by Daniel Parker, RDPFS Intern
Over the next several months, organizations in the vision impairment community will be holding conferences in various locations across the country, and some will be virtual. In the following list, registration links will be provided where available.
This Spring:
– VisionServe Alliance’s CEO Summit will take place from March 26 to 29, 2023 in Austin, Texas. “The VSA CEO Summit is specifically geared for CEOs and Executive Directors of organizations serving people who are blind and visually impaired.” This year’s theme is “Celebrating Innovation.” The conference features two half-day workshops with leadership experts, including Jamie Notter on “Creating a Culture of Innovation” and Kelli Vrla on “Hit the Reset Button – Innovate Through Today’s Challenges with Creative Ways to Engage You and Your Teams.” Register for the Vision Serve Alliance CEO Summit here.
– The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) Leadership Conference will take place from April 19 to 21, 2023 in Arlington, Virginia. “The 2023 AFBLC will focus on Empowering Digital Inclusion,” discussing “innovative ways to create true inclusion and create a world of no limits for people who are blind.” Registration for the AFBLC is here, and early bird pricing ends on February 28, 2023.
This Summer:
– The American Council of the Blind (ACB) Convention will take place from June 30 to July 7, 2023 in Schaumburg, Illinois. This will be a hybrid conference and convention, with sessions that are exclusively in-person only or solely virtual, as well as others that are both virtual and in-person.
– The 2023 National Federation of the Blind (NFB) convention is the annual gathering where NFB organizational policies and priorities are decided. It also presents many training opportunities in advocacy for the community. The convention will take place from July 1 to 6, 2023 in Houston, Texas.
– The Ush Connections Conference (2023 date and location to be announced) is “the largest annual gathering of the global Usher syndrome community. It provides an invaluable opportunity to learn the latest on developing treatments from leading USH researchers while connecting with hundreds of individuals living with Usher syndrome, their families, and professionals serving the deafblind community.”
In the Fall:
– The American Printing House for the Blind (APH)’s Annual Meeting will take place from October 4 to 6, 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky, with pre-conference sessions on October 3rd and 4th. There are four themes this year, which APH calls “strands”: 1) Tactile instruction and/or technology; 2) Low vision instruction and/or technology; 3) Educating learners with complex needs; and 4) Advocacy and partnerships. APH is calling for presentations, with proposals due March 22, 2023, and accessible materials due September 1, 2023. Here is the form to submit a proposal for review.
– The American Academy of Optometry’s 2023 conference goes from October 11 to 14, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana. “Academy 2023 New Orleans promises the continuing education, networking, and special events you have come to expect, along with opportunities to meet with our exhibitors and learn about their latest innovations in the optometric industry.”
– The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) 2023 convention will be in San Francisco, California from November 3 to 6, 2023. Ophthalmologists from across the country will come together at this annual meeting.
– National Industries for the Blind (NIB) has two conferences, the Public Policy Forum and the Training Conference and Expo. Dates have not been announced for either of these, although their conferences are traditionally held in the fall.
