, C Spikes born in Houston Tx and raised in Norfolk Virginia has shown that even now with only partial sight, much can be accomplished. Known to the world as a professional Musical Director, Live Music Programmer, and Drummer, he has captured the attention and worked with many national recording artist such as Portsmouth native and icon Missy Elliott, Muni Long, JLo, Brazilian Singer-Songwriter Anitta, Omarion and C-Pop Rapper Yitai Wang just to name a few.

C Spikes is currently the Live Music Programmer/Creator of Missy Elliott's first headlining Out Of This World Tour. He has done some of the biggest TV award shows such as American Music Awards 2022 with Anitta featuring Missy Elliott, Grammys 50th Hip Hop Anniversary 2023 with Missy Elliott, and Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame 2023 with Missy Elliott. He has played at some of the biggest musical festivals such as Lovers & Friends Festival 2023 with Missy Elliott as the headliner and also did live music production for Omarion. He did Essence Festival 2023 with Missy Elliott headlining again as the most anticipated performance. He's created live music production for The Wonderful World Of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration 2022, and Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show with R&B Singer-Songwriter Muni Long. C Spikes was the live musical powerhouse behind NBA halftime shows for the Brooklyn Nets Kids, the Denver Nuggets Dancers, The Washington Wizards Dancers and the Philadelphia 76ers Entertainment. C Spikes began his journey building the C Spikes Productions brand in 2009 in Virginia Beach and has persevered through it all to be where he is today. Regarded as one of Hampton Road's emplematic musicians, C Spikes' spirit of attentiveness, perfection, perseverance, and humility makes his success everlasting and inspirational.

Born and raised in Norfolk, VA, Rea faced many challenges raising her children, especially her two oldest, Cliffton and Charedi. Her son Cliffton was born totally blind with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia, which required extra care and attention. Rea's love, dedication, and determination led her to put her personal dreams on hold, focusing instead on providing a stable environment for her children.

Despite not having a formal education early on, Rea vowed to give her children a better life. She utilized every resource and opportunity to ensure their well-being. In 2008, Rea opened her state-licensed home childcare service, Ms. Re-Re's Place Home Childcare Service, known for its welcoming motto, "A Place Where Your Child Is One of the Family." Over the span of 14 years, she helped nurture and educate over 250 children.

In 2022, after closing her childcare business, Rea became a PALS tutor in the Norfolk Public School District, where her love for children, phonics and literacy grew much stronger so she started Ms. Re-Re's Reading Readiness Literacy Development and Tutoring. Now in her second year as a long-term 2nd-grade substitute teacher at P.B. Young Elementary School, she continues to inspire young minds.

One of Rea's proudest achievements is enrolling in school. She is currently a sophomore at Tidewater Community College, working towards her associate degree in General Studies, which she plans to graduate in December 2025. Her next step is transferring to Norfolk State University to earn her bachelor's degree in elementary education.

Rea's life is guided by two mottos: "Never Say Never, Never Too Late" and "Green Means Go!" She wears green every day as a reminder that, no matter the difficulties, she will keep Going and Never Quit.

Hunter Summerlin, MAT, is a product manager at American Printing House for the Blind. She is a literacy specialist, former TVI, and special education teacher with seven teaching licenses including all four core subjects.

Evelyn Tichenor is the VP of Sales and Partnerships at GoodMaps, with a background in innovative technology focused on creating a social impact. She has worked with GoodMaps since its inception and is the longest standing employee, growing the commercial and business development arm to create advocacy and awareness for accessibility and inclusivity.

Born in the beautiful island of St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands, and growing up in Long Island, New York, Michael Villafane currently works as a computer and access technology instructor at VRCBVI. After gaining a bachelor's degree in linguistics and French literature at Binghamton University, he worked at the Social Security Administration as a teleservice representative for the 800 number hotline in New York City and as a service representative for the Charlotte, North Carolina field office from 2000 to 2009. He often jokes that he thought he knew how to use computers until he started working at SSA where he had to learn to have 5 to 10 windows open at the same time while taking incoming calls from beneficiaries. It was at SSA where he received his inspiration to teach technology to blind people. Finally, in 2009, Mr. Villafane took the plunge and went back to graduate school and earned a master's degree in Vision Rehabilitation Therapy at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In 2011, after completing an internship at the Michigan department for the blind sports camp for blind kids and at the Hines VA hospital in Chicago, Illinois, Mr. Villafane worked as an Activities of Daily Living instructor, keyboarding instructor, and Braille instructor at the Center for the Blind and Vision Impaired in Atlanta, Georgia. He left Atlanta in 2013 and started working at VRCBVI in January of 2014. Currently, when not at work, he enjoys reading audio and Braille books, kayaking, rock climbing, hiking, and swimming. Also, he is a Linux and computer programming enthusiast.

Through her firm, Blindness Education and Advocacy Resources (BEAR), Carlton Anne Cook Walker, MEd, JD, MBA, provides technical assistance to educators, LEAs, and vocational rehabilitation agencies across the nation in training and education of blind individuals, with and without additional disabilities. She also serves as Program Director for the Maryland Bridges Technical Assistance Center, its Helpdesk, Resource Library, and Transition Tip Tuesday program.

Carlton has boots-on-the-ground experience in the blindness and disability fields as the parent of an academically gifted blind child with additional disabilities, as a certified teacher of blind/low vision students, and as a nationally recognized blindness/low vision consultant and advocate.

Meg Walker is an active member of AER. As a graduate of Western Michigan University, she became a member in Missouri and the transferred her membership when she moved to Virginia in 2007. As a certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist for DBVI-Roanoke, Early Intervention O&M and private contractor to school divisions for O&M services, in the Roanoke Valley she has dedicated herself to the betterment of citizens of all ages with vision loss. When she is not at work, she develops her skills as a leader and team member through her activities with AER.

Erin lives in western New York and attended Villa Maria College of Buffalo, Michigan State University, and St. Bonaventure University. She holds degrees in Early Childhood Education, A.A.S., Elementary Education, Special Education, Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments, B.S., and Childhood Literacy, MSED.

Erin brings more than 30 years of experience to her current role as the Outreach Specialist for the Northeast Region, at the American Printing House for the Blind. Previous roles include Teacher of Special Education, Teacher for Students with Visual Impairments, Orientation and Mobility Specialist, Statewide Coordinator for the Education of Students with Visual Impairments, and Educational Consultant for Camp Abilities, a Sports Camp for Students with Visual Impairments.

A few highlights of Erin's career include serving as a Pennsylvania-Delaware AER Chapter board member, the development and implementation of Delaware's Transition to UEB Plan, and through Camp Abilities, the opportunity to work on two publications: Visual impairment and Physical Education: Steps to Success, Gross Motor Development for Children With Visual Impairments, Teaching Gross Motor Development to Children With Visual Impairments, and Staff Training for Physical Education for Children With Visual Impairments.

Felicia Williams has been a dedicated professional with the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI) for over 20 years. She is currently serving as a Pre-Employment Transition Specialist on a team that provides essential services to students and youth with disabilities across the state. Her previous roles at DBVI include serving as a Vocational Rehabilitation Coordinator and a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor.

Felicia earned her B.S. in Psychology and her M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University. Additionally, she holds a Vision Specialist Certification from Mississippi State University. Her deep passion for working with youth with disabilities drives her commitment to helping them achieve their career goals and gain independence.