2012 NYSAER Update NYSAER Conference will be held Nov. 4-6 2012. The conference will be at the Downtown Crowne Plaza in White Plains, NY. NYSAER will host a great conference made that much greater by your participation. Before the storm we were expecting upwards of 180 to 200 people to attend conference events. This is a very challenging time for the people and city of White Plains. The City is rightfully focused on assessment, restoration and recovery. NYSAER stands with White Plains and support their efforts, at the conference we will be collecting donations for Red Cross. The NYSAER Annual Conference has always been a special event for professionals in the field in the field of blindness and visual impairments as a symbol of the importance and resiliency of our professions. NYSAER continues to move ahead with its planning and preparation for the coming events. We will keep all options open with regard to making any accommodations and adjustments necessary to NYSAER conference events. We will provide an update and more detail as information becomes available. Contact me with any questions. Grace Grace Ambrose-Zaken, Conference Chair From: OandM [mailto:oandm-bounces@lists.aerbvi.org] On Behalf Of Ginger Croce Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 10:34 AM To: oandm@lists.aerbvi.org; admindiv@lists.aerbvi.org; aer-div07@lists.aerbvi.org; aerdiv15@lists.aerbvi.org; division10@lists.aerbvi.org; infotech@lists.aerbvi.org; personnelprep@lists.aerbvi.org; visionpsi@lists.aerbvi.org; vocrehab@lists.aerbvi.org Subject: [OandM] Message from Jim Adams, AER Board President Message to AER Members from Jim Adams, AER Board President Coming Soon: I recently attended the American Printing House for the Blind annual meeting in Louisville, KY, where I had the opportunity to visit with many friends in our field. I was surprised to learn that there are many members who are not aware that AER will once again be purchasing the Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness (JVIB) from the American Foundation for the Blind as a member benefit beginning in January 2013. Please check our web site, http://aerbvi.org/modules.php?name=Content <http://aerbvi.org/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=182> &pa=showpage&pid=182 for details. Other News: Another topic of discussion at this meeting was the Unified English Braille Code (UEBC). In our July board meeting your AER board voted to support this effort. As the president of the board I can tell you that this was a topic of considerable interest to your board representatives and not a decision taken lightly. Our BANA representative did a great job of researching the topic and presenting all of the variables. While I can't speak for the other 16 board members, I can share with you what influenced my vote. When addressing issues such as this I often think of one of our former national presidents John F. Kennedy He said, "Those who look to the past or present will never see the future." I understand that "some" of our members do not see the value in this move to a unified code, however if we are leaders in the field, it's time we look to the future. In early November the BANA board will meet and hopefully make their decision about our future for braille. In our September board meeting your AER board voted to form a task force on the issue of Medicare Reimbursement (third party) and licensure. It appears that this is a topic of great interest from the exchange of comments on our list serve. I am pleased to report that your executive director, Lou Tutt, our legislative committee and I will be meeting soon to discuss this topic and begin to form some structure for this task force. As I stated in my acceptance remarks in July your "ideas" are a major asset for our organization. Please keep expressing your ideas regarding this subject on the list serve and to you chapter and division leadership. I look forward to sharing this group's progress in the coming months. Sincerely, Jim Adams AER Board President, 2012-2014