VIDBE-Q Volume 66 Issue 1
The following year, Indianapolis welcomed CEC attendees in late January and
an uninvited guest—named Polar Vortex—crashed the party. Cars stalled and
airplanes remained grounded, but the presenters and attendees held strong and
made the DVIDB preconference have a little extra meaning and appreciation that
year. We held the preconference in the Indianapolis Convention Center, which
turned out to be a wise decision considering several of the conference hotels are
connected to the convention center, eliminating the need to travel outside in the
dangerously low temperatures. Indiana State University and Allied Instructional
Services joined APH and DVIDB as co-sponsors. The morning session featured
Dr. Catherine Nelson, lead author of APH's Child-guided Strategies: The Van Dijk
Approach to Assessment. This book with accompanying videos is a staple in
teacher-prep programs for deafblindness. The afternoon session titled, "Teaching
Concepts to Children with Visual Impairments and Deafblindness Using the BEST
Elements of Dance" was enjoyable for all and had attendees standing up, dancing,
and staying happily warm. The session leaders were Dr. Nelson, Kristen Paul,
Pamela Geber Handman, and Brooke Barnhill.
The 2020 CEC Convention & Expo landed us in Portland, OR. The Columbia
Regional Program in Portland partnered with APH and DVIDB to co-sponsor the
February preconference. Diane Sheline was the presenter for a full day of
"Implementing Effective Instruction for Students with Cortical Visual
