- This page, Annual MCB Visions of Collaboration Conference 2019, is offered by
- Massachusetts Commission for the Blind
Annual MCB Visions of Collaboration Conference 2019
Overview of Annual MCB Visions of Collaboration Conference 2019
Focus on Skills for Success in Work and Life
Pre-Employment Transition Services for Students with Visual Impairments
Who Should Attend:
TVIs, COMS, MCB Staff, Special Ed Directors, IEP Team Chairs, Guidance Counselors, Transition Professionals.
Please share with others who may be interested.
No cost to attend. Space is limited. Registration required.
Registration Deadline Friday, March 8th by 5:00 pm:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/annual-mcb-visions-of-collaboration-conference-2019-tickets-52721040050
Agenda
7:30 AM - 8:00 AM
Registration
8:00 AM – 8:45 AM
Networking and Continental Breakfast
Regional Collaboration
Seating suggested by regional location.
Question Box:
Participants can submit questions to be addressed during working lunch.
8:45 AM - 9:15 AM
Welcome and Around the room introductions
MA Commission for the Blind (MCB)
Casey Hall, Director of Training
Opening Remarks
MCB Commissioner David D’Arcangelo
9:15 AM – 10:00 AM
What Employers are looking for in an Employee: Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Employer Panel Presentation
Moderator: John Oliveira, MCB Deputy Commissioner
Richard W. Curtis, Vice President | Workforce Development | Global Inclusion | State Street Corporation
10:00 AM – 10:15 AM
MCB Partnerships for Pre-ETS Consumers
Joe Buizon, MCB Employee Services Supervisor
10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
Break
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
BREAKOUT SESSIONS-3 Choices A, B, C
A
Assistive Technology: How Much is Enough and How Much is Too Much
Rick Ely, PhD., TVI
William Hersh, M.Ed., MSLVR, CLVT, Low Vision Therapist/Assistive Technology Specialist
B
Being Ready for College
Panel Presentation
Moderator: Teri Turgeon, Director, Community Programs, Perkins School for the Blind
- What to expect for services
College Office for Disability
Paul Hastings, Director of Disability,
Boston University/Wheelock
- What are the Skills Needed for Success
Alan White, MCB Regional Director,
Vocational Rehabilitation
Meg Robertson, MCB Director, Orientation & Mobility
Carolyn Ovesen, MCB Supervisor, Rehabilitation Teaching
Alexander Pooler, MCB Director, Assistive Technology
C
Self-Advocacy & Buy-in
Panel Presentation
Moderator: Thomas Miller, Special Education & Training Consultant
Panel Representatives:
- Tammy Reisman, M.Ed., C.A.E.S.
Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments
Newton Public Schools
TVI Program Coordinator, UMass Boston
- O & M
- Lisa L. Fournier, EdD., Transition Specialist, South Coast Educational Collaborative
- Mayanne MacDonald-Briggs, MCB, Transition Counselor
12:00 PM - 12:45 PM
Working Lunch
- Moderator: Casey Hall, Director of Training
- Table Hosts: Pre-ETS Program Providers, MCB Staff (AT, DBES, O & M, RDs)
- Networking, Q & A & Opportunity to visit the resource tables.
12:45 PM – 1:00 PM
Q and A from question boxes
MCB Staff and Conference Committee Members
1:00 PM - 1:45 PM
Our Stories: Challenges & Successes
Consumer Panel Presentation
Moderator: Alan White, MCB Regional Director, Metro West
- Grace VanDyck, Senior, Dean College
- Melisar Nambatya, Junior, UMass Boston
1:45 PM - 1:55 PM
Cookies and drinks
1:55 PM – 2:45 PM
Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS)
Students with Visual Impairments
Moderator: Casey Hall, MCB Director of Training
MCB Pre-ETS Program Providers
Introduction to Pre-ETS Programs
- What the programs have in common
- How to apply/get in to any program
6 Program Providers
- What is unique about their program
- Where their program is located
- When is their program offered
(5 minutes to present, 5 minutes for Q & A)
Panel Members:
- Carroll Center for the Blind
Dina Rosenbaum, M.Ed., Chief Program Officer
- Lowell Association for the Blind
Elizabeth M. Cannon, Executive Director
- Our Space, Our Place
Cheryl Cumings, Founder/Executive Director
- Partners for Youth with Disabilities
Antonela Prifti, Mentoring Specialist
- Perkins School for the Blind
Teri Turgeon, Education Director, Community Programs
- The POLUS Center for Social & Economic Development, Inc.
Theresa E. Kane, Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer
2:45PM - 3:00 PM
Closing
Program Evaluation and CEU distribution
Casey Hall, MCB Director of Training
CEUs
- CRC
- ACVREP
- Certificate of Completion