Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
If you’re looking for CPD opportunities, you’ll be excited to learn that in 2022, the OMAA Professional Development Committee has partnered with NextSense to provide you with the following new and engaging courses:
- Including Children with Vision Impairments in Physical Activity (6 points) – starts 25 February 2022
- Sensory Efficiency Training (4 points) – starts 21 March 2022
- The CVI practice framework: An approach for working with children who have a cerebral visual impairment in an education or habilitation/rehabilitation context (5 points) – starts 29 April 2022
- Blind and Low Vision Masterclass Services 2022
- Topic 1 – Assistive Technology Trials and Recommendations (1 point) – starts 6 May 2022
- Topic 5 – Adjusting the AT instructive method to suit the individual (1 point) – starts 14 October 2022
In even better news, if you are a SPEVI member, you are eligible for NextSense course discounts during 2022. Visit the SPEVI website to sign up to become a SPEVI member.Â
The following CPD 2022 opportunities for O&M Specialists have also been approved:
- CVI Scotland online video series (7 points)
- Deafblind Conference June-July 2022 (points to be calculated)
- Charge Syndrome Australasia online course (reapproved for 12 points from 4 Jan 2022).
Upcoming ConferencesÂ
- Collaborative Vision Conference (CVC), presented by Wisconsin AER Chapter (WAER), 5-6 May 2022. This virtual conference includes a presentation by Steve McAuliff on veering in adults with vision impairment and a presentation by Matt Tietjen, famous in CVI circles for his in-depth knowledge of how visual and environmental complexity affects people with CVI. You can find the official program and registration form here.
- Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities virtual conference: 16-17 May 2022. The theme for the conference is ‘Inclusion and Access to Information in Our Changing World’. Read more about the conference here.
- 11th National Deafblind Conference, 30 June – 1 July 2022. This is the first national Australian deafblind conference in six years! Click here for more information.
- Deafblind International Africa Conference, 12-14 May 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya and online.
Other Professional Development Opportunities
Did you know AER eLearning has a multitude of interesting recorded presentations and courses relevant to O&M professionals? There are some very well-known presenters and the courses provide value for money, especially if you are an AER member as the cost is discounted. There are both live and recorded presentations, including presentations about inclusion in sport, support canes, using surface indicators for alignment, demographic changes in the O&M profession, tactile mapping, and an electronic wayfinding technology review. As an example of the great value at AER eLearning, this course package includes four presentations for US$30 (AER members) or US$60 (non-members). To check out all the courses on offer, both live and recorded, visit AER eLearning.
If you’re looking for other CPD opportunities, remember to check the OMAA website for suggestions where you’ll find many great course and conference options listed for your convenience.
Are you hosting or attending an upcoming CPD event? Would you like to be able to earn points towards ACVREP recertification at the same time? Click here to find out how you can register your event.
Job Vacancies
Have you looked at the Job Vacancies page on the OMAA website recently? You’ll find position vacancies listed for various agencies and locations across Australasia so remember to check it regularly.
Access and Technology news
- Vision 2020 Australia is lobbying for more accessible, tactile rapid antigen tests for people with low vision and blindness.
- An interesting article about how computer simulations of vision loss create more empathetic building design for people with low vision.
Other news
- Kim Pilic, O&M Specialist at Forward Steps Mobility, would love any second-hand canes for an innovative upcoming project. If you have any spare second-hand white or coloured canes of all types, regardless of the state they are in, please contact Kim via email at kimpilic@gmail.com, via phone on 0490 044 344, or via Messenger.
- Tricia d’Apice, a Senior Consultant at NextSense (previously known as Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children), has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) at the Australia Day 2022 Honours. Tricia was recognised for her ‘service to education for people with vision impairment’. Congratulations Tricia!
- Canberra residents will be pleased to hear that their city has beaten 99 other capitals to be named the world’s best capital city for eye health, partly owing to low levels of air, noise and light pollution.
- A groundbreaking solution for assessing glaucoma risk in clinical settings using blood or saliva samples is closer to becoming a reality with the support of a grant from the South Australian government.
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