VISIONS 2019: What's New in Technology and Services for the Blind, Visually Impaired & Physically Disabled!
Wednesday, May 15, 2019: 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Downtown Ann Arbor District Library
The 2019 VISIONS Vendor Fair features a variety of Michigan exhibitors who will demonstrate the latest products and services for the blind, visually impaired and physically disabled. Electronic readers, magnifiers, support services for the blind, Braille devices, library services, CCTVs, leader dogs, and transportation services are just a few of the many outstanding services and products that will be on display.
The VISIONS Vendor Fair is presented by the Ann Arbor District Library (which also serves as the Washtenaw Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled) and is cosponsored by the State of Michigan's Bureau of Services for Blind Persons.
Presentations will also be offered on topics related to vision health, services, and assistive technology. Ray's Red Hots and Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea will be on site selling refreshments.
12pm: Shannon McVoy
Statewide Transition Services Manager, Michigan Bureau of Services for Blind Persons
Bureau of Services for Blind Persons: Technology and the Impact on Transition Services for Students with Visual Impairments
Shannon McVoy is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor serving as the Statewide Transition Services Manager for Michigan’s Bureau of Services for Blind Persons (BSBP). Shannon has a long history of assisting students with disabilities transition from school to college and/or employment. She served as a state liaison to the Michigan High School/High Tech Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) grant. Shannon is currently developing and implementing many Pre-Employment Transition programs throughout the state for BSBP students.
Join Shannon as she discusses how BSBP is engaging youth through tools such as the Career Index Plus in Career Exploration and Workplace Readiness training. Learn about recent programs focusing on emerging technologies such as 3D printing and autonomous vehicles along with careers that in those areas. Shannon will explain how BSBP is utilizing multiple learning platforms to incorporate alternative service delivery to students including online learning components to better prepare them for postsecondary success.
1pm: Donna Wicker, O.D. and Sherry Day, O.D.
Optometrists and Clinical Assistant Professors of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Michigan, W. K. Kellogg Eye Center
UM Kellogg Eye Center: Multidisciplinary Low Vision Rehabilitation
Donna Wicker, O.D. and Sherry Day, O.D. are optometrists and Clinical Assistant Professors of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences at the University of Michigan, W. K. Kellogg Eye Center. They are both involved in direct patient care for low vision patients, as well as teaching and clinical research.
Join Dr. Wicker and Dr. Day as they discuss multidisciplinary low vision care, optical devices and technology options for low vision patients and assessment of daily living activities.
2pm: Sile O’Modhrain
Associate Professor, University of Michigan
Designing a Full-Page Tactile Display: What we Know and What We Don’t Know Yet
Sile O'Modhrain is an associate professor at the University of Michigan where she holds a joint appointment in the Performing Arts Technology (PAT) program in the School of Music, Theatre and Dance, and in the school of information. Her research focuses on human-computer interaction, especially interfaces incorporating haptic and auditory feedback. She earned her master's degree in music technology from the University of York and her PhD from Stanford University's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA). She has also worked as a sound engineer and producer for BBC Network Radio. In 1994, she received a Fulbright scholarship, and went to Stanford to develop a prototype haptic interface augmenting graphical user interfaces for blind computer users. For the past six years, she has been working with Brent Gillespie and Alex Russamanno to design and build a full-page tactile array to support the display of braille and tactile graphics.
Join Sile as she discusses being part of the team at UM exploring new techniques for building a full-page tactile display, thoughts on interacting with content on these displays, what has been discovered about working with information on a full-page dynamic tactile display, and the questions that remain relating to the design of content and guidelines for those who will prepare materials for these devices.
3pm: Jack Bernard and Christina Kline
Associate General Counsel at the University of Michigan and Assistant Director and ADA Coordinator at the University of Michigan Office for Institutional Equity
Updates to the ADA: Emotional Support Animals, Assistive Animals, and More
Jack Bernard is an Associate General Counsel at the University of Michigan and Christina Kline is the Assistant Director and ADA Coordinator at the University of Michigan Office for Institutional Equity
Do you know the difference between Emotional Support Animals and Assistive Animals? Do you know which animals can legally be kept in dorms or in rentals? Which animals can be taken into public spaces such as restaurants and stores? You may have seen news reports about Emotional Support Animals that passengers bring aboard airplanes, but what is the law? What documentation is needed? Get answers to these questions and learn what's new in the Americans with Disabilities Act from U-M experts, Jack Bernard and Christina Kline.
WLBPD@AADL to host the 2017 Midlands & Northern Regional Conference of Libraries Serving the Blind & Physically Handicapped: "Today's Vision: Tomorrow's Reality"
June 6-8, 2017, library staff from 22 states and the District of Columbia, will gather at the Downtown AADL for an annual meeting of National Library Service network libraries serving the blind and physically handicapped.
WLBPD@AADL Awarded 2014 Subregional Library of the Year!
The Washtenaw Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled at Ann Arbor District Library (WLBPD@AADL) received the prestigious National Award for Subregional Library of the Year on Friday, June 19, 2015, during a luncheon ceremony at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
Library Director Josie Parker and Terry Soave, AADL Manager of Outreach and Neighborhood Services accepted the award on behalf for WLBPD@AADL, now completing its sixth year of serving blind and physically handicapped individuals throughout Washtenaw County.
The other award presented at the luncheon ceremony, the Network Library of the Year Award, was given to the The Michigan Braille and Talking Book Library located in Lansing.
Both awards carry a $1,000 cash prize and a framed certificate for each library and its parent agency.
Karen Keninger, Director of the National Library Service For The Blind and Physically Handicapped, stated, “Today we commend these two libraries for their exceptional creativity and responsiveness in removing barriers to reading for people who are blind or are unable to use print materials.”
The Washtenaw Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled at Ann Arbor District Library (WLBPD@AADL) serves approximately 500 patrons and circulates talking books and magazines on 15,949 digital cartridges. All public services staff of the Ann Arbor District Library are trained and available to provide WLBPD services.
This biennial vendor fair is presented by the Ann Arbor District Library and is cosponsored by the State of Michigan's Bureau of Services for Blind Persons.
WLBPD 2014 Library of the Year Nomination
Nomination | PDF Version | Audio Version | Text-Only Version |
Profile | PDF Version | Audio Version | Text-Only Version |
Accomplishments | PDF Version | Audio Version | Text-Only Version |
WLBPD News
WLBPD Patron Satisfaction Survey
Survey Report 2014 | PDF Version | Audio Version | Text-Only Version |
Survey 2014 | PDF Version | Audio Version | Text-Only Version |
Survey Report 2012 | PDF Version | Audio Version | Text-Only Version |
Survey 2012 | PDF Version | Audio Version | Text-Only Version |
WLBPD Biennial Site Review
2012 Review | PDF Version | Audio Version | Text-Only Version |
2010 Review | PDF Version | Audio Version | Text-Only Version |
WLBPD State Aid
Interested in WLBPD State Aid/Annual report information? Click here for links!