Summer 2007 Canadian Corner

Canadian Corner: AER Up Front and Center
By Jane Parsard, AER Canadian Board Representative

Canadian AER Members:  Look for every opportunity to promote the work of AER! Over the last six months we could point to attendance at several provincial and national conferences to touch base with all Canadians working in the field of blindness. John Martin and I are always working the crowd and this continues as a way to promote membership and talk with people about the benefits of joining AER. In May and June, 2007, workshops on digital portfolios were held.  These workshops continued the AER/CNIB lecture series theme. CNIB is AER largest partner in Canada, but there are many other rehabilitation organizations and education institutions that we must continue to built partnerships and strong relationships with to plan workshops that are of interest. Staff of several of these organizations attended the conference in Montreal hosted by the Eastern Chapter.

On November 9 - 11, 2007, the Canadian Vision Teachers conference that is being financially supported by AER will take place. AER will be featured prominently during the opening program and while the conference will be attended mostly by Canadian Teachers, O&M Specialists as well as other guests, AER International is allowing the website to be used to promote the event and this promotes global interest and I understand that the organizers have had some people from Nigeria indicate an interest.
Contacts are ongoing. The greatest challenge is getting those outside of Ontario to respond. The AER Canada office offers all chapters access to the newsletter for article submission, or to highlight their program activities or what may be occurring. We rarely get response but we continue to work with Chapter Chairs to encourage participation and to heighten their profile.  All chapters should feel free to contact the AER Canada Office at aercanada@sympatico.ca.  On a positive note,  Elaine Todd from BC attended the AER-Lift event in Virginia, in April, 2007. This is the first time a westerner has been to AER-Lift in several years and we will continue to work with Elaine to build strong chapters in the Western Provinces.

It is a big plus for Canada to have two representatives on the 2008 Chicago Conference Planning Committee. Over the next several months we will work with Cathy McFee and Cheryl Richesin to market and promote conference attendance.   Stay tuned for further plans for Chicago in July, 2008.