Spring 2006 Canadian Corner

Canadian Corner
by Wendy Nichols, AER Board Canadian Representative

My last article was written around Thanksgiving, and listed many people to/for whom I am thankful. At the time, I didn't mention my parents, and how thankful I am to have had their love and guidance in my life. I hope I have been able to show them, by the way I live my life, a reflection of theirs. My father passed away two weeks before Christmas, and it has certainly given me a new perspective on life, and death, and these holidays.

When I was moving back to the Sault, I agonized over the loss of my perfect career in blindness, but that was nothing compared to losing my dad. I am so happy to have had the opportunity to be nearby for the past 18 months, to build my store of face-to-face memories, and to be around when I was needed by my family.

I have been a part of the AER 'family' for a while now, and I thank all of you who have supported me in this AER life, and in my personal life, especially right now. We are all working together for a common goal, and we need to continue on that mission and expand our circles of influence, to clients, parents, educators, administrators, and most importantly, our peers in the field, who need some (YOUR) encouragement to become involved in AER. Let's keep moving forward.

In Ontario, we are hosting a workshop in Toronto in early April, highlighting Dr. Christine Roman and CVI. Dr. Roman was received favorably at the Canadian Vision Teacher's Conference in Halifax, and we are delighted to have her back up to Canada again so soon. Contact the Canadian AER office at AERCanada@sympatico.ca if you wish to receive more detail and register! John and Anna continue to work hard on our behalf, and love hearing from members!

We have been working on the Canadian page on the AER website, and are please to report that it is now up and running. Please visit the site at http://canada.aerbvi.org.

I am looking forward to AER-Lift in April, which is always an up-lifting experience. Seeing that we are already on a mountain in Utah to start with, I can't wait to see the results. I encourage all AER leaders to attend.

So, get involved in AER leadership, I promise it will be an exciting experience. Get your colleagues involved in AER. There is something for everyone in the field to explore. Looking forward to seeing you soon, and having you involved. "You get what you give," and we all have something to give. My dad gave me so much to be thankful for— I am so proud of the life he lived. I am proud to be representing Canadians as a part of the AER International Board. I wish you all the best that the New Year has to offer. Thanks for reading my Canadian Corner.