About AER Canada

The Canadian AER office, supported by the AER International Board of Directors, officially opened its doors on April 12, 1999, on the campus of the University of British Columbia. Mr. Vince Martino was the first Canadian AER Coordinator, and assumed his duties until 2004 when the office moved to Ontario, under the guidance of Canadian Consultant, Mr. John Martin. 

The staff of the AER Canadian office gives professionals and consumers in the field a collective voice federally, provincially, and within municipalities, to keep the focus on the importance of maintaining specialized blind services for consumers of all ages.

AER Canada also supports our membership through the publication of quarterly newsletters, membership recruitment and the promotion of AER at conferences and events. In addition, office staff assists with the Canadian Chapter and Division development, serves as liaison to provincial and federal ministries/departments and agencies and advocates for the support of educational and rehabilitation issues for persons who are blind or visually impaired.

There are currently four chapters that are serving over 200 Canadian AER members: British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Northeast. For more information about the chapters please see their individual Chapter pages.

AER Canada is supported by Susan Howe, the Canadian Representative to the International Board and Morgan Ineson, the AER Canadian Support Professional.

Susan Howe has been an educator in the field of vision loss for more than 40 years. At first, she briefly worked in the residence of the then Ontario School for the Blind, now known as W. Ross Macdonald School, and taught many years in various grades. For the last 25 years, Sue has worked in the outreach program, Vision Resources Services at the school, and is currently the Educational Coordinator for this program. Sue has been an active member of AER and the former AEVH, for many years, and has taken an active role in AER for over 20 years. She has served on the Ontario AER board of directors for the last 13 years, and is currently the past president. Sue credits AER for helping her to grow professionally throughout her career. “Through AER, I have made contact with, and learned from many professionals working in this field, and they continue to inspire and encourage me”. Contact Sue at susan.howe@ontario.ca

Morgan Ineson joined AER in November 2008. In her new role with AER she will be working closely with Chapter presidents to help increase membership and improve benefits for Canadian AER members. Morgan is also currently the Manager of National Service Development with CNIB. She holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto in biology and social anthropology, and is continuing her studies at Ryerson University in disability studies. As part of her work at CNIB, Morgan have been involved in many initiatives including facilitating workshops for seniors about vision disability and aging, assisting in social research projects on accessibility and employment, managing the SCORE summer program, and teaching leadership and advocacy skills to disabled youth. Contact Morgan at morgan.ineson@cnib.ca